US Hiring Plans and Challenges 2024

Over half of hiring managers (52%) are recruiting for new roles, mostly to support company growth, and 43% are only replacing employees who have quit. Job openings have dipped but remain historically high as organizations move forward with critical initiatives.

In addition, there aren’t enough candidates for all open roles, fueling competition for top talent. In light of this, almost a third of managers (30%) expect hiring times for open roles to shorten in the coming months.

At Robert Half, we know talent. This report can help you navigate today’s challenging labor market to make the best decisions for your company’s unique hiring needs. Schedule a walk-through with one of our talent solutions professionals today.

Job growth remains steady compared with the past year, and companies are consistently hiring over 5.3 million workers each month. The unemployment rate is hovering around 4%, and voluntary quits have settled into a range similar to pre-pandemic levels.

May
2024 Jun
2024 Jul
2024 Aug
2024 Sept
2024 Oct
2024 May
2024 Jun
2024 Jul
2024 Aug
2024 Sept
2024 Oct
2024

Organizations of all sizes are hiring for new roles in the second half of 2024. However, 86% of managers report difficulty finding skilled talent — with 3 in 10 (30%) saying it’s very challenging.

Hiring for
new roles Hiring for
vacated
roles Freezing hiring/
eliminating
roles Hiring for
new roles Hiring for
vacated
roles Freezing hiring/
eliminating
roles

Business
& professional
services Manufacturing
& distribution Healthcare Finance
& insurance Consumer
products Information
technology Construction Educational
services Real
estate Government Business
& professional
services Manufacturing
& distribution Healthcare Finance
& insurance Consumer
products Information
technology Construction Educational
services Real
estate Government

Entry-level Entry-level

Managerial Managerial

Director and above Director and above

Company
growth Employee
turnover Project-based
or short-term
needs Capitalizing on
top talent
from layoffs
at other
companies Skills gaps Seasonal needs Company growth Employee turnover Project-based or
short-term needs Capitalizing on
top talent from layoffs
at other companies Skills gaps Seasonal needs

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Losing top
candidates to
competitors Applicants’ salary
expectations Lack of
applicants with
required skills Candidates
misaligned with
company culture Few people who’ll
work in-office Lack of applicants
for open roles Losing top
candidates to
competitors Applicants’ salary
expectations Lack of
applicants with
required skills Candidates
misaligned with
company culture Few people who’ll
work in-office Lack of applicants
for open roles

Industry calculations are based on job postings provided by Textkernel. Positions are categorized into more than 450 job titles within Robert Half’s Salary Guide using a proprietary mapping methodology that employs state-of-the-art large language models. This dataset includes roles across the finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, healthcare support, and human resources professions. 

Sources: Current Population Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oct. 4, 2024. Percentages reflect unemployment rates for select positions that were near or below the national unemployment rate at the end of the third quarter 2024. 

The Employment Situation — Nov. 2024, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dec. 6, 2024

Job Openings and Labor Turnover — Oct. 2024, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dec. 3, 2024

Surveys were developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. Results may not total 100% due to rounding or allowing for multiple responses. Respondents included executives, hiring managers and workers from small (1-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-10,000 or more employees) businesses in private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the United States. 