The key hiring trends for 2025… are the same as 2024!

Written by: Stephen Veness Group Manager, Davidson APSCo Director

Each year, around about this time, we see multiple articles popping up across our news feeds outlining the ‘Key Hiring Trends” for the year ahead…and in parallel to this, many of our clients are reaching out to understand the top motivating factors for candidates in seeking their next opportunity.

Over time, it is fair to say that certain drivers emerge as being more prevalent at a given time:

• Flexibility: the ability to work from home has been a big one this year as employers generally tend toward a shift back to the office, while many employees still favour an element of flexibility. A fairly emotive topic!

• Remuneration: it seems to move up and down each year in the aforementioned articles… but never too far down! Cost of living pressures are real for 99% of employees at the moment and so a competitive salary package or daily rate are clearly important. Career progression and development: another major driver with several moving parts but for many, a move to a new organsiation is about taking a step up, learning new skills and being exposed to different ways of working.

• Leadership: this one is usually referenced as the key reason for leaving an organisation… so in that vein…it’s also a key factor in selecting a new one!

• Interesting and challenging work: one that often sits middle of the pack in these annual rankings, but I would suggest it factors in most decisions related to seeking a change. If the work people do is not motivating, rewarding and interesting then they will seek that daily reward elsewhere.

Of course, the above list is far from exhaustive but the critical point here is that no matter what LinkedIn tells us is the ‘number one reason for changing jobs in 2025” will be…it will always be unique to the individual and the situation.

As such, having a genuine understanding of any clients’ holistic Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is essential. Their EVP, if well articulated, gives our teams a range of topics that may resonate with candidates What matters to one person in considering a new role will potentially be very different to another. Basic…yes. Captain Obvious Recruitment 101…yes. But in truth, fully understanding a clients EVP in enough detail to have an informed conversation, is a bit of a gap for many. PS - if the client can’t articulate their EVP to us… that’s not a good start!

So as we head into 2025…and the unemployment rate remains low, as the ability to attract and retain top talent remains at the forefront of each organisation’s priorities and as candidate reasons for considering their next move remain varied (and not necessarily in line with the ‘Top 5 Reasons, 2025) understanding EVP and how it connects to each individual will continue to a key tool for success across the industry.