New insights into workforce recruitment and retention challenges suggest employers who don’t allow a remote work option may be missing out on talent, according to global background screening services and workforce management solutions provider HireRight.
The report is based on insights from more than 1,000 human resource, risk, and talent acquisition professionals worldwide who took part in the company’s 18th annual benchmarking survey earlier this year. It identifies key regional and global trends in background screening, talent acquisition, and workforce management, including insights into the impact the current economic landscape has on hiring trends.
Global market fluctuations and uncertainties have plagued the job market for some time, resulting in companies being hesitant to hire more workers, despite potentially increased demands on their businesses, the report noted.
Just three in 10 global respondents expected that turbulent market/economic conditions would have no impact on their hiring activity; though these numbers were collected before recent U.S. policy shifts that incorporated new tariffs, which could further concerns about profitability and the ability to hire new workers.
Analysis of survey responses by company size revealed no significant differences between those provided by small to medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, suggesting that any instability is a factor that could impact hiring and growth at companies of all sizes.
The report also revealed that while hiring dropped slightly in North America and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) this year, it also dropped to half the previous figure in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
And while the competitive landscape for job seekers remains, this year’s survey revealed that the top recruitment challenge in 2024 was candidates dropping out if remote work wasn’t offered, despite the lower availability of jobs worldwide.
The issue was identified as affecting around three in 10 employers in North America, while a notable increase was seen among EMEA and APAC respondents, especially in EMEA, where reports of this challenge doubled compared to last year’s survey findings. This suggests that companies that are not (or are no longer) embracing remote work may be missing out on some of the best available talent.
“As economic forecasts for 2025 continue to fluctuate, the findings in HireRight’s 2025 Global Benchmark Report give an insight into how hiring trends may evolve based on the direction the market takes,” said Ann Losiewski, EVP, Americas. “Despite many companies restricting their current recruitment activity, it’s still essential to conduct a robust pre-employment screening on all new hires, from employees to contractors, to help mitigate the risk of a threat actor—or even just an unsuitable candidate—infiltrating their company, which can be costly to remedy.”