Hiring will remain steady in the second half of 2024, according to a study released July 30 by Robert Half (NYSE: RHI).

Its survey of hiring managers found that 52% of US companies plan to add new permanent positions in the second half of 2024, down from 57% in a similar survey for the first half of the year.

Forty-three percent anticipate hiring for vacated positions in the second half of 2024, and 57% plan to increase their use of contract professionals, a decrease of 10 percentage points from the first half of 2024.

Survey participants identified company growth as the top factor influencing hiring decisions, cited by 57% of managers, followed by employee turnover at 47% and project-based work requiring skilled talent at 42%.

However, 86% of employers reported hiring challenges. Their top areas of concern include: 

• Lack of applicants with the required skills, 48%
• Hiring quickly enough to land the best talent, 48%
• Meeting candidates’ salary expectations, 48%

To address these challenges, 62% of managers indicated a willingness to compromise on years of experience if candidates possessed the necessary skills required for the role. The survey also found that 58% of hiring managers are seeking to fill tech positions in the second half of 2024, followed by HR, cited by 56%; legal, 50%; administrative and customer support, 49%; marketing and creative, 48%; and finance and accounting, 45%.

“Today’s workers are more selective when it comes to making a career move,” Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half, said in a press release. “Employers should have a strategic hiring plan in place and remain flexible in order to land in-demand talent and keep projects on track and workloads in check.”

To attract talent, 41% of hiring managers are offering hybrid work options, 41% are allowing teams to work outside of typical business hours and 38% are offering higher starting salaries.

The State of US Hiring survey includes responses from more than 2,500 managers with hiring responsibilities in finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources at companies with 20 or more employees. It was conducted in June.