How to Use AI in Strategic Workforce Planning

In this article:

• Skills Mapping
• Predictive Analytics for Critical Attrition
• AI for Any Scenario
• Becoming a Strategic Architect

Traditional strategic workforce planning, or SWP, often feels like a massive annual report that immediately becomes outdated once the year is underway, but it represents one of the biggest opportunities for HR departments to use AI as a tool for strategic design, rather than a static plan.

More than 40% of organizations now leverage AI in HR tasks according to SHRM, up significantly from the year prior, proving that AI is now a practical tool, not just a futuristic concept. Leaders feel the pressure every time a job requisition sits open for too long or a critical project stalls due to a talent shortage and they’re increasingly using AI to try and solve these problems.

But AI is moving SWP out of the executive suite and into the daily workflow, giving organizations the real-time data and insights they need to be a true strategic advisor to their  business partners. The question is, how can the practitioner start using AI right now to tackle immediate workforce challenges?

Skills Mapping

For HR practitioners, the most immediate and highest-impact use of AI is to transform how organizations identify and track skills. Companies can't plan for the future if you don't know exactly what skills they have today.

AI and machine learning tools can ingest data from an employee's digital footprint—project work, performance reviews, courses completed, certifications, and employee profiles—that gives an accurate and up-to-date skill profile. 

For example, practitioners can automate a report that provides net new skills achieved, or AI-specific skills, so that talent can be dynamic and deployed when business needs arise instead of when the perfect match fills out an application.

Practitioner Takeaways:

• HRIS/LMS platform capability: Inquire about AI-driven skills inference or skills intelligence features when considering a new platform.. Many modern platforms now automatically parse employee data to build a dynamic, real-time skill inventory.
• Gather targeted reporting: Instead of asking for a list of headcount, ask the system: "What is our current supply of Python programming skills with proficiency level 4 or higher in the Engineering division?" This immediately surfaces where your build-or-buy decision should start.

Predictive Analytics for Critical Attrition

High-performing employees are often the first to leave when they feel unchallenged or overlooked. AI can help reduce high-risk turnover with data-driven, predictive insights. Certain tools analyze countless warning signs that a human manager might miss: changes in performance metrics, reduction in engagement with company systems, fluctuations in compensation relative to market data, and even manager communication patterns. These predictive models can flag employees who exhibit a high flight risk.

Practitioner Takeaways:

• Flag 90-Day risks: Focus energy where it matters most. Use predictive analytics dashboards to identify the top 5% of high-potential employees who are flagged as high flight risk in the next 90 days.
• Initiate strategic intervention: Use the reason the AI flagged them—not just the flag itself—to guide action.
  • If the risk is "Lack of New Challenge/Growth," partner with the manager to propose an internal mobility move or a high-visibility project.
  • If the risk is "Pay Disparity," work with Comp & Benefits to model a retention adjustment.
  • If the risk is "Manager Effectiveness," use the data as a coaching moment for the manager.

This shift allows managers to move from reacting to a resignation to proactively managing top employees’ career trajectory, which is a powerful strategic role for the HRBP.

AI for Any Scenario 

The hallmark of effective SWP is agility—the ability to quickly assess the talent implications of a shifting business landscape. AI tools empower the practitioner to do this modeling in minutes, not weeks.

No more waiting for the centralized analytics team to run a complex model. New AI tools, often embedded in modern HR platforms, allow organizations to pose complex, strategic questions using natural language. This provides HR with instant data-driven scenarios for their business partners.

Practitioner wakeaways:

• Test strategic pivots: Prepare for business meetings by modeling the workforce impact of a potential change. For instance, input a prompt like: "Model the impact on our Sales department's skill requirements if we shift our primary product from a hardware model to a subscription service in the next 18 months. Identify the top 3 obsolete skills and the 3 most critical new skills needed."
• Accelerate hiring strategies: Use AI to instantly draft customized job descriptions that are optimized for new, emerging skills. You can prompt the AI to "Draft a job description for a 'Prompt Engineer' role based on our existing Software Engineer roles, but emphasize communication, critical thinking, and LLM governance skills." This reduces the time-to-post and ensures your requisitions target the future skills your business needs.

The ability to instantly produce these insights can establish HR as a data-fluent, forward-thinking partner that can anticipate and shape the business's talent needs, not just service its demands.

Becoming a Strategic Architect

For the HR practitioner, AI is the key to unlocking the strategic seat you've earned. By automating the data crunching and accelerating the scenario planning, HR practitioners  free themselves to focus on the truly human element: coaching, consulting, and building trust.

This move from an administrator of records to an architect of the future workforce is the most exciting career opportunity in HR today. The tools are ready.

What is the first data-driven insight you will use AI to uncover for your business partners next week?

When people thrive, organizations thrive. That’s why it’s crucial to cultivate a workplace where AI elevates human potential so your people can work at their best.

Drawing on extensive data and real-world case studies, this report provides actionable recommendations for building a workplace where people reach new heights through personalized experiences.