HR at the Crossroads: Adapt or Be Automated
How Can We Reform HR To Survive?
As HR professionals we like to believe their work is too human, too nuanced, too strategic to ever be replaced by machines. But evidence tells a different story as much of HR is already being automated and the trend is accelerating.
The Current State: Already Happening
Across industries, companies are quietly replacing HR headcount with AI. IBM, for example, began replacing 200 HR roles in early 2025 with AI agents handling:
Onboarding
Leave requests
Policy queries
Updating employee records
As Catherine Adenle observed on LinkedIn:
“Jobs once considered deeply human are now being fully automated. HR has always been the heartbeat of an organisation, grounded in empathy, context, and judgment. But this proves AI is encroaching into roles once thought automation-proof.” Source: LinkedIn post by Catherine Adenle
IBM described this move as “boosting consistency and freeing up time for more strategic work”. But it is clear this isn’t just about efficiency — it signals that much administrative HR work is no longer seen as requiring human judgment.
IBM’s announcement on AI in HR (Forbes)
And it’s not just IBM. The UK Civil Service plans to eliminate 10,000 administrative and HR roles by 2028, saving £2 billion.
UK Civil Service Workforce Plan
Moderna merged its tech and HR departments, automating processes and cutting digital/HR headcount by around 10%.
These decisions are not malicious — just economics: AI can now perform many core HR tasks faster, cheaper, and with fewer errors.
The Economics of Automation
HR is not alone in this. The World Economic Forum predicts 92 million jobs globally will be displaced by 2030 — many of them administrative and support roles, the traditional backbone of HR.
WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects over 1 million office/admin job losses by 2029.
Josh Bersin estimates up to 75% of HR’s day-to-day workload — payroll, benefits administration, employee queries, screening, scheduling — is already automatable today.
Employers see the financial case clearly:
AI-powered recruitment platforms cut hiring costs by ~30% and time-to-hire by 50%.
AI chatbots answer 94% of employee HR queries without human intervention.
Unilever used AI to process 250,000 applications, cutting hiring timelines from four months to four weeks.
Unilever AI hiring case
For boards and CEOs, particularly in an economic downturn, the temptation to cut HR headcount in favour of AI is overwhelming. In the UK alone, the job market has shed 276,000 roles since autumn 2024, disproportionately in support and administrative functions.
Five Years Forward: What Will Happen?
By 2030, if current trends continue:
HR administrator, assistant, and coordinator roles will be mostly automated.
HR professionals without advanced analytics, strategic planning, or AI governance skills will struggle to remain relevant.
Companies will expect HR to oversee AI in hiring, performance, and culture — not just run processes.
The World Economic Forum projects administrative HR roles shrinking by 50–60% in developed economies over the next five years. Even strategic HR roles are likely to be consolidated, with a smaller, more senior group overseeing AI-driven systems.
WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025
Why HR’s Usual Arguments Don’t Work Anymore
HR often argues that it is “too human” to replace. But this rests on three assumptions:
1️⃣That boards value the human-centric aspects of HR enough to preserve them.
2️⃣ That HR can clearly demonstrate the ROI of culture, engagement, and trust.
3️⃣ That HR professionals already have the skills needed for strategic advisory roles.
Unfortunately, these assumptions are weak. Boards still see HR as a cost centre, culture and engagement are hard to quantify, and many HR teams are still focused on process delivery over strategic influence. As Adenle puts it:
“AI is already proving its value and its impact in customer service, finance, legal, and beyond. Is this smart efficiency or a worrying signal for human-centred roles?”Source: LinkedIn post by Catherine Adenle
HR — I Will Not Sugar-Coat This
Times are tough. A rough estimate, using the UK’s 4.7% unemployment rate, suggests around 23,500 HR professionals are currently out of work. Roles have been cut, budgets slashed, and expectations are rising faster than ever.
Why? Because the nature of work itself is shifting. The latest WEF Future of Jobs Report (2025) warns:
By 2030, 92 million jobs globally will disappear.
Meanwhile, 170 million new roles will emerge.
But 22% of current jobs will churn — nearly 1 in 5 workers will need to reskill or transition entirely.
WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025
That disruption is already hitting HR. The hardest-hit roles so far include:
HR Administrators & Assistants: replaced by automation and self-service.
Recruiters & Talent Acquisition Specialists: squeezed by hiring freezes and AI-driven sourcing.
L&D Coordinators: challenged by shrinking budgets and e-learning platforms.
Employee Relations Case Managers: centralised or automated.
Mid-level HR Business Partners: caught between flatter structures and senior teams.
Yet it’s not all bad news. More jobs are being created than lost but these new roles demand higher skills, adaptability, and a mindset shift.
The Opportunity Ahead
For HR, this is our challenge and our opportunity. The organisations that thrive will be those whose HR teams lead from the front reshaping work, building resilience, and helping employees navigate this volatile decade.
We can no longer rely on “business as usual.” We need to rethink our role, embrace new technologies responsibly, and prove once again why the human in Human Resources still matters.
Next week, we’ll explore our HR Professional Survival Guide with practical steps you can take today to upskill, reposition yourself, and stay ahead of the AI-driven shift. Don’t miss it. Join our Tess Talks And Become A HR Reformer Today!