Bold hiring intentions allude to pent-up demand amid a time of business complexity
Finance
AI and automation implementation, ESG reporting and integration, and financial reporting and compliance are the top three strategic priorities within finance and accounting that employers plan to hire for in 2025Highest intention to hire permanent employees: Financial reporting and compliance, AI and automation implementation, and cost optimisationHighest intention to hire contract employees: Invoicing/AR/AP, improving planning, budgeting and forecasting processes, and refining data and analytics strategiesThe biggest challenges for attracting and retaining finance talent include meeting high salary expectations (32%) and lack of relevant industry experience among candidates (29%)
RobertHalf_strategicpriorities_finance.pdf
Technology
Software engineering and development, cybersecurity and data privacy, and AI, machine learning and automation initiatives are the strategic priorities within technology that employers plan to hire for in 2025Highest intention to hire permanent employees: AI, machine learning and automation initiatives, cybersecurity and data privacy, and software engineering and developmentHighest intention to hire contract employees: Cloud projects and initiatives, software engineering and development, and data engineering and BI insightsThe biggest challenges for attracting and retaining tech talent include meeting high salary expectations (40%), and lack of relevant industry experience among candidates (34%)
RobertHalf_strategicpriorities_tech.pdf
Human resources
Learning and development, AI in HR, and human capital reporting for ESG are the strategic priorities within human resources that employers plan to hire for in 2025Highest intention to hire permanent employees: Learning and development, AI in HR and employee retentionHighest intention to hire contract employees: Implementing HRIS systems to improve efficiencies, learning and development, and workforce planning/analyticsThe biggest challenges for attracting and retaining HR talent include meeting high salary expectations (42%), and scarcity of qualified candidates (38%)
RobertHalf_strategicpriorities_HR.pdf
