new delhi upskilling and reskilling of the workforce are the two biggest priorities for india incs chief executives this year reveals mercers 2022 global talent trends study talent acquisition employee engagement sickness and productivity are other key concerns while employees are looking for a flexible work environment as at least 74 of those surveyed said they will join an organisation only if they can work remotely or in a hybrid engagement more than half of hr leaders cite flexibility as a key lever for sourcing attracting and retaining a diverse talent pool and a similar majority believe that they can build cultures and practices that are adaptive by design to cater to a flexible modelthe seventh edition of mercers global talent trends study has surveyed nearly 11000 csuite executives hr leaders and employees representing 16 geographies and 13 industriesthe study highlights that difficulty hiring the right talent at the right price in time remains a top concern 71 in 2022 in response companies are reshaping talent strategies focusing more on internal talent marketplaces and leveraging the gig economy 42 companies advancing on this objective have been investing in targeted learning programs and offering internal gig experiences to bridge skill gaps what they are grappling with however is to scale in a sustainable manner meanwhile employees are struggling to find time to learn a new skill 36resetting the skills agenda to meet both current and future talent needs will ensure people are and remain employable harnessing ai and technology will be a critical factor in designing and driving skills based talent practices at scale said padma ramanathan country report lead and principal talent advisory mercerin an employeecentric labour market where majority of employees want choice we are seeing organizations wanting to partner with employees to cocreate work models based on wherewhenhow employees want to work and rethink pay and benefit strategies customised to target populations she added other key trends include the following responsible employerssustainability strategies and goals are a clear priority for india executives over onethird of employees value organizations brand and reputation and equal career progression opportunities citing it as the 2 reason for joining current employer after job security organizations that walk the talk on their core values through company purpose work standards and investment strategies will better relate with their stakeholders and be better positioned to deliver business an overwhelming 99 of employees in india expect their employer to pursue a sustainability agenda that balances financial results with social issues diversityequity and environmental impact in response one clear shift is visible in moving from intent to action on dei for example accounting for diverse circumstances in redesigned policies or tailoring for a multigenerational workforce choice flexibilitypeople no longer want to work for a company they want to work with a company nearly all executives say we are in an employeecentric labour market and 82 of hr professionals are predicting higher than normal turnover this year most notably with regard to younger