Entering Q1, optimism is in the air. Business leaders everywhere are hopeful that the new year will bring new opportunities. Yet, the companies to truly thrive in 2025 will be the ones that were paying attention throughout 2024.
To build and retain winning teams, businesses need to consider what has changed and how to adapt. The hiring landscape is ever-evolving, along with talent strategies, values, and expectations. Each year is different. But recent trends offer a glimpse into what lies ahead.
Whether your focus is creative, marketing, or technology — now is the time to review your lessons learned and ready your teams for tomorrow. As we await the results of our 2025 Hiring Trends Survey, we reflect on the insights we gathered in 2024.
- Job hunting wasn’t easy. Hiring wasn’t easier.
- The hybrid model became the next normal.
- Pay transparency laws evolved.
- DEI turned into DEIA.
- Emerging tech roles emerged.
- AI changed how we find talent and jobs.
- The contingent staffing surge continued.
Hiring Trend #1: Job hunting wasn’t easy. Hiring wasn’t easier.
Standing out in a sea of job applicants is tough; finding the right applicant is even tougher. Leaders everywhere report hiring challenges continued through 2024. Common obstacles included budget constraints, difficulty identifying niche skills, and return-to-office opposition.
At the start of the year, over 40% of employers admitted their teams were understaffed, with turnover being a leading cause of new openings. Today, that number is expected to be even higher. It is essential that companies act fast to prevent burnout, improve work-life balance, and hit their performance goals.
In 2025, leaders must continue to revise their compensation packages, adjust benefits offerings, and update processes with talent preferences at heart. These changes will be critical to winning and retaining top talent as hiring ramps up in Q1.
Hiring Trend #2: The hybrid model became the next normal.
Remote work’s impact on employee performance continued to be a subject of debate throughout the year, with business leaders in favor of in-person work and jobseekers adamantly against it. At the start of the year, more than 2 out of 3 hiring managers unveiled plans to return to the office. The employee outcry was felt across companies.
Throughout 2024, jobseekers showed they value flexibility and autonomy more than ever before. 90% of creative, marketing and technology professionals claimed they would leave on-site jobs for remote opportunities. After experiencing the dual benefits of relaxed work-from-home policies, many remain reluctant to return to the office.
As companies carefully balanced their growth goals with job seeker expectations, 60% of hiring managers agreed that hybrid work would be the most common arrangement of 2024 – and it indeed became the most common practice. In the words of Francine Katsoudas, Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer of Cisco, “The office should be a magnet, not a mandate.”
Hiring Trend #3: Pay transparency laws evolved.
Beyond flexibility, today’s talent demand transparency. In 2024, US pay disclosure laws and company policies multiplied, with hiring managers increasingly sharing salaries and ranges upfront on their own accord. As the year comes to a close, a growing number of US states and cities have now implemented such legislation.
While the proposed National Pay Transparency bill has not yet been passed, it remains a competitive advantage for companies across states. When asked at the start of the year, 99% of creative, marketing and technology professionals said they would be more likely to apply to companies that embrace pay transparency. In addition, 1 in 3 professionals admitted they value compensation above all else.
Every year, job seekers have much to consider, but salaries remain among the top reasons that organizations win and lose great hires. As recent pay transparency trends place a renewed focus on wages, companies everywhere are leveraging resources like our Salary Guides and surveys to craft equitable and competitive pay ranges.
Hiring Trend #4: DEI turned into DEIA.
Throughout 2024, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has been a continued focus for job seekers and hiring managers alike. 75% of HR leaders said their company prioritized diversity hiring in 2024, while many acknowledged the growing need for accessibility.
Although “DEI” remains the most common acronym used for corporate inclusion programs in the US, the push to add an “A” for “accessibility” made leaps forward, turning “DEI” to “DEIA.” Accessibility and inclusive design are growing priorities for HR departments looking to improve their hiring processes and accommodate people with disabilities. In addition – marketing, product and design teams are increasingly hiring digital accessibility experts to make their experiences accessible for all.
While the one billion people with disabilities provide companies with more than enough reasons to invest in accessibility, the continued uptick in ADA lawsuits has undoubtedly contributed to the rise in awareness. Resources like our Digital Accessibility Advocacy Guide can help professionals advocate for A11Y initiatives within their organizations. To paraphrase the words of Level Access, there is no “D,” “E,” or “I” without “A.”
Hiring Trend #5: Emerging tech roles emerged.
Digital accessibility isn’t the only area of expertise to grow in demand. From Chief AI Officers to AI Prompt Engineers, several new AI roles emerged, and the demand for these experts slowly grew. Companies everywhere invested in artificial intelligence (AI), and AI advancements were predicted to result in 97 million new jobs by the end of 2025.
Widely regarded as today’s most talked about innovation, AI stole the spotlight from Web3 and extended reality (XR) technologies, but it also pushed them forward in 2024. Among its countless capabilities, AI has the potential to accelerate blockchain and metaverse development. We polled over 200 professionals on the value of virtual reality (VR) worlds, and over 70% agreed that companies should invest in immersive experiences.
The year was undoubtedly a step forward in an age of rapid technological advancement. And entering 2025, technologies will continue to evolve at an unprecedented rate, requiring companies to invest in new roles and skills to keep pace with innovation. Experts predict more ripple effects in the hiring market throughout the new year.
Hiring Trend #6: AI changed how we find talent and jobs.
The rise of AI also transformed the way companies hire and how professionals apply. New AI recruitment tools seemed to emerge every day, and over 80% of our 2024 Hiring Trends survey respondents stated their teams used AI, invested in training, or considered adoption.
Innovative companies leverage algorithms for everything from resume filtering to employee turnover prediction. Generative AI tools draft job descriptions, advanced chatbots answer candidate questions in real time, and automated candidate recommendations eliminate hiring bias. At the same time, job seekers are leveraging AI to update their resumes, search for jobs, draft cover letters and more.
When used properly, AI’s possibilities are seemingly endless for talent, recruiters, and hiring managers alike. Entering 2025, technology continues to advance. As new hiring tools, widgets and plug-ins emerge, the teams that adapt will thrive.
Hiring Trend #7: The contingent staffing surge continued.
The rise of AI also transformed the way companies hire and how professionals apply. New AI recruitment tools seemed to emerge every day, and over 80% of our 2024 Hiring Trends survey respondents stated their teams used AI, invested in training, or considered adoption.
Innovative companies leverage algorithms for everything from resume filtering to employee turnover prediction. Generative AI tools draft job descriptions, advanced chatbots answer candidate questions in real time, and automated candidate recommendations eliminate hiring bias. At the same time, job seekers are leveraging AI to update their resumes, search for jobs, draft cover letters and more.
When used properly, AI’s possibilities are seemingly endless for talent, recruiters, and hiring managers alike. Entering 2025, technology continues to advance. As new hiring tools, widgets and plug-ins emerge, the teams that adapt will thrive.
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