Skills-first HR is an important emerging option for managing people in the volatile and challenging environment currently faced by organisations globally. Benefits of skills-first HR include greater internal mobility of employees, meaning that more vacancies are filled by current employees, who are generally more productive and less costly to recruit than external hires. We present a business case supporting the adoption of skills-first HR as a key enabler of future global strategy. Drawing on our extensive research we identify four essential building blocks for implementing skills-first HR and highlight critical success factors for enabling this change. While implementation challenges abound, the potential rewards for those successfully making this transition appear considerable in terms of sustainability of employment, empowerment of employees and even the viability of many organisations.