QTI’s 2025 HR Trends Survey Recap: 2026 Survey Launches in August
Since 2009, QTI has surveyed businesses and organizations across the state to create a unique, localized picture of Wisconsin’s evolving HR landscape. Over the years, our survey has gathered data on top HR trends and challenges, including talent attraction, employee engagement, total reward strategies, the future of work, and more. In recent years, fueled by the pandemic and emerging technologies, our survey has added trending topics such as flexible work and AI.
QTI’s 2026 HR Trends Survey launches in August, and we invite Wisconsin SHRM members to participate. Below are key findings from the 2025 survey to give you a sneak peek of what you can expect.
Attracting Top Talent
For the past four years, Wisconsin businesses have ranked attracting top talent as their number one HR challenge. Survey results indicate that this issue stems from several underlying factors, including a shortage of qualified talent, skills mismatches, and candidate expectations related to compensation, benefits, and opportunities for career advancement.
AI Implementation
According to our 2025 HR Trends Survey, AI is here to stay, with many businesses planning to or actively implementing AI into their human resources and business strategies. Over 20% of those already using AI are employing it specifically for recruitment and retention purposes.
Flexible Work Arrangements
Our 2025 HR Trends Survey found that flexibility in the workplace remains a prevalent trend, with nearly 61% of Wisconsin businesses continuing to offer hybrid work solutions, and 67% offering flexible start and end times. Employees continue to seek organizations that provide a strong work-life balance, with nearly 20% of resignations coming from employees seeking a more flexible role.
Total Rewards Demands
In 2025, 42% of Wisconsin businesses ranked compensation and benefits planning as one of their top three priorities for the year. To meet employee expectations beyond competitive pay, many organizations are enhancing their total rewards strategies to include non-traditional options, such as pet or mental health insurance, and paid caregiver leave.
For an in-depth look at these topics and more, read our complete 2025 HR Trends Survey Results.
Want to be part of the future of HR? Our 2026 HR Trends Survey is coming soon! Your unique perspective can lend invaluable insight into Wisconsin’s changing HR landscape, helping your organization and others make informed decisions as you look towards 2026. Survey participants receive unique analysis and exclusive aggregate data from our survey results. Email qti@qtigroup.com to join our registration list and be notified once the survey goes live.
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