Five years ago, this question would have seemed ridiculous.
However, in 2025, when AI is developing quickly, skills gaps are growing, and talent strategies are frequently out of step with business goals, the question isn’t only reasonable, it’s essential.
During our latest webinar, “TABO: Is Talent Acquisition Becoming Obsolete?”, we asked talent leaders from various industries to consider and reflect on how prepared their TA functions really are for the future.
The answer?
- 0% said their teams were modernised or aligned with future TA thinking.
- 56% admitted they’re “not confident” in their understanding of AI in hiring.
However, TA teams have access to a wealth of knowledge, power, and influence. Why, then, is there a disconnect?
Here’s what we uncovered:
The Real Risk Isn’t Becoming Obsolete – It’s Becoming Irrelevant
Majority of TA teams are still evaluated based on cost per hire and time to hire rather than retention, quality, or business impact.
⚙️ AI tools exist, but adoption and understanding lag behind.
🔴 Internal mobility is still an afterthought in many organisations.
💬 TA isn’t influencing workforce design early enough. They’re brought in when it’s already too late.
Workforces change faster than ever. TA strategies need to change with them or risk being left behind.
So What Does the Future-Ready TA Team Look Like?
It’s not about doing more with less.
It’s about doing better with intent, data, and strategic alignment.
Future TA teams will:
- 🔍 Shift focus from speed to time-to-productivity and quality-of-hire.
- 🤝 Partner with finance and strategy to tie hiring to business goals
- 🧠 Lead internal AI education and ethical adoption
- 📈 Build dashboards that link hiring to long-term impact, not short-term activity
Above all, they will become fully embedded into the company rather than working on the sidelines.
Start Small. Prove It. Lead Forward.
You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight.
Here’s 5 micro-actions any TA leader can take today:
- Launch a Hiring Impact Dashboard
- Pilot a skills-first role redesign
- Run an AI fluency session
- Collaborate with L&D on upskilling
- Survey post-hire performance to track success
Talent Acquisition Isn’t Becoming Obsolete. But Tradition Reactive TA Is.
TA needs to change into an outcome-driven, AI-enabled, human-led role in order to remain relevant.
If your team is ready to shift from transactional to transformational, start by assessing where you are today.
We’ve designed the TABO Audit to help Talent Acquisition leaders benchmark their function across 6 critical pillars including strategy integration, tech and AI readiness, data-driven insights, and more.
It’s a simple, structured way to pinpoint where you stand and where you need to evolve next.
👉 Fill out our contact form to get your copy:🔗 solutionsdriven.com/contact
