Key compliance updates and workforce trends that shaped 2025
PwC’s latest Global Compliance Survey reflects what many have felt this year: compliance has never been more complex. A sizeable 85% of companies say requirements have grown more complicated in recent years, and 75% report that these challenges have constrained growth.
Throughout the year, People2.0 shared insights to help our partners navigate this increasing complexity and find new ways to unlock growth. Here are several notable articles from 2025, across four key themes.
Compliance Updates Across Key Markets
Regulatory change is constant, and 2025 brought meaningful shifts across key markets.
In Canada’s federally regulated sectors, a new presumption now shapes every status dispute. Workers are treated as employees unless an employer can prove otherwise. Our article, “How Canada’s Gig Worker Law Is Reshaping Business Compliance”, explains where the rule applies, how enforcement and data sharing increase scrutiny, and what to document.
Compliance expectations have also tightened across Australia. Published in theHRDIRECTOR, our article “Australia’s evolving compliance landscape: A look under the hood” unpacks recent reforms. The takeaways are practical, helping organizations reduce audit risk and service disruption.
Looking to the United Kingdom, HMRC plans to move umbrella-company tax liability to recruitment agencies from April 2026. This is one of the most pressing concerns facing UK recruiters. Our article “HMRC’s Umbrella Tax Liability Shift: Why Recruitment Agencies Face New Financial Risk” outlines the change and how to prepare for it. Readers will come away with a clear path to reduce financial exposure without halting flexible hiring.
The Pressing Need for EOR & AOR Services
Employer of record (EOR) and agent of record (AOR) services play an increasingly critical role in enabling agile and scalable workforces. These solutions allow organizations to engage the right talent at the right moment while staying fully compliant. We’ve developed a few resources to help organizations understand and maximize value from EOR and AOR solutions.
Our “What’s an Agent of Record (AOR)” and “What’s an Employer of Record (EOR)” articles explain each model and serve as an excellent primer, with insights on the workforce strategies that each supports. For quick orientation, our “EOR vs. AOR” overview compares both models and shows when you may need one or both.
For deeper insight, we’ve published free ebooks that comprehensively explain each model, including checklists for selecting the right EOR or AOR partner. For everything you need to know about these solutions, read “The Complete Guide to EOR & AOR Services”.
Workforce Trends & Innovations
In 2025, workforce strategy evolved as organizations grappled with changing regulations and system sprawl, and leaders have been working to standardize processes and optimize programs.
One of the biggest trends is the move toward total talent management. This approach unifies permanent staff, contingent workers, and external partners into one strategic workforce. By breaking down silos and integrating systems, total talent management promises to boost efficiency and visibility across the entire pipeline.
Written by our EMEA Regional Vice-President of Sales, the article “How unified talent management delivers higher workforce readiness” offers a practical view of this model. The article explains the core components and offers straightforward steps towards implementing total talent management.
Many enterprises embrace total talent management yet fall short of realizing the full value of their workforce partnerships. Organizations should expect more from providers and recognize them as operational experts, not back-office vendors. Employer of record and agent of record partners, for instance, are often excluded from strategic planning, where their input would prevent configuration gaps and compliance issues.
“The costly blind spot: Excluding EORs risks workforce compliance” — our article published in SIA — makes the case for more deeply involving workforce partners in program design. It offers clear insight into how workforce partners can unlock a “distinct competitive advantage over those maintaining outdated vendor boundaries”.
Examples of Growth and Expansion
In 2025, teams that streamlined their workforce programs delivered measurable gains.
“Fortune 100 consumer brand achieves 46% higher IC evaluation success, saves $450,000” shows how an improved IC program can reduce risk, drive cost savings, and lead to faster onboarding. The piece showcases how People2.0’s solutions helped streamline processes and ensure compliance. It also provides practical strategies for raising evaluation accuracy and protecting budgets.
Our “Optimizing Payroll and Compliance” case study shows how streamlining compliance and operations can unlock growth. People2.0’s tailored EOR and AOR solutions helped unify payroll processes, improve efficiency, and strengthen reporting, enabling expansion into EMEA and North America.
Mid-sized staffing firms struggling to grow will benefit from our article “Breaking Through: How Mid-Sized Staffing Firms Can Overcome Growth Plateaus”. It explains the four leading barriers impacting growth. It then provides strategies to help forward-thinking leaders drive success.
Looking Forward
Enterprises and staffing firms face rising complexity as regulations change and workforce models continue to evolve. By welcoming both challenge and possibility, organizations place themselves in a stronger position to adapt to the market and deliver meaningful results.
The insights shared here capture only a portion of our 2025 guidance. Each piece reflects our commitment to helping partners navigate complexity and build workforce programs that are streamlined, compliant, and ready for what comes next.
Partner with a leading workforce solutions provider
Whether you’re expanding support for clients or looking for a better way to manage contingent workers, People2.0 is here to help. Contact us to learn how we can help you achieve your workforce goals.
