Dive Brief:
- Only 6% of U.S. hiring managers said they had the talent they needed to complete high-priority projects, according to a recent survey from business consulting firm Robert Half.
- More than half of the managers surveyed said they intended to hire permanent and contract professionals to close skills gaps in 2026, and 62% said skills gaps are more pronounced than they were a year ago.
- Nearly two-thirds of managers (65%) said the rise in artificial intelligence-generated applications has made hiring more difficult, and 58% said they were having a harder time finding “truly qualified candidates” versus a year ago, per the research.
Dive Insight:
In 2026, companies are facing a more complex hiring environment, in part due to widespread generative AI adoption, which has made it harder to evaluate candidates and assess real-world skills, according to the survey.
The research — conducted by an independent research firm in November 2025 containing responses from more than 2,000 U.S. hiring managers — found that talent shortages were common across multiple departments. Only 7% of human resources managers said they had the talent they needed to complete priority projects, and just 1% of legal managers said they had necessary talent.
Meanwhile, 83% of managers said they were confident in their business outlook for 2026. Employers told Resume.org that they plan to hire new workers in 2026 — but only for specific roles. Layoffs remain on the table, per Resume.org’s survey.
Notably, the same generative AI technology that helps potential candidates polish their resumes is creating hiring challenges for employers.
“Generative AI has changed how employers evaluate talent,” Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half, said in a statement. “When applications appear strong on the surface but don’t always reflect real capabilities, it becomes much harder to assess skills and make confident hiring decisions.”
