1) Increased demand for temporary/contract workers – at high skilled positions.

While the use of on-demand, part-time help by companies is nothing new, notable differences at present are:

  • we’re seeing demand for temporary/contract workers articulated as an alternative to traditional, full-time hiring. Contract work is now a distinct, stand alone category, and
  • while historically we’ve seen this type of demand at more junior levels or for largely administrative roles, we are now seeing this at all levels, including a significant uptick at mid-senior levels. Contract work is markedly gaining in stature.

 2) A Pause on New H1B Hiring

H1B hiring is typically very firm-specific:  some firms hire candidates on H1B visas routinely; others eschew such hiring completely; some hire H1B visa candidates very selectively.  We are now seeing a distinct pause on all new hiring of H1B candidates, the most frequently cited reasons being some variation of “politics” or “the state of the country”. A more restrictive policy regulating the H1B visa program is now a major consideration among many firms involved in forward planning.

 3) Increasing Calls for “Diversity” Candidates

We are seeing a number of employers articulate an interest in “Diversity” hiring.  While this is also not particularly new among larger firms (that have EEOC reporting obligations), we are now seeing such demand at mid-sized firms as well. A trend worth watching quite closely.