The emergence of artificial intelligence, economic pressures and the evolution of worker expectations are accelerating the transformation of the Human Resources function in Spanish companies. Organizations face the challenge of evolving from management focused on processes and jobs towards strategic models based on capabilities, anticipation of needs and collaboration between people and AI agents.
This is reflected in the new McKinsey & Company report, HR Monitor 2026, which identifies a turning point for talent management and highlights the opportunity for Human Resources to assume a leading role in the transformation of organizations.
The report notes that, although international labor markets show signs of stabilization and more favorable dynamics for employers, significant gaps remain between organizations’ strategic priorities and their ability to translate them into practice. In this scenario, artificial intelligence represents an opportunity to transform not only the efficiency of Human Resources processes, but also the way in which companies plan their workforces, develop new capabilities, attract talent and organize work.
From planning to strategic management
One of the main challenges identified by McKinsey is the need to evolve towards more strategic and long-term oriented talent planning. The challenge also lies in transforming the way organizations anticipate their talent needs. Internationally, 46% of companies continue to plan their workforces based on specific positions, while only 22% use a competency-based approach. This situation reflects the need to evolve towards models that allow identifying the necessary capabilities for the future, anticipating scenarios and adapting templates to the transformation of tasks.
According to McKinsey Global Institute estimates included in the report, up to 30% of the hours currently worked in Europe and the United States could be automated by 2030, under a scenario of moderate adoption of artificial intelligence. Although more than 70% of today’s skills will remain relevant, virtually all professions will experience changes in the mix of tasks performed by people and intelligent systems.
This transformation is already reflected in the capabilities most in demand by those responsible for Human Resources. Problem solving leads the ranking of future skills, mentioned by 44% of the professionals surveyed, followed by creativity, which rises from fifth to second place compared to 2025, and data analysis and artificial intelligence. For its part, digital literacy registers the greatest advance, moving from 20th position to sixth, while certain technical skills, such as software development, lose relative weight as AI systems take on new tasks.
In this context, Amaia Noguera, partner at McKinsey & Company, points out: «The Human Resources function is facing one of the biggest turning points in recent decades. Artificial intelligence is not only transforming the tasks and competencies that organizations need, but also the way in which people and technology work together. In this context, Human Resources has a double opportunity: to lead the transformation of talent and organizational models, and to demonstrate the potential of AI by reinventing its own processes. The challenge is no longer only about managing people efficiently, but about anticipating the capabilities of the future and contributing directly to the strategic transformation of the business.”
Agentic AI changes the role of HR.
Beyond the automation of administrative tasks, agentic artificial intelligence is opening new possibilities to transform organizational models. The report points out that technological evolution requires moving forward from the incorporation of isolated tools towards the comprehensive redesign of processes, in which people and intelligent agents collaborate to develop different activities.
In this area, Spain shows significant progress in the adoption of agentic AI in Human Resources. 32% of Spanish companies declare that they use operational solutions for this technology, while an additional 53% are in the exploration or development phase of pilot projects. These figures place Spain above markets such as France and Belgium, where operational adoption reaches 19%.
However, only 10% of Human Resources managers in Spain consider that agentic AI has already had a transformative impact on their entire function. Although this percentage remains above countries such as France, Italy, Belgium or the Netherlands, the difference between technological adoption and organizational impact reflects one of the main challenges identified by McKinsey: moving from experimentation with AI to an effective transformation of work models.
The gap is also observed internationally. Although organizations have operational AI solutions (in general) in 28% of HR processes, another 37% remain in the pilot phase. In continental Europe, operational adoption stands at 23% of processes, below markets such as China, where it reaches 43%.
The potential for transformation is considerable. According to McKinsey estimates contained in the report, approximately two-thirds of current HR tasks could be automated, freeing up capacity for activities of greater strategic value and offering more personalized experiences to employees.
In this sense, the McKinsey report highlights the potential of artificial intelligence to improve selection processes, from preparing offers and analyzing applications to evaluating skills and communicating with applicants. According to the report, the main phases of selection processes, such as screening, evaluation and interviews, have an automation potential of at least 60%.
However, the study warns that the incorporation of these tools must be accompanied by well-designed processes, human supervision and adequate data governance, especially given the regulatory demands and risks of discrimination associated with the use of AI in hiring decisions.
In this new scenario, Human Resources is called to play a double role: drive the transformation of the organization, anticipating how positions, capabilities and work structures will evolve; and lead by example, reinventing its own operating model by integrating artificial intelligence.
The report highlights that the true value of this transformation lies not in overlaying intelligent agents on top of existing processes, but in redesigning end-to-end workflows, redefining people and technology responsibilities, and establishing governance models that enable effective collaboration between the two.
Training and development
The transformation of organizations also requires reviewing learning and professional development models. The report identifies a disconnect between the strategic priority that companies give to training and the actual experience of their employees.
Internationally, 24% of workers say they have not received any training during the last twelve months, a percentage that rises to 35% in Germany and the Netherlands.
Furthermore, there is an important difference in perception between Human Resources departments and staff. While those responsible for the function estimate that their employees receive an average of 6.2 days of training per year, workers declare having received only 3.4 days.
The report indicates that technological evolution requires moving forward from the incorporation of isolated tools towards the comprehensive redesign of processes.
Spain is among the countries analyzed with the highest training activity, with an average of 4.4 days of training per year per worker, compared to the 2.5 days recorded in Germany. However, one in four Spanish employees – 25% – claims to have not dedicated any hours to training during the last year.
The gap is especially relevant in the development of capabilities related to artificial intelligence. In Spain, only 31% of workers claim to have received formal training in generative AI, while 26% have only participated in informal conversations about this technology and 44% claim to have not received any training.
Although Spain exceeds the European average for formal training in generative AI, which is 25%, it is still below China, where 49% of workers declare having received this type of training.
Given this situation, McKinsey highlights that the real challenge for organizations is not only to increase training days, but to ensure that learning translates into new capabilities and performance improvements.
The report recommends evolving from models focused on measuring participation in training activities towards systems that allow evaluating the real impact of learning, linking the development of skills with business needs and integrating AI training into professional development paths.
This evolution also requires strengthening evaluation and monitoring systems. Internationally, 58% of employees receive formal feedback once or twice a year, while one in five say they have not had any professional follow-up or career development meetings in the last twelve months.
Human Resources must lead the transformation
The HR Monitor 2026 concludes that the evolution towards organizations driven by artificial intelligence represents one of the greatest opportunities in recent decades to redefine the role of Human Resources.
However, realizing this potential requires bridging current gaps between planning and execution, training and effective skills development, employee expectations and organizational response, as well as between technological experimentation and transformation at scale.
In this context, the future of the function will depend on its ability to evolve from process management towards a strategic role in the design of how people and intelligent agents work together.
