Editor's Note

This issue of Human Capital rings in the New Year with our annual roundtable forecasts from experts throughout the HR industry. Each roundtable participant peered into his crystal ball to identify the most critical trends in 2006. Not surprisingly, healthcare cost containment, labor shortages, and strategies for using technology to leverage the skills and talents of the workforce dominated their comments.

As we consider these trends, the "Human Capital 2006 Executive Outlook Survey" provides insight into where we are as an industry today and the future plans of your colleagues. The survey reveals that there is no doubt that HR professionals are being called upon to offer strategies and execute plans that tackle some of the toughest challenges faced by businesses today. From the results of our surveys and interviews with a variety of CEOs and senior HR executives, I believe that if an organization is not using its human capital management strategies to solve business problems, that organization probably is stagnant, if not declining, and is in danger of being swallowed by its competitors.

After having the luxury of contemplating the insights of our forecast roundtable participants, I predict this will be a challenging but rewarding year for HR. Human Capital is looking forward to offering "how to" strategies to help our readers reach their goals in 2006.

HC

Betty Hintch, Editor