With business leaders increasingly concerned about the global economy, organizations now see talent as the key to value creation, according to the 2019 Talent Trends report released today by Randstad Sourceright.

HR leaders say their role in building nimble workforces and constructing holistic talent models is more critical than ever before: 83 percent feel their goal is to have a measurable impact on their business' performance, up from 57 percent in 2016. Eighty percent of talent leaders say their recruitment strategy is more about value creation than cost savings.

Based on a survey of more than 800 C-suite and HR leaders, and 1,700 professionals across 17 countries, the annual Talent Trends survey provides a global snapshot of how talent leaders are uniquely positioned to make a significant impact on their business' performance.

"If your organization is not able to attract, develop and retain new skills, it will almost certainly fall behind," said Rebecca Henderson, CEO of Randstad Sourceright. "Whether through data insights, research or customer engagement, human capital leaders are in the driver's seat to deliver these skills and accelerate growth and market share."

By adopting a so-called 'total talent' approach, employers aren't just filling jobs, but thinking about how to best get the work done through traditional and non-traditional means. Talent scarcity, the widening skills gap, and better access to technology and data are driving the shift towards a more integrated approach to workforce planning.

Among the C-suite and HR leaders who have already adopted this total talent model, almost all (98 percent) report being extremely or very satisfied. And among organizations that have yet to implement this approach, three-quarters (76 percent) plan to do so in the next 12 months.

The 2019 Talent Trends Report offers a look at how different markets around the globe are eager to adopt total talent strategies. Countries that face the greatest talent shortages, such as Germany, Japan and the U.K., rank highest on the indices for total talent readiness and adoption. C-suite and human capital leaders in these countries understand the need to approach their talent holistically to get the skills their company needs.