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March 18, 2025
“As organizations continue to navigate talent shortages, economic fluctuations, and evolving workplace dynamics, HR leaders are shifting their focus to long-term workforce development and engagement strategies,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, president and chief executive officer of SHRM. “To thrive in today’s ever-evolving landscape, organizations must ensure the pace of change inside their businesses keeps up with or outpaces the change happening outside. Investing in strong leadership, employee experience, and learning and development will be key to driving business success in the year ahead.”
Looking Ahead
The survey asked HR professionals and U.S. workers to select the top three priorities they would like to see in 2025.
The most popular choice for HR professionals was leadership and manager development (chosen by 41% of respondents), followed by employee experience (37%) and learning and development (25%). By contrast, total rewards was the priority named by the most U.S. workers (42%), followed by employee experience (33%) and learning and development (24%) as well as leadership and manager development (24%).
“HR professionals and U.S. workers are calling for a stronger focus on employee development and engagement,” said Ragan Decker, Ph.D., manager of Executive Network and enterprise research at SHRM.
Addressing Talent Shortages
“Our research found that recruiting was the top priority for organizations in 2024, which isn’t surprising given the ongoing challenges in attracting top talent,” Decker said. “However, what stands out is that when we asked HR professionals and U.S. workers what they’d like their organizations to prioritize in 2025, recruiting was not among the top areas they’d like their organizations to focus on.”
This shift suggests organizations are focusing inward to address labor shortages, Decker said. “According to SHRM’s CHRO Priorities and Perspectives report, we know CHROs are prioritizing leadership and manager development, employee experience, and talent management in 2025,” she said.
“The results suggest the emphasis has shifted toward developing and retaining existing talent to build a more sustainable workforce.”
Recruiting Difficulties
Looking back at 2024, HR professionals identified recruiting (43%), employee experience (31%), and leadership and manager development (27%) as top priorities, the report said.
Respondents could select up to three options across 16 HR practice areas.
The report drew on responses from 1,615 HR professionals, 238 HR executives, and 471 U.S. workers, encapsulating multiple perspective across these areas.
The 16 areas, listed in order of those most prioritized as of December 2024, are:
| Recruiting
Employee experience Leadership and manager development Performance management Labor and employee relations Learning and development Talent management Organizational design and change management |
HR function strategy and management
Total rewards HR technology The future of work Inclusion and diversity Talent analytics C-suite/board relations Environmental, social, and governance; ethics; and compliance |
More than 75% of organizations reported difficulty filling full-time roles, the report noted, citing the SHRM Talent Trends report from 2024.
Only 56% of HR professionals rated their organization’s recruiting efforts last year as effective or very effective. And only 41% of the workers surveyed reported that their organization was effective or very effective in recruiting.
“The consequences of these recruiting challenges are evident — 36% of workers reported heavier workloads due to unfilled roles in 2024,” the report stated. “Employees experiencing increased workloads as a result of staffing shortages were significantly more likely to report feelings of burnout (61%) compared to those without additional workload pressures (18%).”
Better Employee Experience Needed
Poor employee experience and a lack of engagement can lead to turnover. Some of the HR professionals and workers who were surveyed thought that their organizations did not excel in employee experience last year.
“Key drivers of positive employee experience include teamwork, purpose, fairness, and recognition,” the report stated, relying on SHRM’s The Case for Employee Experience findings from last year. “The current research highlights recognition and team collaboration as areas of opportunity to enhance employee experience and drive retention, which are crucial amid labor shortages.”
Last year, 34% of U.S. workers reported a lack of recognition for their contributions, 25% said there was insufficient collaboration or support within their teams, and 15% thought performance evaluations were unfair.
These findings highlight key opportunities for improvement in 2025, particularly in strengthening recognition and teamwork to enhance employee experience and, ultimately, drive retention, the report said.
Recommendations
The report made the following recommendations:
- Drive HR excellence in a dynamic landscape. For example, HR might strengthen data-driven insights, lean on agility to adapt and evolve, and foster a culture of ownership and transparency.
- Prioritize HR first. HR should regularly align and integrate HR strategy with business goals, invest in HR technology and tools, and provide continuous development for HR teams.
- Demonstrate HR’s value through employee involvement. HR should conduct regular feedback surveys with employees. HR also should have more discussions about its role and open lines of communication. Reinforce HR’s strategic importance by sharing such key performance indicators as engagement scores and reduced turnover rates.
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March 5, 2025
SHRM Executives Issue Open Letter to the Administration
Following President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress
Washington, D.C. – SHRM, the trusted authority on all things work, worker, and the workplace, issued an open letter to the Administration following President Donald J. Trump’s Joint Address to Congress on March 4, 2025. The letter urges the new Administration to take action to close the workforce participation gap, shape the future of work, modernize critical workplace policies, and practice civility.
“SHRM’s nearly 340,000 members touch the lives of over 362 million workers and their families globally. Our Members ARE the frontline of the workforce and this is our time,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.
In the letter, SHRM president and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. and SHRM Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs, and Corporate Secretary Emily M. Dickens, call for bold leadership and forward-thinking policies to ensure the U.S. workforce remains competitive and resilient in an evolving economy.
“Our members call upon our Congressional and Executive Branch leaders to act with bold purpose in closing the workforce participation gap, shaping the future of work, and modernizing pivotal workplace policies,” added Emily M. Dickens. “We need our leaders to put partisan politics aside and create policies that build a better world of work for all.”
Addressing AI & the Future of Work
“When SHRM talks about the future of work, we mean looking beyond the next few years to a future where today’s workforce and the next generation are equipped with the skills they need to succeed,” said Taylor. “We need policies that address AI-driven job displacement and the growing skills gap. We must invest in upskilling, reskilling, and education reform. AI isn’t just a disruptor; it’s a tool that, when paired with human intelligence, can unlock new opportunities and drive innovation.”
Closing the Workforce Participation Gap
“SHRM is committed to working with employers and policymakers to break down barriers to opportunity, build diverse talent pipelines, create inclusive workplaces, and ensure businesses can access the skilled workers they need,” said Dickens. “The future of work is coming fast—let’s be ready.”
Modernizing Workplace Policies
“We call on Congress to modernize key workplace laws to reflect today’s workforce realities,” said Taylor. “Outdated legal frameworks hinder organizations from building compliance models that can withstand political shifts.”
Encouraging Civility
SHRM research shows workplace incivility is expected to rise in 2025, impacting productivity, retention, and culture. Civility starts with leadership. Dickens states: “Smart, targeted, and common-sense solutions require cooperation. This isn’t easy —it demands leaders at all levels put partisanship aside to build a better world of work.”
For more on SHRM’s policy priorities for the 119th Congress and new Administration, visit: http://shrm.org.
SHRM is a member-driven catalyst for creating better workplaces where people and businesses thrive together. As the trusted authority on all things work, SHRM is the foremost expert, researcher, advocate, and thought leader on issues and innovations impacting today’s evolving workplaces. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM touches the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally. Discover more at SHRM.org.
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Ukraine’s Mineral Resources
An anticipated minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine was not signed yesterday after a contentious Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
The proposed Reconstruction Investment Fund references “deposits of minerals, hydrocarbons, oil, and gas”. Most notably, the Trump administration has shown interest in rare earth reserves—a group of 17 chemically similar elements critical to manufacturing high-tech products, including loudspeakers and computer hard drives.
The data for this graphic comes from the Ukrainian Geologic Survey.
Ukraine’s Untapped Resource Potential
Ukraine claims to hold nearly $15 trillion worth of mineral resources, making it one of the most resource-rich nations in Europe. The country is home to the continent’s largest reserves of lithium, titanium, and uranium.
According to data from the Ukrainian geologic survey, Ukraine possesses 5% of the world’s mineral resources, including 23 of the 50 materials deemed critical by the U.S. government. These include:
- Titanium – Used in aerospace and military applications
- Graphite – Essential for battery production
- Lithium – A key component of lithium-ion batteries
- Beryllium – Vital for defense and telecommunications
- Rare Earth Elements – Crucial for electronics, renewable energy, and defense industries
| Element | Reserves (tonnes) | Global Production (%) | Reserves Global/Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon | 18,600,000 t | 4% | #5 |
| Manganese | 140,000,000 t | 1.6% | #4 |
| Iron | 6,500,000,000 t | 1.5% | #8 |
| Beryllium | 13,900 t | – | – |
| Lithium | Classified | – | #1 (Europe) |
| Titanium | Classified | 7% | #9 |
| Uranium | Classified | 2% | #1 (Europe) |
Geopolitical and Economic Implications
Access to Ukraine’s resource wealth could strengthen U.S. supply chains and reduce reliance on China, which dominates rare earth processing. However, securing investment and ensuring stable extraction remains a challenge amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.
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Due to the current events impacting global trade I am bringing this excellent resource to your kind attention. For info contact the author (scroll to see contact info).
(Last) March 23rd when the 20,000 TEU Ever Given ran aground and wedged itself across the Suez Canal, all traffic through the critical waterway came to a standstill. It was aground in the Canal for a mere six days but the cascading impact on the global supply chain is still being felt weeks later.
It’s understandable. The Suez Canal averages over 90 vessel transits a day nominally linking the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. But in reality, the Suez ties Asia to Europe. The 120-mile long waterway saves around 6,100 miles of transit using London, UK – Mumbai, India as two base points. The difference is roughly 26 days to 44 in sea time.
More to the point, when it comes to moving goods to and from Asia to Europe, although it comes at a premium, the Suez Canal is really the only way to go. The alternative is going around the Cape of Good Hope, which is not only longer but would omit the port opportunities of the Mediterranean – in short, the long haul is bad business. At various times in the past, tankers have avoided using the 120 mile waterway to save cash on canal fees, but the rotations of boxships obviates this rationale. Containerships are tied to their loops and the Suez is critical to that end.
But the Suez isn’t the only maritime choke point, in fact there are eight primary maritime choke points and dozens of secondary ones (see map on next page). The primo eight (in AJOT’s estimation) are the Panama Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar, Cape of Good Hope, Bosporus Strait, Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, Strait of Hormuz and Straits of Malacca.
The two canals, Panama and Suez have both become essential to the flow of containerized freight. In the case of the Panama Canal, the expansion has made it crucial as the Trans-Pacific direct call connector to the U.S Gulf and East Coast ports.
In combination with the Suez, this enables carriers to run interlinking global loops that link Asia to North America from both East and West. Which brings us to the point of vulnerabilities. If the Panama Canal had also been compromised at the same time as the Suez, what would the damage be to the global supply chain?
Of course, the majority of the choke points are “straits” which are less vulnerable to calamities like malfunctioning locks or vessel groundings but the risk factor is still significant in geo-political terms. For example, the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb (Gate of Tears in Arabic), is located between the Arabian Peninsula and northeast Africa. The narrows are considered to be the world’s fourth busiest waterway and part of the sea route from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Both sides of the waterway are volatile with the war in Yemen a global concern, unrest in Djibouti and ongoing strife in nearby Ethiopia. While a complete closure of the Strait may be unlikely, the risk level to vessel traffic in the region is still high. And an episode in the Strait – an act of piracy or armed attack on a commercial vessel – coupled with the Suez event would have been a calamity that could ignite into catastrophe.
The Straits of Malacca are another of the East-West maritime choke points. While piracy has been the main issue in the Straits, the density of traffic poses a danger in terms of collisions and other nautical misadventure. It’s estimated that 100,000 ships per year pass through the waterway that connects the Indian Ocean (via Andaman Sea) to the South China Sea.
And the South China Sea is its own kind of choke point with various interests vying for influence. China, Vietnam and the Philippines along with virtually all the other littoral states have disputes in the South China Sea. And the U.S. has a strong interest in maintaining freedom of passage through the region.
China’s buildup of island installations and militia like activities in the South China Sea are an ongoing concern to neighbors like the Philippines, Japan and the U.S. And importantly, the South China Sea is a “waterway” for trade moving between China, Southeast Asia and Europe as well as intra-Asian trade, which continues to boom and contribute to growth of ports like Singapore.
Dr. Mark Valencia, who has studied the region for decades offered the analysis should hostilities break out: “Those west of the Dangerous Ground would be the most likely to be “choked”. The alternative route to the east of the Dangerous Ground along the coasts of the Philippine islands would probably still be usable. Vessels of non-combatants could use those or go around – that is through the Indonesian archipelago or even south of Australia – although that would add considerable time and expense to the journey and thus to the cost of the goods.”
The trouble is that there are many more maritime choke points that could create a cut off of the flow of goods through the supply chain – perhaps not as thoroughly as the Ever Given – but with global impacts. And should more than one event occur simultaneously…the result could easily exceed the experience of the Ever Given event.
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Visualizing All of China’s Trade Partners
China stands as a formidable player in the global trade arena, wielding its influence as the world’s largest goods exporter.
With a complex network of trade partnerships spanning more than 200 countries, regions, and territories, the world’s second-largest economy has significant economic relationships with both allies and adversaries.
By using 2022 trade data from China’s General Administration of Customs, this visualization from Truman Du breaks down the nation’s top trading partners through imports and exports by destination.
China’s Imports and Exports by Country in 2022
Over the course of 2022, China saw exports totaling $3.57 trillion and imports totaling $2.71 trillion, giving it a massive trade surplus of $857 billion.
| Country | Imports (2022 USD) | Exports (2022 USD) | Balance (2022 USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $177.7B | $578.8B | +$401.1B |
| Hong Kong | $7.8B | $295.2B | +$287.4B |
| Netherlands | $12.5B | $117.4B | +$104.9B |
| India | $17.5B | $117.7B | +$100.3B |
| Mexico | $17.4B | $77.3B | +$59.8B |
| United Kingdom | $21.8B | $81.0B | +$59.2B |
| Vietnam | $88.0B | $144.4B | +$56.4B |
| Singapore | $33.9B | $80.0B | +$46.1B |
| Philippines | $23.0B | $63.9B | +$40.9B |
| Poland | $5.1B | $38.0B | +$32.9B |
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