Good that Mercer reports senior HR folk are taking a strategic view of talent in planning for 2010 – focus on high-potential staff, critical skills, employee engagement etc. Pity, though, that ‘concern with workforce costs’ still comes out as the top priority – I wonder which will win when the FD starts shining bright lights in their eyes about budget time? Especially disappointing given that HR is often the least robust of the issues in company plans, in spite of its dominant impact on long-term performance.