Recruiting Trends for 2025

Wooden blocks spelling '2025' with the text 'LOADING...' underneath, set against a light blue background.

As we head into 2025, I’m beginning to see a theme emerging around recruiting and the job market at large: wait and see.

Candidates are waiting to see what the economy does before they decide whether to stick with their current job or look for a better one. Companies are waiting to see how a new administration might impact business and what the changes, if any, mean for hiring budgets. Recruiters are waiting to see if slowing job growth will lead to an influx of new candidates or if finding skilled talent will be a persistent challenge.

There aren’t many sure things to grab onto, yet there are some definitive trends we can anticipate and prepare for. Here are some 2025 recruiting trends we expect to play out in the year ahead.

Recruiting Trends for 2025 to Expect and Prepare For

1. Reaching passive candidates is more important than ever

As we just mentioned, people who have jobs are hesitant to make any big moves. My recruiters hear it over and over: “I’m open to hearing about opportunities, but I’m not sure it’s a good time to make a change.” People are less likely to submit an application if they’re not fully dedicated to the effort and risk involved in switching jobs.

In light of this, recruiters must spend more time and develop creative ways to reach passive candidates. This is especially important for highly niche roles and positions that are in high demand, like nurses and data scientists. Recruiters should work to build a pipeline of passive candidates who are willing to learn about opportunities that match their skills.

2. Salaries are where it’s at

Among candidates who are confident about changing jobs, money is the number one driver for making a switch (flexibility is a close second, but in many cases, that’s not negotiable). This is a double-edged sword for recruiters. While edging closer to the top of a salary band can be an effective way to entice candidates, pay bumps are an equally effective retention strategy. It’s something to keep in mind as you talk with candidates and create job postings–which, by the way, should advertise a salary range to get the best candidates to apply.

3. AI causes a learning curve

The use of artificial intelligence in recruiting has been on the rise for several years now, and the trend continues heading into 2025. By now, most companies use AI in some capacity when hiring, with the leading use cases being candidate matching, screening, automating engagement, and getting assistance writing materials like job descriptions and outreach messages.

However, widespread adoption has come with a learning curve. AI isn’t the set-it-and-forget-it tool many expected it to be, and maximizing its potential means providing additional training to already busy recruiters or hiring specialists who can tackle implementation.

Companies must balance the convenience of AI and the personalization of a human touch. Recruiters will benefit from devoting attention to the human activities that most influence applicants, like the candidate experience and the interview process.

4. Hybrid is here to stay

This year, companies that previously promised “remote work forever!” called workers back into the office en masse (and did so unapologetically, we might add). Though remote work is now mainstream, fewer employees are doing it all the time than in years past, and fewer fly-remote openings are also available. For many companies, a hybrid model is the norm.

Organizations looking to gain the upper hand with in-demand candidates can make positions flexible, allowing for remote work at least some of the time. Making hard-to-fill roles fully remote can ease hiring difficulties. Organizations that are unable or unwilling to offer any location independence will be at a recruiting disadvantage, as flexibility is consistently among the top factors job seekers desire.

5. The bar is high for employee development

According to TalentLMS, 41% of employees said they would look for another job if their current one failed to provide adequate training and development opportunities this year. Employee development can no longer be relegated to a line item in a bulleted list of employee benefits. It needs to be a fully fleshed-out component of your employer’s value proposition.

Not only is learning and developing something necessary for employee satisfaction, but it’s also an important measure to address the growing skills gap plaguing the American workforce. By investing in initiatives like upskilling, companies can strengthen retention while adding valuable skills to their workforces that help future-proof the business.

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6. Healthcare, technology, and skilled trades see strong demand

This probably comes as no surprise to anyone in staffing, and I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the stiff competition in healthcare, tech, and the trades will persist in 2025.

Despite being down year over year, healthcare job postings are up 10.8%, according to hiringlab, from pre-pandemic levels. Though job growth in tech has slowed from the frenzied pace of previous years, some positions are expected to see exponential growth over the next decade, like data scientists (which are projected to experience 36% growth) and information security analysts (33% growth). A shortage of workers in the skilled trades is making hiring nearly impossible in some sectors, with home construction and HVAC being particularly hard hit.

Unfortunately, it’s unwelcome news for employers in these fields, who have already faced disproportionate hiring challenges for several years. Recruiters in these sectors must be diligent about leveraging cutting-edge recruiting technology, prioritizing candidate engagement, and offering a benefits package that’s tailored to the candidates they want to attract.

7. Employers get serious on skills

We often discuss skills-based hiring as something all companies should know. However, truly embracing this form of hiring means completely upending how you define roles.

Some of our most innovative clients have completely stopped including day-to-day duties in their job descriptions. Instead, they focus on skills and outcomes–what function the role is expected to fulfill in the company, the desired results, and the core skills necessary to make those things happen. The destination is more important than how the employee gets there.

For employers at large, this calls for a closer look at those years-old job descriptions and a careful evaluation of the true requirements for success in a role.

8. Organizations embrace freelance labor

Freelance labor has become a standard–and valuable–part of a strong staffing strategy. Some companies have moved to fully depend on freelance workers to fulfill certain roles, while others onboard new team members under a freelance agreement before offering full-time employment.

The freelance market will likely experience continued growth in the decade ahead as more workers move to self-employment or supplement their W-2 income with side hustles. Companies can adapt by crafting talent acquisition strategies that cater to freelance, contract, and gig workers.

9. Sustainable hiring grows in prominence

Sustainable hiring is the practice of recruiting employees in a manner that’s aligned with broader social, ethical, and environmental principles. It’s becoming an important factor for a growing number of candidates.

Employers can create an attractive value proposition to such candidates by employing sustainable initiatives such as:

Providing a fair hiring process that’s free from bias
Offering equitable, transparent wages
Participating in community development
Adopting environmentally friendly business practices
Prioritizing employee well-being

10. Mental health benefits are a must

The workplace is a significant stressor for the majority of Americans, with 84% of people saying their job had contributed to at least one mental health challenge, according to HHS; this is an especially important topic for younger generations. Employees who are less comfortable talking about their mental health at work are more likely to experience burnout and other negative mental health consequences.

Moving forward, employers must be a source of mental health support rather than just an impetus for people to seek help. According to NAMI, more than 90% of workers say employer-sponsored mental health coverage is an important element of workplace culture. Prioritizing employees’ mental well-being isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also a valuable recruitment and retention strategy.

11. Retention, retention, and retention

We’ve already discussed how the market is in a “wait and see” mode, so one goal should be a focus regardless of what happens with hiring: holding onto the workers you’ve already invested in. Prioritizing retention eliminates many of the struggles that come with vacancies, like attracting qualified candidates and the heavy resource drain of conducting interviews.

Companies can’t drop the ball when a candidate accepts an offer. Instead, that should be when a new strategy comes into play, creating an excellent employee experience that keeps strong workers around.

Achieve Staffing Success in 2025 With Help From the Recruiting Experts

From new technology to shifting social trends, the staffing landscape is evolving more rapidly than ever before. Do you have the infrastructure in place to keep up with the recruiting trends for 2025? Stay ahead of the hiring curve by enlisting our team of dedicated professionals for your 2025 staffing needs.

We can help you hire the right person for the job the first time around, saving you time and money. But our services don’t end there; when you work with our team of pros, you’ll get expert recommendations for improving your hiring efficiency and prioritizing the roles that will impact your organization.

Start the conversation by scheduling your complimentary consultation today.