Analysts Introduce New Enterprise Framework for Strategic Workforce Planning in the AI Era at Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo in Orlando
By 2029, 30% of employees who were terminated and replaced by AI will be rehired, often at a higher cost, as organizations struggle to align workforce decisions with evolving business needs, according to Gartner, Inc.
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At Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo in Orlando, Caitlyn McDonough, Vice President Analyst at Gartner, shared the current talent risks threatening businesses.
During Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo, taking place here through today, McDonough shared a new enterprise framework for strategic workforce planning.
Moving Beyond Traditional Workforce Planning
There are five planning phases:
- Identify the workforce capabilities most critical to executing business strategy
- Forecast future work demand and capacity requirements
- Assess future workforce supply, including both human and AI-enabled capacity
- Quantify workforce gaps and evaluate potential solutions based on cost, risk and speed
- Establish governance to prioritize and fund workforce investments
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Source: Gartner (October 2026)
Rather than attempting an enterprise-wide rollout from the outset, CHROs should partner with leaders to pilot the framework for 1-2 business capabilities and then scale their approach based on lessons learned.
“To prepare for an AI-driven future, leaders should stop planning for the workforce they have and start planning for the workforce their strategy requires.,” said McDonough. “When organizations shift the focus from jobs to work and work demand, they avoid costly workforce missteps and allocate resources more effectively.”
