Talent Acquisition Trends from the Employ Recruiter Nation Report 2024

The landscape of talent acquisition continues to evolve, and the Employ Recruiter Nation Report 2024, titled “Empowering People-First Recruiting,” provides critical insights into where we are and where we’re heading. This year’s findings provide key insights into the state of talent acquisition, recruiting metrics that help hiring teams benchmark how they stack up, and expectations for what will change in 2025.

The annual report leverages findings from a survey of more than 1,200 talent acquisition (TA) professionals in North America and proprietary data from 22,000+ Employ customers.

Here are some of the key findings from the report that will help inform your people-first recruiting strategy.

Biggest Recruiting Challenges

Competition for talent remains fierce, with 37% of respondents citing competition from other employers as their biggest recruiting challenge.

Interestingly, the data reveals a striking contradiction in today’s market: organizations are simultaneously struggling with not having enough people to fill open positions (33%) while also dealing with too many candidates for open positions (26%).

This points to a crucial challenge in finding quality candidates—a challenge that emerging technologies like AI and analytics are helping to address.

Reasons for Increased Stress

The challenge of finding quality candidates is also reflected in the top reason TA professionals have increased stress today. The report found that 54% of talent acquisition professionals find their jobs more stressful today, and the primary reasons behind this increased stress are a lack of qualified candidates (48%), more open roles to fill (44%), and competition from other employers (34%).

Ways AI is Being Leveraged

The adoption of AI in recruitment is accelerating, with 63% of organizations now using some form of AI to support their hiring processes and 89% of those using it are doing so frequently or very frequently. Most notably, 55% use AI for candidate matching—an almost 20% increase from 2023.

This helps recruiters quickly identify candidates with the right skills and experience, streamlines the initial screening process, and allows more time for meaningful candidate interactions.

Making Hiring More Flexible

Organizations are actively working to make their hiring processes more flexible and efficient by speeding up the hiring process (47%) and incorporating AI-powered technologies (44%)—a 10% increase from 2023.

These efforts are reaping results. For Employ customers, time to fill decreased by 7 days, going from 48 days in 2023 to 41 days in 2024.

Despite these improvements, there’s still room for growth. While 84% of organizations are using analytics, 87% of this group still relies on spreadsheets. With the right analytics technology, gathering, analyzing, and reporting on data can be more efficient and give even more time back in the busy days of talent acquisition professionals.

Work Policy Approaches

The report reveals significant shifts are expected in workplace policies for 2025. Those expecting hybrid models remains steady at 57%, with 47% favoring three days in the office and two days remote, but a startling 34% expect 100% in-office models—a number that has doubled from last year. Simultaneously, only nine percent expect fully remote policies, which is down from 27% last year.

We know employees want flexibility. The Employ Job Seeker Nation Report 2024 revealed that 49% of job seekers are looking to have greater flexibility with remote work opportunities. And remote opportunities are a close second to greater career opportunities when it comes to why people move or take jobs.

So, will 100% in office models be a deal breaker? And how will that impact talent acquisition teams in 2025?

 Key Takeaways for 2025

The recruitment industry is not just responding to change, it’s actively shaping the future of work. Here are three key actions you can take now to stay ahead of the curve and empower people-first recruiting in 2025.

1. Use technology to increase understanding around analytics. Move beyond spreadsheets to more sophisticated analytics technology that can provide deeper insights into your hiring process and help make reporting on data quick and easy.

2. Enable AI to enhance your recruitment strategy, not create it. Use AI to enhance your recruitment strategy, particularly in areas like candidate matching and initial screening, while maintaining a focus on human connection.

3. Enhance employer brand through social media. With changing workplace expectations and increased competition for talent, a strong employer brand is more important than ever.

Want to dive deeper into these insights and discover more about the latest trends in talent acquisition? Download the complete Employ Recruiter Nation Report 2024 to not only inform your 2025 recruitment strategy but also shape the future of recruitment.