The flexibility of the work model (hybrid, remote, or in-person) has emerged as the primary factor in job searches for 2025, as revealed by the study ‘Digital Employment Experience – Trends and Applications’, developed by Clan in collaboration with IIRH, and released on Tuesday.
“This is a priority that, from the perspective of 91.73% of Human Resources professionals, candidates already place ahead of the compensation and benefits package (86.47%),” states a communiqué accessed by Notícias ao Minuto.
However, “the study reveals a misalignment between the perception of this trend and practice.”
“Although companies identify flexibility as the new talent priority, only 47.83% of organizations highlight it as one of the elements that positively impact employees, far behind other elements of the digital experience such as ‘Easy and fast access to information’ (73.19%) and ‘Automation of administrative processes’ (57.97%),” the release notes.
How is digitalization progressing?
“Contrasting with this demand for modern work models, the study reveals a significant lag in the digitalization of the employee experience by companies and low adoption of technology in the worker’s journey,” the note further states.
The study indicates that “more than 90% of organizations admit not using emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, in critical moments such as onboarding new employees (92.03%) and the offboarding process (90.58%).”
The analysis “delved into the reasons behind this two-speed digital transformation”: “While the main motivation for adopting new tools is to reduce task execution time (88.41%), the biggest obstacles identified are cost and change management (both at 62.32%), along with risks such as data security (52.17%) and the fear of loss of humanization (50.72%).”
This “new scenario demands an evolution in the profile of the Human Resources professional, who should act as an ‘architect of the employee experience’.”
“Flexibility is the new currency for attracting talent”
“When asked about the most valued future skills, respondents pointed to data analysis capability (People Analytics) as the most critical (65.94%), followed by adaptability to change (39.13%) and knowledge in automation and AI (38.41%),” it states.
Eduardo Marques Lopes, Marketing and Communication Director at Clan, says, quoted in the same communiqué, that “these numbers are a call to action,” since “technology must not be seen merely as a tool for efficiency, but as a strategic investment in our most valuable asset: people.”
“The study demonstrates that flexibility is the new currency for attracting talent and that companies should use technology with intentionality to build a culture of trust and growth. Our role at Clan is to help leaders become the architects of this new work experience,” he concluded.
According to the study’s findings, “which surveyed 128 Human Resources professionals in Portugal, mostly HR Directors and Specialized Technicians, the future belongs to organizations that view digitalization not as an end, but as a means to design a more human, flexible, and rewarding work environment.”
