HR Leaders Need a Smarter Workforce Mix to Navigate AI, Skills Gaps, and Rising Talent Costs, Says McLean & Company
A new resource from the global HR research and advisory firm provides a structured approach for determining when to build, buy, borrow, or automate talent to address workforce gaps with greater discipline, agility, and alignment to business strategy.
TORONTO, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As AI accelerates change, skills gaps widen, and workforce demographics shift, traditional workforce models are becoming less effective at helping organizations meet evolving talent needs. To help HR leaders move beyond reactive hiring and make more strategic workforce decisions, global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company has published Optimize the Workforce Mix for Strategic Impact, a blueprint designed to help organizations determine when to build, buy, borrow, or automate talent to close gaps and support long-term business priorities.
"The right workforce mix does not happen by accident," says Lexi Hambides, director, HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. "The goal is not simply to fill a role quickly. It is to choose the approach that best fits the work, the available resources, and the organization's tolerance for risk while building the capabilities it will need next. When organizations make these decisions deliberately, they are better positioned to respond to today's workforce pressures without compromising future readiness."
Organizations are often pushed into short-term workforce decisions by urgent role needs, competitive labor markets, and increasing opportunities for automation. McLean & Company advises HR leaders to consider a broader range of workforce options through a structured approach that balances cost, speed, risk, sustainability, and long-term workforce capability.
The Optimize the Workforce Mix for Strategic Impact blueprint outlines McLean & Company's recommended three-step process for optimizing workforce mix decisions:
- Uncover workforce needs and identify talent gaps: HR leaders confirm available resources, define the driving need, and set the scope of work. They also identify key players, assess workforce needs, compare talent demand and supply, and select metrics to monitor outcomes.
- Evaluate workforce mix options: HR leaders review build, buy, borrow, and automate options through a structured lens. This includes assessing role criticality, urgency, time horizon, required resources, and potential risks before confirming the recommended workforce mix.
- Implement the workforce mix decision: Organizations align selected approaches across departments and key players. They then create an implementation roadmap, prepare managers and employees for change, and adjust the workforce mix as conditions evolve.
McLean & Company's research also highlights that workforce mix decisions are not standalone actions. Each choice can affect HR programs, processes, systems, and employee experience, from learning and development and internal mobility to talent acquisition, onboarding, knowledge transfer, job redesign, digital skill building, and change management.
The firm emphasizes the value of a hybrid approach, helping organizations balance immediate workforce demands with longer-term capability needs. Rather than relying on a single default solution, HR leaders can assess build, buy, borrow, and automate options based on role-specific factors, talent availability, operational priorities, resources, and risk.
To access the full blueprint, please visit McLean & Company's Optimize the Workforce Mix for Strategic Impact page or contact Senior Communications Manager Kelsey King at [email protected].
To explore related support for advancing workforce planning initiatives, including McLean & Company's facilitated workshops and practical HR resources, visit the firm's workshops page.
Media seeking research-backed insights or commentary from McLean & Company experts on strategic workforce planning, workforce mix optimization, AI and automation in workforce planning, or change management can contact [email protected].
About McLean & Company
McLean & Company pairs evidence-based research, practical tools, and deep HR expertise to help organizations meet today's needs and prepare for the future. Members receive diagnostics, workshops, action plans, advisory services, and resources for HR professionals at every level.
McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.
Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software, and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].
SOURCE McLean & Company
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