Struggling to Hire? Rethink Skills and Unlock Talent

Struggling to Hire? Rethink Skills and Unlock Talent

From Honest HR by SHRM

March 24, 2026 · 32 min · Season 3 · Episode 34

About this episode

Emily Dickens discusses the talent gap and strategies for HR professionals to build a future-ready workforce.

The talent gap is widening, and organizations are struggling to keep up. Emily Dickens, SHRM’s Chief Administrative Officer, joins host Nicole Belyna, SHRM-SCP, to explore the driving forces behind workforce shortages and the growing skills mismatch. They discuss how skills-first hiring, upskilling, and tapping into untapped talent pools can help HR professionals build a future-ready workforce. Subscribe to Honest HR to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/voegyz --- Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r

People in this episode

Host: Nicole Belyna

Guest: Emily Dickens

Topics covered

  • workforce shortages
  • skills mismatch
  • skills-first hiring
  • upskilling
  • talent pools

Keywords

  • hiring
  • talent gap
  • skills-first
  • upskilling
  • HR professionals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SHRM

More episodes of Honest HR

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Honest HR podcast page.