HR tech

1. The permanent hybrid

   With office occupancy back on the rise, the extent to which fully remote workplaces are here to stay is up for debate.

   Amid this uncertainty, HR-focused startups that are just starting out may do better to consider which products will remain essential to HR generally, rather than tailoring their offering too much towards fully remote or fully physical futures.

2. Fairness and AI bias

   AI tools for sourcing and screening talent are sprouting up, but concerns around fairness and reinforced biases may slow their adoption.

   Those startups need to be careful to sell their tools as providing additional, alternative information to support hiring managers in their decisions — rather than claiming to be able to replace human judgement altogether.

3. Securing data (and talent)

   Faced with stringent data regulations, HR departments need to demonstrate strong levels of protection and compliance.

   HR techs are filling the gap by developing “safe vaults” that centralise and protect social data, ensuring additional compliance across departments.

4. One for all, all for one

   Because HR has touch points with many other departments — from finance to legal — it makes a particularly good starting point for building an all-in-one enterprise software kit.

   With companies looking to streamline their spending amid the broader economic downturn, there’s even more incentive for HR startups to integrate additional services and help clients cut costs.

Who early stage startups are up against