2025 US Hiring Plans and Challenges

Fewer hiring managers plan to expand their teams in the second half of 2025, but the decline is modest and many organizations continue to recruit for critical roles. Our research shows a top driver for hiring is the launch of new projects or the resumption of postponed ones. 

Across professions, employers report challenges in finding candidates with the specialized skills their teams need to succeed. Meanwhile, the risks of delayed hiring are growing. In many organizations, employee burnout is rising and team engagement is declining. 

Employers are increasing their use of skilled contract talent to keep priority initiatives moving forward. Flexible staffing resources provide organizations with fast access to in-demand expertise and the ability to quickly adjust team size and capabilities as workloads fluctuate and business needs change. 

Meet with a talent solutions professional to get more insights. 

The percentage of U.S. employers expanding staff levels has been above 50% since the first half of 2023. Peaks in late 2023 and early 2025 likely reflect hiring momentum following end-of-year workforce planning and the rollout of new strategic initiatives.

These trends indicate a persistent demand for skilled talent, including professionals with emerging capabilities, even as businesses navigate rapid change and uncertain economic conditions.

H1 2023 H2 2023 H1 2024 H2 2024 H1 2025 H2 2025 H1 2023 H2 2023 H1 2024 H2 2024 H1 2025 H2 2025

Businesses of all sizes plan to expand their teams in the months ahead, according to Robert Half’s data on job market trends.

That means the competition for top talent will likely intensify. In response, companies may need to recalibrate their hiring strategies. 

Expanding
teams Maintaining
teams Freezing hiring/
eliminating
roles Expanding
teams Maintaining
teams Freezing hiring/
eliminating
roles

Make sense of shifting job market dynamics

Our Labor Market Overview connects the dots between U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, job postings and hiring trends, giving you a clearer view of employment shifts, workforce turnover and where opportunities are growing. 

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Poor tech
skills
assessment Overlooked
soft skills
weakness Unclear
communication
of duties Limited
search to local
talent Poor tech
skills
assessment Overlooked
soft skills
weakness Unclear
communication
of duties Limited
search to local
talent

Employee
burnout Delayed
project
timelines Decreased
productivity Higher
employee
turnover Can’t support
critical
projects Lower team
morale Lost revenue Employee
burnout Delayed
project
timelines Decreased
productivity Higher
employee
turnover Can’t support
critical
projects Lower team
morale Lost revenue

Benefits of using a staffing firm

In a Robert Half survey, business leaders said the biggest benefits of working with a staffing firm are:

Accelerated time to hire without skipping essential steps

Ability to bring in talent quickly for project needs

Reduced risk of a bad hire due to better skills assessments

Access to pre-evaluated, skilled talent

At Robert Half, we know talent

Our mission: Bringing great companies and skilled talent together to help build successful businesses and rewarding careers. Innovation and high ethical standards have taken us from a small operation to the world’s largest specialized talent solutions and business consulting firm with offices across the globe. Hire Talent Schedule a walk-through

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The survey cited was developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. Results may not total 100% due to rounding or allowing for multiple responses. Respondents included executives and hiring managers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000+ employees) businesses in private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the U.S.

Over 4 million new positions from more than 8,000 independent job boards and company websites are represented in this report, including 340,000-plus placements from Robert Half. Positions are categorized into more than 450 job titles within Robert Half’s Salary Guide using a proprietary mapping methodology that employs state-of-the-art large language models. This dataset includes roles across the finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, healthcare support, and human resources professions. 