CHROs remain confident in Q2 regarding hiring, but recruiting has also become much more specific, concentrated and challenging, according to survey results released June 10 by The Conference Board.
Overall hiring confidence actually dipped slightly, per the findings, but it remains historically high. And while workforce expansion is expected to remain modest, The Conference Board said, 75% of the 111 CHROs surveyed said hiring will be concentrated in specific roles or functions. Only 1 in 4 said that hiring would happen broadly across their organizations.
But finding that specific talent remains a challenge. More than 70% surveyed said specialized or technical roles are the hardest to fill, while only 11% said the same about entry-level positions.
Notably, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that job growth has been “selective” for certain industries and roles, experts said at the time. The latest BLS jobs report also continued to point to a low-fire, low-hire market, meaning growth may remain limited to certain industries or roles.
That prudence may largely be due to financial caution, The Conference Board said in its report. More than half of CHROs who said they reduced hiring tied that move to financial challenges. Only 21% said artificial intelligence tools would lead to the reductions.
The specificity highlighted in the report may point to employers seeking out employees with AI-related skills, but many have reported trouble finding workers with the right skill sets — a phenomenon backed by the Conference Board report.
“Our research underscores that the biggest talent challenge is finding people with the right skills, especially as technology reshapes work,” Robin Erickson, head of human capital research at The Conference Board, said in a statement. “With skill requirements evolving faster than talent pipelines, organizations will need to look beyond recruiting and invest more aggressively in internal development, reskilling, and career mobility.”
