SWP Conference 2025: Key insights

Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) is no longer about spreadsheets and headcount forecasts. It’s about driving real business change. In this episode of the People Agenda podcast, host Chris Howard is joined by some of our people analytics team; Nancy Allen, Jo Clarke de Dromantin and Julian Holmes as they reflect on the SWP Conference London. During the conference it was acknowledged how SWP had shifted from cost control to business transformation. Today, SWP exists to tackle real business challenges including productivity, growth, skills shortages, and AI adoption, rather than simply managing numbers or budgets. SWP needs to account for all forms of work. That means looking beyond full-time employees to include contractors and contingent labour, as well as bots, automation systems, and AI agents. Workforce planning is evolving into workforce plus automation planning, reflecting how work is truly delivered today.