2025年高端独立人才报告

The Critical Skills and ExpertiseNeeded to Navigate Today’sComplexities Competing in a High-Stakes, High-Speed World Workforce agility has never been more essential for today’s companies navigating a business landscapemarked by relentless and accelerating change, geopolitical complexity and risk, and intense performancedemands. Yet CEOs and boards of more than a third of companies around the world say they have lowconfidence in their organization’s ability to meet its strategic goals.1 In this moment of uncertainty, every leader in every role in every industry has a transformation mandate. Itmight be to leverage technology advancements and AI, to drive M&A integration and new market entry, or tobuild competitive advantage through cost control and mission focus. Regardless of the destination, initiativessuch as these invariably require new ways of structuring teams, engaging talent, and enabling leadership todrive significant changes in the business. By strategically supplementing in-house teams with independent, on-demand experts and interim leaders,companies can quickly and easily scale capacity and harness specialized skills for specific projects or periods.When an urgent challenge or opportunity arises, independent talent can provide an instant infusion of in-demand expertise and fresh perspectives to ensure high-stakes initiatives stay on track and deliver thedesired results. In this annual examination of Business Talent Group’s proprietary data from the US and European markets,we explore how large and mid-market companies are leveraging on-demand talent and interim leadersas a core component of their workforce strategies to move faster, remain agile, and stay competitive in anunpredictable world. Fast Facts Strategy and Planning Interim Leadership •Requests for planning projects and strategicplanning experts each rose by nearly a third YOY(30%and33%, respectively).•Demand for interim executives among strategyleaders surged71%, while requests for projectsupport from GMs and P&L leaders soared425%YOY. •Demand for interim leaders at all levels hasskyrocketed310%since 2020.•Requests for interim CEO and presidentsincreased80%YOY. Artificial Intelligence •42%of executives cite the lack of leaders whocan bridge AI and business strategy as theirbiggest barrier to tech progress.•Demand for experts in AI and machine learninggrew46%YOY. Separation and Integration •Requests for post-merger integration expertsincreased21%YOY.•More than a third (35%) of all transaction-related projects now require interim executives. Finance •Interim CFOs make up half (51%) of all interimleadership requests within the C-suite. The Independent Talent Economy in 2025 As businesses traverse the twists and turns of 2025, the need for specialized expertise continues to grow. Inthis section, we offer a data-driven look at the top industries and business functions turning to highly skilledindependent talent for help—and the key project types and skills in highest demand. Categories intealmoved up in our annual rankings. Client Business Functions Client Industries 1.Human Resources2.Marketing3.CEOs and Presidents4.Strategy and Internal Consulting Groups5.Operations6.Digital, Data, and IT7.Finance8.Innovation and R&D9.Business and Corporate Development10.PMO and Transformation 1.Healthcare and Life Sciences2.Industrial3.Consumer Markets4.Financial Services5.Private Equity6.Social Impact7.Professional Services8.Technology Most In-Demand Projects Most In-Demand Skills 1.Financial Controls, Accounting, and Audit2.Project Management3.Financial Planning, Analysis, and Modeling4.Organizational Design and Workforce Planning5.Strategic Planning6.Process Optimization and Transformation7.Corporate and Business Unit Strategy8.Technology and Systems Implementation9.AI and Machine Learning10.Post-Merger Integration 1.Interim Leadership2.Business Processes3.Marketing and Sales4.Business Intelligence and Analytics5.IT and Tech Transformation6.Planning7.Product Strategy and Launch8.Growth Strategy9.Innovation and R&D10.Digital Strategy Clear Focus BeatsComplexity The race to keep pace with shifting markets and evolving technology hasbusiness leaders feeling exhilarated but exhausted. Advancements in AI offerfast tracks to the future, and strategic realignments are providing profitablepaths forward. At the same time, uncertainty compounds the complexity of thebusiness landscape, and skills gaps are widening into chasms. Though opportunities abound, only businesses with the agility to navigateconcurrent complexities will come out ahead. Simplicity has become thecenterpiece of many strategies, with companies looking to shed suboptimalventures, streamline operations, and return to their core missions. However, thetalent needed to lead, accelerate, and de-risk these efforts remains scarce. The single most critical factor driving corporate and organizational performanceis having the right leaders in the right roles leading the right