Hiring by U.S. businesses is set to increase in the first half of 2025, according to Robert Half’s State of U.S. Hiring Survey. The report found that 63% of respondents plan to add new permanent positions during the first half of the year — up from 52% just six months ago. Another 34% plan to staff vacated positions, while 63% will increase the number of contract professionals on their teams. Robert Half is a talent solutions and business consulting firm.
| First Half 2024 | Second Half 2024 | First Half 2025 | |
| Adding new positions | 57 % | 52 % | 63 % |
| Filling vacated positions | 39 % | 43 % | 34 % |
| Hiring freeze | 2 % | 4 % | 3 % |
| Conducting layoffs | 1 % | 0 % | 0 % |
View a breakdown of hiring plans by company size, specialization and city.
Factors Impacting Hiring Plans
Among managers who plan to increase hiring, more than half (56%) cited company growth as the primary factor influencing their hiring decisions for the first half of 2025. The emergence of new projects (48%) and employee turnover rates (47%) were also identified as key factors driving hiring.
“Given these results, companies are clearly optimistic about their hiring outlook for 2025,” said Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half. “To succeed in a competitive job market, employers must adopt proactive and strategic recruiting strategies to help them stand out and attract top talent.”
Without a streamlined and efficient plan of action, organizations risk delaying critical initiatives and putting strain on existing employees. Hiring managers revealed the greatest impact of not filling roles in a timely manner:
- Stretched bandwidth and employee burnout (42%)
- Delayed project timelines (39%)
- Decreased employee productivity (37%)
Strategies to Land Top Talent
In addition to being competitive with salaries, managers plan to implement the following strategies to secure and retain top talent while meeting project demands in 2025:
- Developing or enhancing mentorship programs (35%)
- Hiring contract professionals for potential full-time roles (33%)
- Offering paid internships (32%)
- Rehiring retired employees as consultants (22%)
“Retaining top talent will be just as critical as attracting it in 2025,” Fay added. “The most successful organizations are routinely evaluating compensation, providing career development opportunities, and offering perks to keep employees engaged and productive.”
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Tags: Payroll
