Job seekers: Explore opportunities and grow your career.

The human resources function is operating in a more complex environment, shaped by changing workforce expectations and rapid technology adoption. HR leaders are focused on building stronger teams and improving performance while also managing compliance and daily operations.

The role of HR has become more key to business success. Organizations rely on this department to find and recruit professionals with specialized expertise when and where it’s needed while strengthening staffing strategies and building skills internally. Technology and automation are central to HR’s larger role, but strategizing, adaptability and effective leadership remain critical.

Hiring managers: Get customized insights and workforce strategies from a Robert Half talent solutions professional.

Strategic priorities for 2026

HR leaders shared their strategic priorities for 2026. Expect demand—and competition—to increase for professionals with the specialized skills needed to advance these critical initiatives.

Hiring and retaining skilled talent

Improving performance management and productivity

Implementing or optimizing HR technology, automation or analytics

Planning for future workforce needs and developing relevant skills

Enhancing employee engagement and experience

HR teams face skills shortfalls that can stall critical initiatives. Only 7% of HR leaders report having the necessary headcount and skills to accomplish priority projects this year, and 62% said they need to upskill current team members.

Flexible staffing solutions also can help teams gain the necessary expertise to keep operations running smoothly.

standard

Leadership
capabilities AI
literacy Learning
and
development Operations
(HRIS) Recruitment Benefits Leadership
capabilities AI
literacy Learning
and
development Operations
(HRIS) Recruitment Benefits

Understand the data. Remove the guesswork. Hire with confidence.

A report walk-through delivers deeper insights

You’ll learn what the data means for your team, local trends shaping hiring and strategies to strengthen your workforce. Schedule a walk-through

Build your team

We connect you with skilled professionals who are ready to step in and support your business from day one. Hire talent

Looking for work?

We’ll help you find opportunities where your skills and experience can make an immediate impact. Find a job

standard

Critical
thinking and
problem solving Adaptability
and continuous
learning Creativity andbr>innovation Communication Emotional
intelligence Critical
thinking and
problem solving Adaptability
and continuous
learning Creativity andbr>innovation Communication Emotional
intelligence

Key technical competencies

Recruiting professionals with specialized abilities enables leaders to advance strategic initiatives. An analysis of thousands of job postings over the past year shows which technical competencies employers value most in human resources—making a competitive hiring strategy essential.

Benefit administration

Employee onboarding

HRIS

Recruitment

Performance management

Workday

Hiring plans for 2026

59%

of HR leaders said finding skilled professionals is more challenging than a year ago.

56%

plan to increase permanent headcount in the first half of 2026.

52%

plan to increase contract or temporary hiring in the first half of 2026.

Roles shaping hiring strategies

The following positions are experiencing above-average sequential growth and consistent demand throughout the past 12 months, according to an analysis of thousands of job postings and Robert Half placements:

Benefits/compensation manager

Talent acquisition manager  

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 made us the world’s largest specialized talent solutions and business consulting firm with offices across the globe. Hire Talent Schedule a walk-through

Looking for a job? Search jobs now

More to explore

Labor Market Overview Stay on top of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and job posting data to learn about today’s hiring market.

Small Business Recruitment Trends and Insights Struggling to find the right talent for your small business? Stay up to date on latest small business staffing and hiring trends and get insights into what is needed to attract top talent for your small business.

2026 Salary Guide Explore the latest data for roles across 7 professional fields and what you should pay or earn in local and national markets.

2025 In-Demand Finance and Accounting Roles and Hiring Trends Explore key finance and accounting trends in 2025, from talent shortages to in-demand roles. Learn how to attract and retain skilled professionals.

The surveys cited were 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, hiring managers and workers 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 1.5 million new positions from more than 9,000 independent job boards and company websites are represented in this report, including 90,000-plus placements from Robert Half. Positions are categorized into more than 430 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, non-clinical healthcare, and human resources professions.