Mercer’s 2025 Global Talent Trends. What It Means for Employer Branding

AI isn’t just changing work, it’s changing employer branding. Mercer’s 2024-2025 Global Talent Trends report reveals the biggest shifts in hiring, skills, and leadership. From AI ethics to flexibility, here’s what your employer brand must do to stay ahead.

By James Robbins 4 min read
Futuristic city skyline with neon lights, symbolising the AI-driven, skills-first future of work from Mercer’s 2025 report.
Where humans and AI co-create the future of work, Mercer’s 2025 Talent Trends redefines how we lead, learn, and adapt.

The world of work isn’t just evolving, it’s in free fall. From AI disruption to shifting workforce priorities, the Mercer 2024-2025 Global Talent Trends report reveals a business landscape where agility, skills, and leadership will make or break employer brands.

We’ve already dissected the WEF Future of Jobs 2025, Randstad Global Talent Trends, and LinkedIn’s Future of Recruiting reports. Now, we’re adding Mercer’s insights to the mix, uncovering what’s driving the next wave of talent transformation and where employer branding fits in.

This chart shares the top ten priorities for HR in 2025 organized by region. The regions include Global; Asia; Europe and UK; India, Middle East & Africa; Latin America & Caribbean; Pacific; and US & Canada.

Mercer’s Key Findings: What They Mean for Employer Branding

1. AI Is Here, And It’s Not Just Automating Jobs

  • 53% of executives expect AI and automation to boost productivity by 10-30% over the next three years .
  • The real differentiator? Human-AI collaboration, not just AI-powered efficiency.

🎯 Employer Branding Impact:

  • Move past the fear-based AI narrative, employees want to know how AI will enhance their jobs, not replace them.
  • Showcase real stories of AI enabling smarter work, not just cost-cutting.

2. Skills Are the New Currency, But Companies Aren’t Paying Up

  • 60% of workers trust their employer to help them transition if their job is eliminated, but many companies don’t follow through .
  • Employers are rewarding skills development, but only 18% of employees feel they actually benefit from these programs .

🎯 Employer Branding Impact:

  • An EVP focused on career mobility is now a must-have, not a nice-to-have.
  • If employees don’t see a direct benefit, upskilling will remain a corporate buzzword.

3. Flexibility Is No Longer Just About Remote Work

  • Only 33% of HR leaders say flexibility is a top priority .
  • 76% of workers still consider flexibility a deciding factor for job moves .

🎯 Employer Branding Impact:

  • Hybrid work is table stakes, real flexibility includes job sharing, non-traditional work models, and location-independent career paths.
  • Stop talking about flexibility in job descriptions and prove it through actual employee stories.

4. Leadership Isn’t a Perk, It’s a Retention Strategy

  • Weak leadership remains a top driver of attrition, yet only 36% of companies provide structured leadership development .

🎯 Employer Branding Impact:

  • Leadership quality is employer branding. Make frontline managers part of your EVP.
  • Elevate employee-driven leadership stories, candidates trust peer voices over corporate messaging.

5. Internal Mobility Is Finally Getting the Attention It Deserves

  • 81% of companies are prioritizing internal mobility over external hiring .

🎯 Employer Branding Impact:

  • Stop glorifying external hiring. Promote real career progression stories.
  • Position your company as a career ecosystem, not just a job provider.

Trend

WEF Focus

Randstad Focus

LinkedIn Focus

Mercer Focus

Employer Branding Takeaway

AI’s Role

Job displacement risk

Culture enhancement & bias reduction

AI in recruiting & automation

AI-augmented workforce

From fear narrative to ethical leadership

Skills-First Hiring

Dropping degree requirements

Growth-focused EVP

AI-driven skills matching

Skills as career currency

Potential > Pedigree

Flexibility

Employee priority #1

76% would leave without it

Declining emphasis on remote work

Holistic flexibility models

Flexibility isn’t a perk, it’s a baseline

Leadership

Barely mentioned

Key to retention strategy

Influence on hiring decisions

Underfunded but critical

Make leadership part of your brand story

Internal Mobility

Not highlighted

81% prioritize it

AI-powered internal hiring

Career transitions over external hiring

Showcase career pathways inside your org

Action Plan for Employer Branding Leaders

AI Ethics Framework

Put your AI ethics policy front and center in recruitment campaigns. Candidates care.

Skills-First EVP

Refocus your EVP around skills development, not just job roles. Make growth part of your brand DNA.

Flexibility Showcase

Stop treating flexibility like a bullet point. Make it the headline.

Leadership Development Spotlight

Turn your leadership programs into employer brand gold. Feature them in employee testimonials, case studies, and social content.

Internal Mobility Campaigns

Highlight career progression within your company. Think less “career ladder,” more “career jungle gym.”

This chart shares the top ten priorities for HR in 2025 by industry. Industries include Automobile; Chemicals; Construction; Consumer goods; Financial Services; Healthcare; Insurance; Life Sciences; Manufacturing; Natural resources; Oil & Gas; Power, Utilities & Renewables; Professional Services; Retail; Technology, Media & Communications; Transportation & Logistics.

The Mercer report confirms what we’ve seen across WEF, Randstad, and LinkedIn: employer branding isn’t about slogans. It’s about delivering on workforce priorities.

As we’ve said before: The future of work is unfolding now. Move fast, or get left behind.

Takeaways

AI is transforming jobs, not just automating them.

Employer branding must embrace human-machine collaboration, not just AI efficiency.

Skills-first hiring is accelerating, but workers want proof.

EVP strategies must show clear paths for career growth.

Flexibility must evolve beyond remote work.

Job sharing, gig models, and non-traditional career paths matter.

Weak leadership is an employer brand killer.

Companies need to invest in leadership development, not just corporate culture.

Internal mobility is overtaking external hiring.

Candidates now expect growth inside an organization, not just outside it.

Employer branding must align with reality.

Empty promises around AI, flexibility, or skills development will drive disengagement.

Companies that don’t adapt will lose talent.

The future of work isn’t coming, it’s already here.


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