Businesses put upskilling at the top of the work agenda

It seems the penny might have finally dropped about retaining the workforce, with a new study revealing that many of world’s largest brands are planning to scale back hiring in 2025 as they focus on raising salaries and upskilling.

The Hiring Trends Report 2025 from recruitment platform Willo is based on a survey of more than 100 senior talent acquisition executives globally, including those from industries such as professional services, technology and automotive.

It shows a 48% decline in companies planning substantial workforce growth compared to 2024. Meanwhile, there has been a 33% increase in employers intending to boost salaries and a striking 78% rise in those prioritising upskilling existing staff.

It also reveals that the role of AI in recruitment remains controversial, with more than half of organisations planning to change their AI capabilities in 2025, and 10% saying they will ditch their recruitment AI tools completely.

And scepticism is growing; the number of leaders who believe AI should play no role in hiring more than doubled in 2024, albeit to a rather low 9%. Currently, 65% of organisations use AI in recruitment, although this falls short of the 80% predicted in last year’s survey.

One notable finding is that nearly a fifth (18%) of recruitment managers are using AI to help make final hiring decisions.

Willo co-founder and CEO Euan Cameron said: “While AI offers incredible efficiencies at scale, its use in making final hiring decisions is surprising and concerning. The final stage of the hiring process is where human judgement is most valuable. I would question the wisdom in placing such significant business decisions in the hands of an algorithm.”

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