Talent

Establish a talent-first organization

Managing talent well has become crucial for finding opportunity in the midst of change, as leaders must shape a workforce with the skills to deliver on strategy now and in the future. Financial capital isn’t the main limiting factor in rising to today’s challenges – talent is. The key to success is a talent-first mindset. Too many organizations go from initiative to implementation without thinking about the talent required. By putting talent first, the human resources function becomes a true driver of business value. We establish talent management as a distinct competitive advantage, matching talent to where the most value is at stake. By delivering on dynamic talent allocation, closing skills gaps, and transforming core systems, we partner with organizations to build the talent capabilities they need to sustain and scale impact.

What we do

Support roles and individuals that create disproportionate business value

Pinpoint critical positions with the most value and strategic importance; place the right people in these roles and support them comprehensively.

Enhance skill pools to unlock growth

Assess where a company is long and short on talent by analyzing the capabilities needed to achieve business goals; close the gaps with precision by leveraging upskilling and redeployment where possible.

Design people processes and systems to propel the organization forward

Empower the human resources function to be more strategic and analytics-based; shape capabilities to build and retain the workforce needed to advance the mission.

Strategic workforce planning: Align talent to enable business strategy

Learn more

Featured Capabilities

Complementary to our expertise and knowledge, we offer proprietary analytics-powered digital solutions to address pressing talent questions and make faster decisions rooted in data instead of instinct.

People Analytics: With the predictive power of machine learning, People Analytics generates insights to dynamically allocate talent, identify drivers of performance, plan for the future, and boost workforce motivation while minimizing attrition.

Skills Finder: Powered by artificial intelligence, Skills Finder inventories and baselines employee skills to inform talent decisions, enable internal mobility, and discover untapped potential within the organization.

Strategic Workforce Planning: To prepare for the future, Strategic Workforce Planning enables translation of business drivers into demand for skills and capabilities, assesses expected supply within the organization and in the labor market to anticipate gaps or overages, and identifies how to solve them through reskilling, hiring, and redeployment.

Talent and Org Intelligence: An advanced analytics tool that delivers role, skill, and experience benchmarking, Talent and Org Intelligence offers an assessment of how a company’s workforce stacks up versus competitors.

Talent Match: Through collaborative technology that enables dynamic problem solving, Talent Match helps allocate top talent to critical roles, assemble agile teams, and implement strategic succession planning.

Examples of our work

Turning CEO conviction into value

Operational challenges at an industrial company had hurt financial performance, inspiring the CEO to seek a new approach to talent. By identifying top value-driving roles and enhancing pockets of critical skills, we protected more than $500 million in annual income.

Building talent to future-proof

An insurance company wanted to meet changing customer expectations and invest in digital enablement, but success would require enhanced and fundamentally new skills. After quantifying workforce needs across the business, we created a tailored talent program including development to enable current employees to fill important skill gaps.

Cutting time to attract talent in half

The human resources team at a large consumer goods company struggled with a lengthy hiring process for important but hard-to-fill roles. Shortly after adapting agile methodologies and practices, the team achieved aggressive hiring targets in half the usual time.

Featured Experts

Featured Insights

Two colleagues, a young Black man and an Asian woman, work side by side at a computer, intently looking at the screen.

Article

We’re all techies now: Digital skill building for the future

July 14, 2025 -

Digital upskilling is not just for tech teams anymore—it can help all employees thrive and make companies more competitive. Here’s how your organization can get started.

Four metallic arrows, pointing inward, creating a snowflake like shape. The arrows are rendered in a gradient of purple and blue, giving a modern, almost holographic effect.

Article

The critical role of strategic workforce planning in the age of AI

February 26, 2025 -

Gen AI has increased uncertainty about workforce skills and capabilities. Organizations that harness AI-driven innovation find it makes strategic thinking and talent planning easier.

Image of a woman looking through her hands like a telescope with a textured wall behind her.

Article

Is your frontline workforce strategy right for where you are?

September 17, 2024 -

With sharper local insights, a fit-for-purpose talent strategy can help manufacturers and other frontline-intensive businesses turn talent into a competitive edge.

Vector illustration of a tree with blossoms and roots going into the ground.

Article

Increasing your return on talent: The moves and metrics that matter

April 15, 2024 -

Five actions can transform an organization’s talent system, establishing a culture of performance while boosting employee experience.

Featured Podcasts

McKinsey Talks Talent

Listen in to learn how to navigate a fast-changing landscape and prepare for the future of work by turning talent into competitive advantage. McKinsey partners Bryan Hancock and Brooke Weddle lead discussions with talent experts on transformational change and leadership development.

Software engineers huddled over a computer screen, collaborating on a project

Podcast

Building a talent pipeline for the AI era

October 29, 2025 -

AI is upending what we do and how we do it. Forward-looking leaders are forging partnerships to help employees develop new skills—and clearer career pathways—at scale.

An organization chart constructed from wooden blocks that are linked together with delicate white lines. At the uppermost level of the chart, there are three blue blocks that connect to six white blocks. These white blocks then link outwards to form a larger network of blocks in varying shades of orange, red, and blue.

Podcast

How the right operating model can close your performance gap

July 30, 2025 -

Stop tinkering with your org chart. Start rethinking your operating model—and closing the gap between strategy and performance as a result.

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Podcast

What the labor market isn’t telling you—yet

June 25, 2025 -

Fewer roles. Different roles. More roles requiring new skills. As AI upends today’s talent landscape, the watchword is “uncertainty.” What’s really going on?

Two businesswomen sit in modern chairs facing a large, translucent screen displaying complex data visualizations. The futuristic setting suggests a collaborative work environment utilizing advanced technology.

Podcast

The future of work is agentic

June 3, 2025 -

The digital workforce is happening. Here’s what it may look like when humans are working side by side with AI agents—and how to prepare now for this surprisingly near-term eventuality.

Close-up of a woman's upward facing hand in the foreground, with a blurred group of coworkers meditating in the background.

Podcast

The surprising state of employee health

March 26, 2025 -

Is poor health costing your company? New research reveals how few employees describe their health positively—and how even small steps can start measurably improving that number.

A bustling, modern office space with a diverse group of employees engaged in various work activities, some collaborating in groups, while others work individually at their desks. Two colleagues are seen walking and talking in a hallway, showcasing a dynamic and collaborative work environment.

Podcast

How to get return to office right

February 6, 2025 -

More and more leaders are bringing employees back to work in person. New research reveals what’s at stake—and how to move from mandate to momentum successfully.

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Podcast

Managing in the era of gen AI

July 26, 2024 -

Will middle managers survive the latest bout of disruption and delayering? Should they?

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Podcast

Workers wanted: How to fill the skilled-trade shortage

May 31, 2024 -

In the United States, demand for skilled workers has skyrocketed—and the unmet need for tradespeople risks putting prosperity and even national security at stake. What’s next?

More McKinsey podcasts on talent

Podcast

Getting a read on the state of organizations

June 2, 2023 -

A new McKinsey report reveals how organizations are faring in a post-COVID-19 world. Here, two of its coauthors offer suggestions for managing through the uncertainty.