WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At a time when talent management has become a much higher priority for companies, many are planning to replace their manual talent management processes with automated ones that integrate compensation, recruiting, performance management, learning management, career development and succession planning, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm. Watson Wyatt's 2009 HR Technology Trends Survey found that more than half of companies (56 percent) are planning to use more talent management technology over the next 24 months. Among those companies, 46 percent said they plan to integrate their existing technologies or leverage their current integrated systems, while 27 percent will start from scratch with a new integrated suite. The survey, which was conducted in February and March 2009 and includes responses from 181 large employers, also found that 37 percent of companies have made talent management a higher priority as a result of the economic crisis, while only 15 percent of employers have made it a lower priority. "For many employers, talent management is made up of several separate processes that need to be manually tracked and updated -- sometimes with a different person managing each," said Brian Wilkerson, global director of talent management at Watson Wyatt. "Creating programs that integrate some or even all talent management components into one common technology platform would be a major step in the right direction." The survey found that about half of companies still use a manual approach for many talent management processes, including succession planning (53 percent), career development (48 percent) and workforce planning (55 percent). These three areas also have relatively low levels of employer satisfaction -- only 20 percent are satisfied with the functionality of their succession planning processes, 18 percent with the functionality of their career development processes and 13 percent with the functionality of their workforce planning processes. "It's clear that the current manual methods are just not delivering, and are causing frustration," said Wilkerson. "Automating and integrating these talent management processes, including compensation, would enable companies to better manage their workforce, anticipate future needs and keep employees engaged. This would not only save costs in the long run, but make businesses more agile and ensure they are better equipped to handle downturns and talent shortages in the future." For more information, please visit: http://www.watsonwyatt.com/techtrends. About Watson Wyatt Watson Wyatt (NYSE:WWNASDAQ:WW) is the trusted business partner to the world's leading organizations on people and financial issues. The firm's global services include: managing the cost and effectiveness of employee benefit programs; developing attraction, retention and reward strategies; advising pension plan sponsors and other institutions on optimal investment strategies; providing strategic and financial advice to insurance and financial services companies; and delivering related technology, outsourcing and data services. Watson Wyatt has 7,700 associates in 33 countries and is located on the Web at http://www.watsonwyatt.com/. DATASOURCE: Watson Wyatt CONTACT: Ed Emerman for Watson Wyatt, +1-609-275-5162, ; or Steve Arnoff of Watson Wyatt, +1-703-258-7634, Web Site: http://www.watsonwyatt.com/

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