New Year, New Workforce: How to Adjust Your Hiring Strategy for 2025

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With memories of holiday gifts and New Year’s celebrations still fresh in the mind, the start of a new year is an ideal time to re-evaluate your hiring strategy. In many industries, work doesn’t get back into full swing until a few weeks after the New Year, and this small lull is great for strategy development.

The pandemic is (thankfully) becoming a distant memory, and impacts like a tight labor market and inflation are starting to wane. At the same time, companies are incorporating AI into just about every aspect of their operations. The hiring approaches that worked in 2024 are becoming outdated as a result of these trends and more. As we go forward into this uncertain new year, companies should consider the following ways to adjust their hiring strategy.

Consider the Ongoing Impacts of AI Adoption

Although artificial intelligence tools are still fledgling, they are starting to add considerable value to companies in every industry. Your company must include this ongoing development as part of its labor strategy for 2025. That might mean training the existing staff members to adopt new AI tools. It could also mean screening candidates for experience with AI tools or a track record of adopting new technology.

Focus on Candidates’ Soft Skill Patterns

Along the same lines, companies should be screening candidates for their soft skill patterns, and weigh these abilities appropriately with traditional qualifications. While some jobs will require specific certifications or academic degrees, other jobs can be filled by people who have a desire and capacity to learn new skills. At a time when technology is disrupting just about everything, putting too much focus on traditional degrees can cause hiring managers to skip over people who would thrive if hired.

Recognize a Loosening of the Labor Market

In 2024, we watched as a historically tight labor market, caused by the pandemic, started to loosen. Hiring managers putting more focus on soft skills than traditional qualifications should take comfort in the fact that there are more candidates out in the labor market. However, there is still strong competition for in-demand skills. For these positions, your company should focus on upskilling and employee retention initiatives to avoid having to compete with many other companies for these in-demand professionals.

Modernize Employee Referral Programs

While employee incentive programs have been the cornerstone of any good hiring strategy for decades, personal connections are especially valuable to younger generations. Millennials and Gen. Z professionals who are used to ignoring online ads and messages over social media tend to put more weight on referrals from people they know, whether that’s for purchasing decisions for job applications.

Let Us Help Your Company Start the New Year On the Right Foot!

At Monroe Staffing, our talent acquisition experts keep their fingers on the pulse of the latest developments and are prepared to help your company embrace the latest changes in the labor market. Please contact us today to find out how we can develop a custom staffing solution that helps your company thrive in 2025.

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