Survey: More Than Half Of Companies Hired New Staff Remotely During The Pandemic

COVID-19 changed everything, including how companies recruit talent, new research from global staffing firm Robert Half shows. According to a survey of more than 2,800 senior managers in the U.S., 53% said their organization has hired full-time or temporary staff remotely since the pandemic began. Those respondents were asked about their company’s recruiting practices throughout the COVID-19 crisis:

New research from Robert Half reveals companies’ recruiting practices during the pandemic.

		Practice in Place Before Pandemic	Practice Implemented Since Pandemic Started
75%	Conducted remote interviews and onboarding sessions	12%	63%
61%	Advertised fully remote jobs	12%	49%
60%	Expanded their search geographically to access a wider candidate pool	16%	44%
60%	Shortened the hiring process	12%	48%
57%	Increased the use of temporary professionals	14%	43%

*Multiple responses were permitted.

View an infographic of the research highlights.

“Despite an overall slowdown in business, companies continue to hire for critical roles during the pandemic,” said Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half. “In many cases, employers have adjusted their recruiting strategies to accommodate new, virtual work realities and are seeing immediate benefits, including faster and more successful hires.”

Additional Findings Among the 28 U.S. Cities in the Survey:

Detroit (78%), Los Angeles and Pittsburgh (69% each) have the highest percentages of employers who expanded their candidate search geographically.
Indianapolis, Phoenix (75% each) and Atlanta (72%) have the highest percentages of companies that advertised fully remote jobs since the start of the pandemic.
Managers in Minneapolis (71%), Cleveland and Houston (70% each) most commonly reported shortening their hiring process.

“The rise of remote work has provided employers an opportunity to access a much deeper candidate pool,” McDonald added. “As organizations try to position themselves for growth in the months ahead, competition for talent will only intensify. The ability to hire people anywhere will be particularly helpful when staffing in-demand roles.”