Employment Trends in 2022: Demand for Skilled Talent

Your Resource for Meeting Today’s Hiring Challenges

Local Hiring Trends

Find out where the job market is the hottest, with key insights into local postings, remote work options and in-demand roles.

Explore Trends

Remote Job Trends

The divide over remote work deepens — plus see which roles are yielding the greatest rates of remote opportunities.

Explore Trends

In-Demand Roles and Hiring Trends by Profession

See which jobs employers want to fill soon, based on Robert Half’s unique demand scoring system.

Administrative and Customer Support

Finance and Accounting

Healthcare

Human Resources

Legal

Marketing and Creative

Technology

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U.S. Hiring Trends

Despite Recession Worries ...

Employers’ intent to hire remains strong through the end of 2022.

Quit rates are holding, with workers switching jobs at near-record levels.

Employers are expanding retention strategies and tactics to curb turnover.

Companies’ Hiring Plans July–December 2022

46% Hiring for new roles

46% Hiring for vacated positions

6% Freezing hiring

2% Eliminating positions

Bureau of Labor Statistics Snapshot

10.3 million^*

Job openings (October)

4.0 million^*

Employees who quit jobs (October)

3.7%

Unemployment rate (November)

33%

Job openings that are remote (November)

^*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, preliminary and seasonally adjusted

Employers Brace for More Quits

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Managers citing increased turnover in the past year

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Managers very concerned about employees quitting

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Workers actively searching for a new job in the second half of 2022

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Workers planning to search for a new job in the second half of 2022

Retention Strategies Employers Can’t Ignore

Turnover is taking its toll on employers, yet counteroffers rarely are the answer. Although employees want better pay and perks, companies might consider offering recognition programs, remote work options and lighter workloads as lower-cost alternatives.

Top Retention Strategies

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Multiple responses were permitted. Top responses are shown.

Top Retention Strategies

Increase compensation52
Recognition programs46
Remote jobs45
Alleviating workloads26

Multiple responses were permitted. Top responses are shown.

Report Methodology

Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent uses a proprietary methodology to analyze more than 6 million positions posted on over 100 independent job boards and company websites across the United States over the previous two quarters.

Job roles included in this report span 75 categories within the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2018 Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) code system for the administrative and customer support, finance and accounting, healthcare support, human resources, legal, marketing and creative, and technology professions.

Robert Half’s analysis removes any repeat postings made within 30 days of the original posting.

The Demand for Skilled Talent

2022 hiring and employment trends

Your Resource for Meeting Today’s Hiring Challenges

Local Hiring Trends

Remote Job Trends

In-Demand Roles and Hiring Trends by Profession

Hire Talent

Find a Job

U.S. Hiring Trends

Despite Recession Worries ...

Companies’ Hiring Plans July–December 2022

Bureau of Labor Statistics Snapshot

Employers Brace for More Quits

Retention Strategies Employers Can’t Ignore

Top Retention Strategies

Top Retention Strategies

Report Methodology