HR staffing trends are shifting: 4 changes employers need to watch

Article

Rob Hosking, Executive Director for Administrative and Customer Support, Robert Half

Human resources (HR) teams are operating in a more complex environment—and, in many cases, from a more influential position—than ever before. Changing workforce expectations, rapid technology adoption and a heightened focus on performance and compliance are expanding HR’s mandate in many organizations. Today’s teams are often expected not only to support hiring and employee relations, but also to rearchitect the workforce for a new era.

HR’s role as a “workforce architect” involves more than just helping to hire, onboard and develop talent. It also requires HR to lead business transformation by redesigning work around skills rather than rigid job titles, and by helping organizations determine how emerging technologies, including AI, are applied across the workforce. Through capability mapping, policy setting and close collaboration with technology and business leaders, HR now often plays a central role in guiding the responsible integration of AI, helping to ensure new tools augment employees’ work rather than wholly disrupt it.

That broader role is sustaining demand for skilled HR professionals in 2026, even in a tight labor market where hiring remains selective. According to research from Robert Half, only 7% of HR leaders report having the headcount and capabilities needed to accomplish priority projects within their department this year. Not surprisingly, many are actively looking for skilled talent: More than half (56%) of HR leaders plan to increase permanent headcount within their department in the first half of this year.

HR staffing trends are shifting: 4 changes employers need to watch

#1 The need for hybrid HR professionals is narrowing the talent pool
#2 HR leaders are prioritizing soft skills as AI use expands across the organization
#3 Hiring timelines are lengthening as HR roles become more specialized
#4 Flexible staffing: Expanding HR capacity through on-demand expertise
How leaders and organizations can respond to these HR staffing trends

4 HR staffing trends for 2026—and how human resources leaders can respond

Against this backdrop, HR leaders are also rethinking how they design roles, evaluate talent and build their teams. The following trends reflect how the HR hiring market is changing, and what employers should keep in mind as HR work becomes more specialized and technology-enabled.

#1 The need for hybrid HR professionals is narrowing the talent pool

In a recent Robert Half survey, nearly 6 in 10 HR leaders (59%) said it’s more difficult to find skilled HR talent than it was a year ago. Skills gaps are a major reason for this challenge. Some of the most pronounced gaps in today’s HR departments are leadership capabilities, AI literacy, and learning and development (L&D), according to our company’s research. The latter reflects the emphasis many businesses are placing on the employee experience, retention and skills development.

In 2026, HR leaders across industries are looking for professionals who can pair strong HR fundamentals with data-informed decision-making and comfort working in tech-enabled environments. Competition is strong for experienced professionals who can adapt quickly and make an immediate impact in hybrid roles that blend technology governance, compliance and learning.

These heightened expectations for expanded skill sets and job responsibilities are making it even more challenging for HR leaders to source candidates from an already limited supply of HR talent.

Learn more about HR roles in demand and what to expect from the HR hiring market in 2026.

#2 HR leaders are prioritizing soft skills as AI use expands across the organization

HR teams need more than technical skills as AI becomes more integrated into their everyday workflows. Perhaps even more importantly, they need strong judgment and people skills to use these tools well—from asking better questions and interpreting results to applying context before decisions are made.

Those same capabilities position HR to help guide responsible AI use across the broader organization. As HR partners with business and technology leaders on workforce impacts, governance and policy, training and L&D, soft skills such as communication, critical thinking and emotional intelligence help teams build trust, support change and reduce risk as new tools roll out.

Robert Half’s research shows leaders are recognizing the value of soft skills in helping to ensure AI is used effectively and responsibly in their department and across the organization. The top soft skills HR leaders view as a strong complement to AI collaboration include:

Critical thinking and problem solving (68%)

Adaptability and continuous learning (63%)

Creativity and innovation (56%)

Human-centric capabilities may be harder to evaluate in hiring—and slower to build than technical skills—but they often make all the difference between AI adoption and AI results in HR departments and across the broader workforce.

Dig deeper into AI trends that will impact HR teams—and the workplace—in 2026.

#3 Hiring timelines are lengthening as HR roles become more specialized

With many organizations looking for hard-to-find professionals who can deliver strong HR fundamentals while also supporting priorities like HR technology optimization, advanced data analytics, L&D and total rewards modernization, candidate searches are lengthening, as is the actual hiring process. Even more challenging is identifying talent for emerging hybrid roles, such as ethical AI and HR compliance officer and conversational AI designer.

Hiring timelines can stretch when multiple stakeholders are involved. HR leaders, business leaders, and sometimes finance, IT or legal leaders may weigh in on HR hires, especially for leadership roles and those that related to data, compliance or AI workflows and initiatives. Added interview rounds and more rigorous evaluation can improve decision quality, but they also increase the risk of losing strong candidates to faster-moving competitors.

Find out more about the downsides of a long recruitment process.

#4 Flexible staffing: Expanding HR capacity through on-demand expertise

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Many organizations are balancing growth with caution amid ongoing economic uncertainty, and that can leave HR teams responsible for a larger agenda without the promise of immediate headcount increases. In this environment, flexible staffing becomes an even more essential strategy for protecting capacity and keeping priority work moving, making it one of the defining HR staffing trends for 2026.

According to Robert Half’s research, more than half (52%) of HR leaders plan to increase contract or temporary hiring in the first half of 2026 alone. This approach can help teams move faster, manage risk and avoid overextending internal staff while still maintaining momentum on strategic priorities as well as critical day-to-day work.

Depending on the organization, contract talent or consulting professionals may be called on to help support HR technology, automation and analytics initiatives, compensation benchmarking and job architecture, L&D programs, change enablement and change management, and designing programs to enhance the employee experience. Of course, for most HR teams, hiring and retaining skilled talent and planning for future workforce needs require ongoing focus and appropriate support.

Get more insight into HR leaders’ top priorities in Robert Half’s latest Demand for Skilled Talent report.

How leaders and organizations can respond to these HR staffing trends

As HR’s responsibilities expand, leaders are rethinking how they build and grow their teams. The goal isn’t to add headcount indiscriminately, but to deploy the right mix of skills and capacity as needs evolve. That includes:

Investing in developing robust talent pipelines. Rather than reacting to resignations or workload spikes, many HR leaders are monitoring capacity more closely, cultivating relationships with future candidates both internally and externally and investing in upskilling for existing teams, especially in areas like leadership, AI literacy and HR operations.

Moving faster when hiring for specialized HR roles. With competition strong for experienced, adaptable and multifaceted HR professionals, leading employers are streamlining interview processes, aligning stakeholders earlier and acting quickly once they find a strong match—particularly for roles tied to HR technology, total rewards and workforce initiatives.

Leaning into a flexible talent strategy to protect capacity and momentum. Longer hiring timelines and skills gaps can strain HR teams quickly. Using a flexible talent model can help stabilize workloads and support priority initiatives while permanent hiring plays out. As noted earlier, many HR leaders are already applying this strategy in early 2026.

Getting support validating skills in an AI-driven hiring environment. As AI tools increase both application volume and hiring risk, many HR leaders are turning to a staffing or consulting firm to help validate skills and accelerate hiring decisions. It’s an approach that is delivering results: In a Robert Half survey, 88% of HR leaders said these firms have been effective at helping them address AI-related hiring challenges.

HR functions in organizations of all sizes are being asked to deliver more, and often with limited resources. Leaders that take a proactive approach to talent planning, hire decisively, embrace flexible staffing and turn to expert resources to validate skills carefully and hire faster will be better positioned to navigate HR staffing trends—and challenges—in 2026.

Ready to strengthen your human resources (HR) team?

Find out more

Robert Half can help you hire highly skilled HR talent on a permanent or contract basis so your department can keep pace with rapid technological change and evolving workforce and business needs in 2026. Our specialized talent solutions for HR also include consultants with deep subject matter expertise, short- and long-term project professionals, and full-time engagement professionals.

Follow Rob Hosking on LinkedIn.

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