Only 6% Have Talent for Priority Projects, 60% of Firms Eye H1 2026 Hires
Robert Half survey of 2,000 US hiring managers found only 6% report having sufficient talent for high-priority projects while 62% see skills gaps widening year-over-year. Eighty-three percent are confident in 2026 outlook, 60% plan permanent hires and 55% plan increased contract staffing in H1 2026.
1. Survey Overview
Robert Half’s survey of 2,000 US hiring managers found 62% reported widening skills gaps compared to last year and only 6% said they have sufficient talent to complete high-priority projects.
2. Skill Shortages by Discipline
Legal roles showed the most severe shortage at 1% adequacy, followed by marketing and creative at 4%, finance and accounting at 6%, healthcare, human resources and technology each at 7%, and administrative and customer support at 12%.
3. Hiring Plans for 2026
Despite talent constraints, 83% of managers expressed confidence in their business outlook, with 43% anticipating strong growth; 60% plan to add permanent staff in H1 2026 and 55% intend to boost contract hiring to address immediate needs.
4. GenAI and Hiring Complexity
Sixty-five percent of managers reported that generative AI has made hiring more challenging by increasing the volume of polished but unverified applications, and 58% noted greater difficulty in identifying genuinely qualified candidates, leading firms to allocate more time for qualification validation.