The Annual HR Pulse Survey 2025

Talent issues remain at the top of the HR agenda. The main concerns identified were availability of skills to drive growth (53%), difficulty in attracting the right talent (53%), and employee retention (43%). These challenges highlight the strong competition for talent in Malta and the pressure to build the right capabilities for future growth. When asked what drives long-term success, respondents emphasised a shared sense of purpose and values (53%), empowering employees with autonomy and trust (49%), and a focus on continuous learning and development (34%). However, challenges to workplace belonging were also evident, with unclear or fragmented culture (68%) and insufficient shared experiences (58%), and the pressure to always be available or responsive (58%) seen as the most significant barriers.

Respondents identified continuous listening and employee voice mechanisms (59%) as the most transformative HR practices, followed by flexible career pathways (51%), and integrated well-being and performance strategies (50%). These findings reflect a stronger emphasis on aligning organisational goals with employee needs. On leadership, 66% of participants identified leadership and management development programmes as the most effective way to amplify team potential, followed by feedback and reflection in leadership routines (38%) and peer mentoring and knowledge sharing (37%) also being valued. The main reasons for challenges in maintaining high-performing employees were poor management practices (57%), lack of clear direction or vision (46%), and limited career growth (33%), reinforcing the central role of leadership capability in driving engagement.

Employee well-being continues to be a strategic priority. Employee Assistance Programmes (68%), together with coaching and well-being policies (46%), were seen as the most effective enablers. According to participants, the main areas organisations should prioritise to strengthen well-being and embed a well-being-first culture are communication and transparency (62%), psychological safety (58%), and a stronger feedback culture (40%). During periods of organisational change, the approaches seen as most effective were transparent communication about change rationale and impact (73%), training managers to facilitate dialogue (58%), and involving employees in decision-making processes (55%). These findings underline the importance of openness, trust, and participation in supporting successful transitions. 

Succession planning remains underdeveloped. One in three organisations (33%) reported having no plan in place, and only 31% have a plan covering key roles across different grades. A further 12% reported having a plan for senior leadership roles only. In terms of HR data, most organisations make regular use of turnover and retention rates (63%), absence and leave data (54%), and performance management data (51%). However, more advanced measures remain less common, with training and development metrics (25%), Employee Net Promoter Score (28%), predictive analytics (8%) and DEI metrics (5%) among the least used. The main challenges preventing wider adoption were insufficient resources (60%), low data literacy within HR teams (34%) and concerns about data quality and accessibility (33%).