Budapest, October 2–3.
The HR+ team gathered in Budapest for a two-day working meeting to review the project’s current progress and align on the next milestones. Key topics included the “HR in the New Age” pilot training starting in November and The HR+ Online Contest, which will run through next spring.
On the first day, the team attended HR Fest, Hungary’s largest HR event, where HR+ was showcased in two formats:
Roundtable – The Future of HR: Evolving Competencies for a Changing World
The discussion highlighted the growing importance of digital fluency and project-based ways of working as defining elements of future HR competencies.
The roundtable explored how HR can move beyond administration to become a strategic decision-maker amid digital, social and demographic change. Based on the HR+ research conducted across five countries, participants agreed that HR must evolve from payroll and compliance to becoming the architect of organisational transformation—with a real seat at the table.
Workshop with Hungarian HR leaders and academic experts
Together we mapped organizational challenges and potential HR responses. Key takeaways:
- Listen to and support bottom-up initiatives.
- A strong understanding of how the business operates is essential for effective HR.
- HR is strongest when it operates with systems thinking and acts as a change manager.
The group also identified key competency gaps across Europe:
- Digital fluency (particularly for SMEs).
- Strategic workforce planning and data-driven decision-making.
- Integration of inclusion and sustainability in everyday practice.
Different national perspectives emerged—fragmented HR tasks and talent outflow in Spain and Portugal; a focus on change management in Hungary; and an urgent need to surface and transfer tacit knowledge in Italy. Across all, continuous learning through micro-credentials stood out as the common thread.
Looking ahead to 2030, HR professionals envision project-based, skills-centred organisations with transparent HR KPIs to demonstrate impact. As technology takes over routine tasks, HR will increasingly act as the guardian of culture, wellbeing, and people development.
What’s next?
HR in the New Age – pilot training (launch: November)
Blended format: e-learning + in-person workshops + mentored workplace project.
→ The Hungarian HR+ Team invites you to join at:
The HR+ Online Contest – open until 16 February 2026
We invite entries from HR professionals and students with implemented or innovative HR solutions.
At the close of the event, we encouraged participating organisations and college students to join: the application period is now open—this is the moment to submit and secure your place in the pilot!
