GWI Project FAQs

Questions & Answers: Global Workforce Intelligence Project

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What is the Global Workforce Intelligence Project?

The first of its kind, the Global Workforce Intelligence (GWI) `Project helps business and HR leaders understand major workforce trends that will shape companies around the world in coming years. Using unprecedented levels of detail, this project will analyze the skills, jobs, job clusters, career pathways, as well as the accelerating and decelerating skills and roles for every major industry segment—historically and into the future. Our research and analysis will provide the necessary insights for making the significant workforce decisions—most of which are not yet even recognized—for future business success. Led by The Josh Bersin Company, the GWI Project will leverage more than 1.5 billion worker profiles and billions of associated data points collected by Eightfold AI’s unique Talent Intelligence Platform.

Why is the GWI Project needed now?

We initiated the GWI Project in response to major shifts impacting virtually every industry around the world:

  • Industry convergence: Industry segments are swiftly evolving to encompass new business and revenue models. Therefore, companies will need different skills, roles, and organizational models to survive.
  • Talent and skills shortage: The Great Resignation, shifting workforce expectations, new work models, and employee empowerment are driving critical talent shortages across the world.
  • Changing customer expectations: Customers expect every company they do business with to be digital, more customer-centric, and much more agile in providing the products and services needed in the moment.

These shifts will drive the types of jobs, skills, and organizational models required for business success in the near future. The workforce changes, trends, and predictions uncovered by our research will be unique to each industry segment. Our research will also provide insights that go far beyond typical workforce analyses to guide hiring, employee development, redeployments, job redesign, and even reorganizations or new business models that will put companies ahead of the curve.

How will GWI research differ from the data produced by other organizations?

These are just a few ways our research will be different than what is currently “out there” today:

  • While most “trend” data focuses on the past and present, our research will include detailed workforce-related projections for the future.
  • Our research will provide highly specific analysis and projections. For instance, while it’s common knowledge that there will be an acute shortage of nurses in the near future, our preliminary analysis shows that healthcare companies also will face extreme shortages in physicians and clinical pharmacists.
  • We will identify the urgent workforce issues companies must address now. Just as an ocean liner can’t change course instantly, no company can accomplish a massive reskilling effort in a few months or even a year. Years of preparation will be required to prepare for many of the disruptions ahead.
  • We will provide specific recommendations how to address these future issues. Rather than just focusing on one approach (like hiring or reskilling), companies need to take a multi-prong, thoughtful approach including redesigning jobs, automating and augmenting non-core activities to free up human capacity, building career pathways to allow for large-scale redeployments of people into future jobs, reskilling, talent mobility, and even new business and operating models.
  • The research will not just include data and analysis but many relevant business stories and examples from companies in the specific industry segment.
  • Our research will help companies address underlying issues impacting today’s challenges. For example, while many companies are putting extreme focus on recruiting, our preliminary analysis shows that in many cases, the skills and roles for which they are hiring will be outdated in just a few years.
Who can best benefit from the GWI Project?

The GWI Project is designed to provide senior business leaders, business functional managers, and HR executives with insights to guide hiring, development, financial planning, and organizational decisions for the coming future. HR leaders will also find deep-dive research that can help them prepare HR business partners and learning, recruiting, and workforce planning teams to better support the business.

The project will also offer special sessions and engagement opportunities, such as the C-suite councils, to help build relationships and share best practices and insights across organizational boundaries.

How will GWI research be conducted?

As with all of our research, we will take a data-driven approach, enhanced by the real-world perspectives of business and HR leaders. The GWI Project will be based on contributions from:

  • The Josh Bersin Company: Josh Bersin and his team of analysts and consultants will lead the project. Their collective experience in all areas of HR, people analytics, and workforce planning will ensure findings are actionable with benchmarking and guidance for implementing change.
  • Eightfold’s Talent Intelligence Platform: The largest talent dataset on the market, Eightfold’s platform provides the data foundation for the GWI Project. Its data on skills maps and adjacencies, job trends and clusters, industry convergence, and career pathways by industry segment is unparalleled in terms of breadth and depth of information.
  • C-Suite Councils: Organized by industry segment, C-suite councils help us understand how market-wide shifts are impacting companies on a day-to-day basis and how leaders are meeting the challenges. They also serve as discussion forums in which senior executives can collaborate on strategic workforce-related issues, discuss skills and job trends, and share organizational solutions.
  • Expert Review Panels: Periodically, we will connect with experts from consulting companies, academia, and government organizations for additional information on relevant industry and business topics.
What deliverables can I expect from the GWI Project?

As part of the GWI Project, we will produce the following reports and research deliverables:

  • Industry reports for select industry segments
  • Case studies and examples of real-world solutions
  • Topical research reports explaining how to address skills and role imbalances through skilling, career pathways, hiring, role redesigns, and organizational design
  • Workforce intelligence trends reports highlighting cross-industry trends
  • We will supplement the above with infographics, timely news bulletins, and explanatory articles as dictated by our findings.
What research will be available in 2022?

The first report, focused on the healthcare industry, is targeted for Q3 2022. This study will examine a wide range of data related to jobs and job clusters, skills, career pathways, and more from over 40 U.S. and Canadian healthcare providers.

Research related to the banking industry segment is planned for late 2022. The study will be based on data from more than 30 large consumer and commercial banks and a comparison of that data to organizational data from more than 20 fintech companies.

We will roll out additional deliverables related to the above, as well as reports for the consumer products and pharmaceuticals segments, in 2023.

What value can I get from the project if my industry segment is not covered in 2022?

The shift we’re seeing toward industry convergence means the siloes that once existed are rapidly coming down. All research will include discussion on how disruptions and changes in any industry segment are also impacting adjacent segments. For instance, we already know that healthcare disruptions are impacting retail pharmacies. Changes taking place in banking are relevant for fintech companies. Our research will also yield cross-industry insights applicable to all businesses.

Does the GWI Project require any technology investments or specific platforms?

Our research is independent of technology platform or tools.

How do I get more information on the GWI Project?

Just send an email to info@bersinpartners.com and reference the GWI Project. We’ll keep you up to date on project progress and research availability. If you’re a senior HR or business leader interested in joining one of our C-suite councils, please indicate you’d like information on participation.

How do I participate in the GWI Project?

The GWI Project aligns with the holistic services suite provided by The Josh Bersin Company. In addition to downloading the project overview white paper and signing up for GWI Project updates, we invite you to participate in this collaborative, future-focused initiative in three ways:

  • Become a Corporate Member. All GWI Project resources, including industry-specific reports, case studies, tools, frameworks, and SuperClasses, will be available exclusively to Corporate Members.
  • Participate in C-level events. We designed the GWI Project to be collaborative and agile – adapting to feedback and real-world obstacles faced by leaders in each industry we research. Through invite-only Executive Councils, you can connect with other executives in your field to take a deep dive into the application of GWI Project data and identify solutions relevant to your business.
  • Work with our Advisory team. The Josh Bersin Company team includes world-class experts and a robust, trusted network of vendors. We welcome the opportunity provide advisory services to select organizations looking to operationalize the GWI Project insights for their company.
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