As business leaders continue to navigate uncertainty, transform workforces and adopt emerging technologies, HR has become more than a support function - it's now central to driving growth and resilience.

According to Gartner’s latest survey of 426 Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) across 23 industries and four global regions, the top priorities reflect a clear mandate: reimagine HR for a future defined by AI, agility and adaptability.

Leading the list is building a purpose-driven AI strategy tailored to HR.

This is followed closely by workforce redesign in the human-machine era, equipping leaders for sustained change and embedding culture into everyday performance.

Now in its annual cycle, Gartner’s Top HR Trends and CHRO Priorities for 2026 draws on in-depth research to identify the most pressing issues HR leaders face.

The study not only highlights what’s top of mind for CHROs, but also aims to give organisations strategic direction, from understanding what’s driving these shifts to actionable insights that help reshape the HR function for long-term business impact.

Priorities for HR execs

In Gartner’s 2026 HR Trends and CHRO Priorities report, four standout areas are shaping the agenda for HR leaders heading into the next year. Each reflects the growing complexity of leading people and performance in a technology-driven world.

AI transformation leads the list. According to Gartner, CHROs must now develop dedicated, HR-specific AI strategies that go beyond automation and focus on reimagining how HR delivers value.

Gartner found that evolving the HR operating model could unlock up to 29% in productivity gains.

Secondly, CHROs are prioritising workforce redesign to align with the human-machine era.

That means developing adaptive talent strategies that account for various future-of-work scenarios, blending human capability with AI systems.

Kris van Riper, Practice Vice President at Gartner, says: “2025 was about AI pilots, discovery and experimentation. 2026 will be about delivering agentic AI ROI.”

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