Finding, developing and keeping talent are among the top concerns for HR executives for 2007, according to a survey released by ORC Worldwide, a New York-based provider of human resource management consulting and data services.

Nearly 62 percent of respondents said that the most pressing strategic issues they will face in 2007 would fall into the realm of talent management.

Resource Library:

Talent management, encompassing acquisition, assessment, development and retention of a workforce, was also cited by 33 percent of the survey's respondents as what they expect to consume the majority of their time in 2007.

Stated by 7.7 percent of HR professionals, activities related to a "cultural transformation" were also among the top three concerns of HR executives. Shifting the culture of workplace has become an increasingly popular topic in recent years, according to the survey, encompassing the implementation of tools from performance management and "pay for performance."

HR executives also foresaw a continued expectation of supporting the responsibilities of senior managers in implementing requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Among the most important issues ranked by HR executives, leadership development, succession planning, workforce planning, compensation and diversity ranked at the top.

However, among medium and largest companies, leadership development and succession planning ranked the highest, and among the smallest companies, diversity was considered as a top emerging HR issue.

Check out eWEEK.com's for the latest news, reviews and analysis on IT management from CIOInsight.com.