27 Recruiting Trends for 2025

Trends in employee recruitment constantly emerge as companies strive to attract talent and stay competitive.

Recruiters must keep abreast of the latest recruitment trends to ensure they attract and retain top employees.

Knowing and understanding where recruitment is headed can help companies increase hiring efficiency and success while keeping control of related costs.

Here are the top recruitment trends for 2025 from iprospectcheck to help you stay ahead of the curve.

Important Recruiting Trends for 2025

1. Advanced Technology

Advanced technology streamlines the recruitment process and allows HR professionals to focus on other important tasks rather than spending time on manual processes.

Applicant tracking software (ATS) allows HR staff to see where applicants are in the process at all times and ensure the process is moving smoothly.

Companies that partner with third-party background check providers like iprospectcheck can also take advantage of the advanced technology solutions they offer, including:

• Electronic I9 solutions to digitally store accurate I9 information
• Automated E-Verify processing of I9 forms
• HRIS system integration
• ATS integration
• SwiftHire Mobile App to enable applicants to initiate the background process and enter information online through their mobile devices

These tools can streamline your background checks, help you maintain compliance, and free up your HR staff’s time to attend to other duties.

2. Automation

Human resources management systems (HRMS) allow HR professionals to manage their relationships with candidates and track applicants to improve candidate experience.

The use of HRMS can also help with interview scheduling and resume management. These tools save time early in the hiring process and help to shorten the length of the recruitment process.

HRMS offers several tools that can help automate portions of the hiring process, including asynchronous video technology to allow candidates to answer a set of questions while filming themselves instead of in-person or telephone interviews.

Automation with the assistance of HRMS can greatly reduce your time to hire.

3. Predictive Analytics

Recruiters must identify and attract top talent for your company. Predictive analytics facilitates this process by helping you make data-driven decisions and informed estimates.

Predictive analytics gathers data from your HRMS, job descriptions, and resumes to predict how well a candidate might fit, if they can learn new skills, and whether they are likely to stay with your company.

Machine learning algorithms are used to quickly sort through resumes and identify which applicants are more likely to be hired. They can also identify trends in the types of employees who stay at the company long-term.

4. Candidate Matching Software

Applicant tracking software (ATS) often includes candidate matching as a feature, which can be helpful in recruiting.

The software automatically searches for keywords and phrases in resumes to identify candidates with needed skills. It leverages machine learning and AI to automate resume screening and applicant shortlisting.

Candidate matching software can reduce your company’s cost per hire, eliminate bias in hiring, and improve the efficiency of your recruiting process.

5. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become infused in many areas, including human resources. Modern HR tools commonly incorporate AI technology because of the numerous benefits it offers.

In recruiting, AI can help in the following ways:

• Resume screening
• Predictive analytics
• Chatbots
• Reduction of bias
• Talent sourcing
• Analysis of job descriptions
• Skills testing
• Training and onboarding
• Provision of market insights

6. Robotic process automation

Robotic process automation (RPA) includes specialized technological tools that automate manual tasks to increase productivity.

In recruiting, machine learning and chatbots are particularly helpful as they speed processes up, improve communication with candidates, and boost productivity.

Machine learning can help to identify quality candidates, and chatbots allow applicants to get fast responses to questions and improve their experience with the hiring process.

7. Behavioral Science

Companies are increasingly embracing behavioral analytics technology in their hiring processes to find the candidate who fits the position, the company, and the team the best instead of choosing the applicant with the best resume.

Behavioral science in hiring provides HR staff with information about a candidate’s potential fit, behavior, and attitudes and how they might complement those of other employees.

Ultimately, behavioral analytics tools during recruitment can increase engagement, reduce turnover rates, and improve employee satisfaction.

8. Retention

Because of economic uncertainty, companies will likely focus on retaining their existing employees in 2025.

Competition for quality candidates will likely remain strong, making keeping existing talent more critical.

To retain employees, companies might adopt the following strategies:

• Flexible scheduling
• Transparency
• Increased employee engagement
• Encouragement of teamwork
• Competitive pay
• Employee incentive programs
• Positive feedback
• Emphasis on healthy work-life balance
• Open communication
• Attractive fringe benefits
• Opportunities for advancement

9. Internal Mobility

Internal recruitment is an increasing focus for companies and is related to employee retention.

By recruiting internally, companies can reduce recruiting costs, quickly find qualified people, and reduce turnover rates.

While internal recruiting offers numerous advantages, some companies fail to include it in their recruitment efforts and instead leave it up to employees to search for internal job postings.

In 2025, recruiters will likely turn their attention to their existing talent pool to find and recruit qualified candidates.

Employees can create internal profiles that list their skills, interests, and goals, and recruiters can then suggest projects, jobs, training opportunities, and more.

10. Boomerang employees

Supervisors and managers must undergo a shift in their perception of employees who quit. Some take an employee’s resignation personally.

Instead, managers should encourage employees to come back if they find their new jobs are not to their liking.

Treating departing employees well and showing them they are valued can encourage them to return.

Hiring managers can reach out to ex-employees who left in good standing when positions become available.

Keeping in touch with ex-employees and building alumni networks can provide your company with a talent pool of individuals who already understand your company’s mission and typical duties.

Hiring a boomerang employee can reduce training costs and allow you to have someone who can step into the job with good productivity from the start.

11. Upskilling & Reskilling

With a focus on internal recruiting and employee retention, it makes sense that upskilling and reskilling current employees will be a recruitment trend in 2025.

Upskilling and reskilling employees facilitates internal mobility, which helps to retain employees. Employees who have opportunities for advancement within your company are more likely to stay.

12. Contingent and short-term workers

Hiring temporary workers and contractors is an ongoing trend in the face of economic uncertainty.

Organizations can outsource recruitment to third-party staffing companies to gain contract or temporary employees.

Businesses must respond quickly to sudden market changes, and contingent hiring allows companies to quickly scale labor up or down.

13. Remote work

While remote work exploded in response to the pandemic, remote and hybrid positions are here to stay.

Your company must adapt its recruiting practices accordingly.

Many workers want the flexibility that remote or hybrid work offers at least part of the time.

Positions should be organized to ensure productivity and employee engagement when employees work from home.

Recruiting candidates remotely, conducting remote interviews, and completing remote onboarding will all be important strategies for remote jobs.

Implementing strategies to facilitate strong levels of productivity and connection with remote and hybrid workers will likewise be critical.

14. Virtual Recruiting

With the dramatic increase in remote work, virtual recruiting has exploded.

Many companies rely on virtual recruiting and onboarding, and some businesses have entirely virtual processes.

Virtual recruiting should communicate your company’s culture from the start.

Your recruiters play a critical role in the strategies you use to find and train new employees and retain your existing workforce.

Virtual recruiting is playing a more prominent role in this process and enables you to expand your reach to qualified candidates located far from your headquarters.

15. Benefits Expansion

Today’s employees want more than the standard benefits offered by many companies.

The benefits you offer can help your company attract the best candidates.

In addition to medical and dental coverage, candidates look for benefits that help them save for retirement such as employer-matching contributions, those that enhance work-life balance, and mental health benefits.

Mental health benefits are more in focus than ever as many people suffering from anxiety or depression during the pandemic. The stigma surrounding mental health has dissipated, leading more applicants to want mental health benefits from their employers.

Offering discounted or free access to mental health apps, establishing mental health and emotional support programs, and providing access to stress-reducing activities like yoga or Tai Chi can all help in recruitment and retention.

16. Flexible Scheduling

Flexible scheduling is a good way to attract top talent. Organizations understand the importance of being flexible in scheduling to attract quality candidates.

Companies that offer adaptable schedules can reach a much larger pool of applicants and increase employee satisfaction and retention.

17. Social Networks Recruiting

Social media platforms are a constant for most people, and recruitment efforts on various platforms help to reach people where they’re at.

Recruiting on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter can humanize the hiring process and make candidates feel more valued.

Social media recruiting has especially made gains among young people as companies expand to other platforms beyond LinkedIn such as Instagram to find new talent.

18. E-Presenteeism

A fairly new and problematic trend, e-presenteeism became increasingly prevalent with the prevalence of remote work.

Many employees feel obligated to be online and available at all times to show their supervisors they are hard workers and deserve to keep their jobs, but this can lead to depression and burnout.

To combat this issue, HR professionals need to encourage employees to log off and take time for themselves during non-work hours.

Supervisors and managers should be trained not to reach out to employees during off-hours and on the weekends, and employers should implement systems to facilitate a healthy work-life balance.

19. Skills-First Hiring

Skills-first hiring can significantly reduce the time to hire and ensure you find quality candidates quickly.

Companies can map skills different positions require and then have applicants take pre-interview assessments to identify those who have the skills for the job.

Skills-first hiring helps ensure the most qualified applicants are selected for interviews and hired for the jobs for which they are most well-suited.

Skills-first hiring allows companies to identify candidates with the skills they need, including transferable skills. This is more important than a candidate’s previous employer or alma mater.

20. Gamification

Gamification involves making the recruitment and hiring process more interactive and fun for candidates.

Incorporating game elements into the process enables a smooth and positive candidate experience while helping you to evaluate them.

Gamification in the workplace also facilitates employee engagement, reduces feelings of boredom and isolation, and increases productivity.

21. Virtual and Augmented Reality

Another rising trend to look for in 2025 is the use of virtual and augmented reality in recruiting.

Incorporating VR and augmented reality in recruitment allows your organization to provide a more immersive experience to applicants and facilitate candidate engagement.

This enables a better understanding of your company’s culture and the job.

22. User-Intuitive Interface

Today’s candidates want simplicity in the application process.

Companies are increasingly choosing HR tools with user-intuitive interfaces because they are seamless, attract and engage applicants, and lead to more people applying instead of giving up and moving on.

Your HR tools should have a user-oriented interface that is straightforward to browse, allowing applicants to quickly find and apply for positions that match their skills and interests.

23. Webinars

During the pandemic, job fairs disappeared. While they have returned, the use of webinars in recruiting has greatly increased because of their effectiveness in identifying talent early.

Webinars help by creating awareness of your brand and attracting the right applicants into your company’s recruitment pipeline.

24. Recruitment Marketing

Recruitment marketing is a quickly growing trend in employee recruitment and involves merging marketing strategies with the hiring process.

By incorporating traditional marketing methods in recruiting, recruiters can find and motivate quality people to apply.

Recruitment marketing involves the promotion of the job opportunity and company to a candidate while encouraging them to submit an application or resume.

Creative job descriptions and targeted advertising are both strategies you can use in recruitment marketing.

25. Talent Pools

When you build a talent pool, your organization will have a database of pre-vetted candidates from which to draw.

Your talent database might include the following individuals:

• Leads from career fairs
• Candidate profiles from networking sites such as LinkedIn or Handshake
• Referrals from existing employees
• Previous applicants who might be suited for other positions
• Passive candidates
• Pre-screened sourced candidates

Building a talent pool database helps in recruiting by having a pool of potential candidates who have already been vetted. A talent pool database can greatly speed up your time to hire, improve candidate quality, and reduce recruiting costs.

26. Attracting Generation Z

Generation Z is quickly coming up behind millennials to be the newest source of workforce talent.

Companies must understand what Generation Z values and adapt to their needs and preferences.

Members of Generation Z tend to share their experiences, making it important for organizations to focus on building a positive experience.

Generation Z is the most diverse generation, making diversity, equity, and inclusion important for recruitment. They also want to see that companies share some of their values and awareness of social and environmental issues.

Generation Z members might also look for different benefits than older workers.

27. Employee Referrals

While employee referrals are not new, they continue to be invaluable for attracting and retaining qualified employees.

Your employees likely have friends who share similar interests and goals. Incentivizing your existing employees to make referrals can be a good strategy for finding the right employees who will fit in well with your company’s culture and values.

Referral programs with rewards for existing employees and sign-on bonuses for new hires can encourage employee referrals and help to retain talent post-hire.

Keep Up With The Newest Recruiting Trends With iprospectcheck

Understanding the current and upcoming recruitment trends can help your organization remain competitive.

By adopting some of these strategies into your recruitment and hiring processes, you can simplify them and make the experience more enjoyable for both your HR staff and applicants.

To learn more about the background services offered by iprospectcheck and recruitment strategies that might benefit your company, call us today: (888) 509-1979

DISCLAIMER: The resources provided here are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Consult your counsel if you have legal questions related to your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.