95+ Hiring Statistics & Recruitment Insights for 2025

Key Recruitment Statistics

Here are the key trends you need to know about the recruitment process, including time to fill positions, cost per hire, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) use and more:

• The global median time to hire is 38 days.
• The average time to fill a position is 42 days.
• Keeping time to place under 20 days leads to revenue gains.
• Half of orgs use pre-employment assessments in their interviewing process. 78% says this improves their hires, but 36% says it increases time to fill. 
• 45% of HR professionals think integrating cultural values is key to a great candidate experience.
• Recruitment firms that automate search and match are 67% more likely to increase revenue.
• 97.4 percent of Fortune 500 companies used a detectable ATS. 
• Workday is the most popular ATS with a 38.5% usage rate. 
• The average cost per hire in the U.S. is nearly $4,700.
• 61% of employers have increased experience requirements in the past 3 years.
• Managers spend 13% of their time on tasks such as hiring and onboarding.
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Overall Employment Job Market Trends

Here's what you need to know about employment rates, job openings and hiring rates:

• Labor markets in advanced economies today are among the tightest in two decades. The labor surplus has fallen from 24 million to 1 million since 2010 in eight advanced economies.
• The global unemployment rate, at 4.9%, stands at the lowest level since 1991. 
• Low-income countries have seen an increase in unemployment to 5.3%. 
• Young people continue to face much higher unemployment rates of 12.6%.
• 63% of employers rate skill gaps in the labour market as the primary barrier to business transformation.
• Only 29% of businesses expect talent availability to improve over the 2025-2030 period.
• High-skilled medical professionals & skilled trades are hardest to fill.  
• The biggest increase in vacancies are in labor-hungry sectors such as food service, healthcare, and construction. 
• There has been an increase in renewable energy jobs to 16.2 million. 
• The female employment-to-population ratio is 46.4%, far below the male rate of 69.5%.
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Learn about EOR services to help increase global talent pools.

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Economic and Global Hiring Trends

Additional global trends to keep your eye on:

• Economic slowdown is expected to transform 42% of businesses.
• The most used recruitment strategy is social media at 60%. 
• 7 in 10 employers say analytical thinking is the top skill, followed by resilience, flexibility, agility, and leadership – underscoring the value of soft skills.
• 74% of executives believe that the majority of their workforce cannot adapt to the new world of work. 
• 50% of employees are concerned about financial stressors or job security. 
• Improving people managers' skills is the top HR priority globally at 66%.

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Employee Benefits

Key facts about employee benefits packages and perks that employees value the most:

• The top priority for workers in 2025 is total rewards (42%).
• 64% of employers see supporting employee health and well-being as a priority to increase talent availability.
• 46% of employees said they would be willing to forgo a 10% pay increase in exchange for additional well-being benefits.
• High-growth companies are 1.6 times more likely than low-growth ones to prioritize employee well-being in work design.
• 36% of HR leaders cite helping employees access quality healthcare in a timely manner as a top benefits plan 
• 54% of U.S. organizations have or will provide resources for stress management.
• Of U.S. employers with operations outside the U.S, 41% have a global benefits strategy or are planning to implement one.
• Employees confident in affording healthcare are twice as likely to thrive in their role (72% vs. 34%).
• Nearly half of employees globally are very concerned about physical, mental or cognitive health decline. 
• 56% of women feel that offered benefits meet their needs, compared to 62% of men.
• 54% of employees globally are caregivers. 
• 32% of employees say they would value support to adopt a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. 
• 44% of global employees trust employer-sponsored programs to access quality healthcare.
• Organizations that help employees grow personally are 1.8 times more likely to see better financial results.
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Compensation and Salary Statistics

Let’s deep-dive into key salary trends:

• By 2030, 52% of employers anticipate allocating a greater share of their revenue to wages.
• 77% of employers prioritize productivity and performance in compensation, followed by 71% focusing on talent retention.
• 66% of U.S. organizations expect salary budgets to remain the same in 2025. 
• 43% of organizations don’t budget for promotional increases.
• Only 38% of employees say their organization is transparent about the pay associated with each job. 
• Employees who did not change jobs received an average base pay increase of 5.6%.
• Job changers received an average base pay increase of 16.4%.
• Thriving employees are 1.5 times more likely to view their pay as market-competitive.

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Benchmark Salaries For Your Roles

Set competitive salaries by comparing salary data for your open roles against other global markets, with real-time compensation benchmarking data.

Benchmark Salaries

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Remote Work and Flexible Hiring Practices

The latest trends around preferences for remote work and flexible schedules:

• The number of organizations offering flexible work arrangements as a recruitment strategy has decreased by 16%. 
• Professional, scientific and tech services are most likely to offer flexible work at 42% vs. the 30% norm. 
• The growth in hybrid job postings increased from 9% in 2023 to nearly a quarter (23%) of new jobs by the end of 2024 in the U.S. 
• Over the course of 2024, the rate of new, fully in-office jobs decreased to 61% in the U.S. 
• 59% of employees
would switch jobs for better work-life balance.
• 49% of employees globally feel that flexible schedules or a compressed workweek will be valuable to them. 
• 32% of employers offer flexible schedules to their employees. 
• A four-day workweek results in a 9.6% reduction in job stress and 13% improvement in overall health.
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Employee Retention and Turnover

Get more detail on the reasons employees leave, and strategies to improve retention and your employer brand:

• 7 in 10 respondents expect improvements in talent development within their organization by 2030.
• Only 44% of organizations expect improvements in their ability to retain talent, a decline from 53% two years ago.
• 67% of employees would stick with a company if offered opportunities for advancement and upskilling. 
• A lack of career growth is the second biggest reason people leave. 
• 50% of employees globally are watching for or actively busy with a job search.
• 2 in 5 of employees globally believe they are more replaceable than just four years ago.
• Employees who are stressed are significantly more likely to be job hunting, at 62%. 
• Having a purpose-driven organization is the top factor that helps employees feel they’re thriving.
• 75% of workers state they are hoping for greater stability in work in the future.
• 66% of workers prefer and stay longer at organizations that value skills and potential over job titles and degrees.
• 64% of workers see performance reviews as a waste of time that doesn’t help them perform better.

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AI and Technology in Recruitment

AI is disrupting every industry, and recruitment is no exception:

• Only 15% of organizations are using AI to automate tasks within the HR function.
• Only 34% of HR leaders say their organization has done enough to increase digital competence in HR.
• 24% of firms are more likely to use AI agents to screen candidates.
• 36% of firms say data limitations are the biggest barrier to AI benefits. 
• Automation and AI can make it 90% more likely that time to place is under 20 days.
• Firms predict AI search and match could save each recruiter 4.5 hours per week.
• AI and big data has seen a net increase of 87% among top skills on the rise.
• 50% of executives worldwide cite skill shortages as the top barrier to AI adoption. 
• By 2030, 77% of surveyed employers plan to upskill their workforce to work alongside AI. 
• 40% of talent specialists worry that too much AI in recruitment could make the process impersonal.
• 86% of respondents expect AI & information processing tech to transform their business by 2030.
• 92% of companies plan to invest more in Gen AI over the next 3 years.
• Only 1% of companies believe their investments in AI have reached maturity.
• 48% of employees rank training as the most important factor for Gen AI adoption.
• 4 in 5 workers say their organizations have not provided training on using gen AI.
• 80% of businesses have already hired or plan to hire people into AI-specific roles.
• 72% of businesses have already hired or plan to hire a chief AI officer.
• 54% of workers and leaders are concerned about the blurred distinctions between work done by humans and technology.

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Hiring

Here's the key facts on DEIB initiatives, workforce diversity and inclusive hiring practices:

• 47% of employers say accessing diverse talent pools is key to increasing talent availability.
• 83% of surveyed employers have implemented diversity, equity and inclusion measures, an increase from 67% in 2023. 
• 51% of employers plan to run diversity, equity and inclusion training for managers and staff between 2025 - 2030.
• Women are considered the highest priority group for surveyed employers’ DEI programs, at 76%.
• For every 100 men promoted to manager, 89 white women were promoted in 2024. 
• Black women's promotion rates has regressed to 2020 levels, with 54 promoted for every 100 men.  
• 47% of employees feel like their workplace has a diverse and inclusive culture where different opinions are valued.
• 29% of HR leaders rate DEI as an explicit part of their workplace identity and culture.
• 76% of employees report that they have witnessed age-based discrimination at work. 
• 50% of executives think an organization’s culture is most successful when there is variation. 
• 80% of transformation programs led by middle managers succeed compared to 20% led by senior management.
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Key Takeaways to Improve Your Hiring Process

Looking at these statistics and trends as a whole, a few key themes become apparent to guide your hiring processes in 2025:

Speed Matters, But Quality Comes First

Globally, it usually takes around 38 to 42 days to hire someone. Companies that speed this up to less than 20 days often see a boost in revenue. The real challenge is moving fast without losing sight of cultural fit and quality. Using automation and AI can help recruiters work faster and smarter.

Tap Into Global Markets

We see tight job markets in wealthy countries with low unemployment, while many lower-income countries face growing unemployment and skill gaps. This imbalance makes global hiring more important than ever. Using Employer of Record services like Playroll helps companies hire talent abroad legally and easily, opening access to a broader talent pool and providing global benefits with built-in compliance – improving skills access and employee experience worldwide.

Prioritize Employee Well-being to Attract and Keep Talent

Supporting health, wellness, and flexible benefits is a top priority for nearly two-thirds of employers. For many employees, great wellness perks can even outweigh a pay raise. Implementing tailored support for mental, physical, and financial health can help keep your employees engaged and thriving in the long-run.

AI Is Changing Everything, but Needs Smart Investment

Artificial intelligence and automation are playing a bigger role in hiring, with many companies expecting AI to boost efficiency, improve how candidates are matched, and shorten the time it takes to fill roles. That said, most organizations are still in the early stages of using these tools, facing challenges like limited data and a lack of skilled staff. Companies that invest in training their HR teams and carefully implement AI technologies can gain a real advantage – but success depends on blending new tech with human judgment.

DEI Strategies Hold Multiple Benefits

DEI efforts continue to gain momentum, with 83% of employers implementing initiatives and nearly half recognizing diverse talent pools as key to expanding availability. Women remain the highest priority group for inclusion programs, though disparities persist in promotion rates. Building an inclusive culture that values diverse perspectives not only attracts a broader range of candidates but also strengthens retention and employee engagement – making DEI a vital pillar of future workforce strategies.

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Scale Global Teams With Confidence

Playroll offers workforce management software to help companies compliantly hire and pay the best global talent, and handles the complex challenges when hiring across borders.

‍Book a demo with our team to find out how we can help scale your global team without the red tape in 2025.

Sources Used In This Guide

To put together this guide, we referenced the following reports and research, each with robust data sets and methodologies:

• ‍SHRM Talent Trends Survey
• ‍Korn Ferry Talent Acquisition Trends‍
• GRID 2025 Industry Trends Report
• ‍2024 ATS Usage Report‍
• SmartRecruiters 2025 Report‍
• McKinsey Labor Markets Research‍
• WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025‍
• ILO’s World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2025
• ‍Mercer Health on Demand 2025
• ‍2025 SHRM State Of The Workplace
• ‍Mercer Health & Benefit Strategies for 2025 Report‍
• Payscale’s 9th Annual Salary Budget Survey
• ‍Robert Half Remote Work Statistics and Trends for 2025
• ‍Gallup Employee Retention & Attraction
• ‍Gallagher 2025 Attitudes to AI Adoption and Risk Survey
• ‍McKinsey AI Research
• ‍McKinsey Women in the Workplace Report
• ‍Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends 2024
• ‍Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends 2025‍
• Mercer Global Talent Trends 2024-2025