Succession planning leads the list of 2010 priorities for HR professionals, according to on-demand talent management solutions provider Taleo.

The survey of 100 senior HR managers found HR’s top three challenges for 2010 to be:

1)    succession planning

2)    employee retention

3)    providing leadership with better management information and reporting.

The survey also found that 70% predicted that less than 10% of their organisation’s technology spend will be invested in tools to help them manage their talent in 2010.
 
More respondents anticipate reduced budgets in the new year (32%), than increased budgets (18%) but 50% do not expect any change in budget.

Chris Phillips, vice president of International Marketing for Taleo, says: “Succession planning is now critical to ensure that businesses have the talent they need to grow. Strategic succession planning links the leadership pipeline with top performer retention and leverage.

“As the economy slowly recovers, HR managers are worrying about short and long term employee retention. They are especially focused on identifying and engaging their key employees before they start to think about a move.”