A global professional services firm this month identified four worldwide “megatrends” that are intertwining to impact trajectories such as tech and talent in Canada.
Aon’s Client Trends 2025 report identifies Trade, Technology, Weather and Workforce as the four major forces “driving complexity, volatility and uncertainty for business and society.”
“The megatrends of Trade, Technology, Weather and Workforce are creating unprecedented challenges for business leaders, who risk decision paralysis when urgent action is needed,” says Greg Case, chief executive officer of Aon.
“The interconnectedness of these trends means that leaders need access to integrated data and analytics, capabilities and expertise to effectively respond to increasingly linked risk and people issues,” Case continued.
For example, the intersection of Technology and Trade are fuelling innovation that could deliver practical efficiencies in global supply chains.
However, with new technology comes significant risks that must be properly managed.
In particular, Artificial intelligence is a rapidly emerging technology that is set to play a vital role in helping move global trade through increasingly complex regulatory challenges, trade laws, privacy regulations and threats from cyber attacks and potential global trade wars.
And that’s when Workforce enters the picture.
“Technology and Workforce” is another identified connection. The report notes that the integration of AI within human resources functions is reshaping job roles and skill requirements across industries, for example.
But an inability to attract and retain talent rose on the threats list in Aon’s most recent Global Risk Management Survey, and AI’s disruption has barely scratched the surface, according to experts.
Regardless, organizations are increasingly utilizing AI to optimize processes like talent acquisition and employee engagement—even major CEOs are openly admitting this now.
This broad shift, still in its infancy, enhances efficiency but also focuses on upskilling employees to work alongside AI, according to the report.
“Investment in improving and strengthening employee skills and competencies with AI tools will be key,” the report reads. “This includes building data literacy, analytics and programming skills, as well as supporting soft skills like critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and emotional intelligence.”
Currently, the top uses for Gen AI in the workplace are cultivating ideas, conducting research, and correspondence with colleagues, according to recent data from KPMG.
These are practical applications of the technology, but fail to brush up against the “true potential” of AI, experts from KPMG suggest.
