Dive Brief:
- Companies are putting more focus on retention than hiring, according to Monster’s 2026 Hiring WorkWatch Report.
- Fifty-two percent of employers listed retention as their top workforce priority in 2026, while only 45% cited hiring talent, Monster found.
- On the other hand, hiring leaders said their top workforce concerns were economic uncertainty, retaining talent, attracting qualified candidates, pressure to raise wages, skills gaps and keeping up with artificial intelligence and automation.
Dive Insight:
The report determined that “hiring has not stopped, it is becoming more intentional.”
“They are keeping strong employees, building skills internally, and adopting AI thoughtfully,” the report said.
The survey of 800 U.S.-based hiring decision-makers found that 64% of employers said it was hard to find qualified candidates. Monster said that this “helps explain why many organizations are investing more in internal development and skills-building.”
A report released earlier this month by human capital management tech company Isolved found that nearly half of the HR leaders said they’re dealing with a self-inflicted skills crisis because they’re not adapting fast enough to technology and industry shifts.
Meanwhile, Monster’s survey found that employers are thinking about AI, with 74% saying they plan to invest in AI training or upskilling for employees this year and 41% saying they already use AI in hiring or workforce management. Another 31% said they planned to adopt AI tools soon.
Apart from addressing skills gaps, other factors that slow down the hiring process include salary and benefit expectations, competition and meeting expectations about remote and hybrid work. Fifty-four percent of employers said return-to-office mandates made hiring harder.
Nonetheless, the survey found that 72% of employers expected their current hybrid or on-site policies to stay the same, and 22% planned to increase in-office requirements.