Research Hub
Hiring Research & Annual Survey Reports
Hiring isn’t just harder today; it’s more unpredictable. Skill requirements change quickly, applicant quality varies from role to role, and teams are under pressure to make hiring decisions with fewer steps and less room for error.
Every year, we survey HR professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers across industries to understand how they’re adapting. This Research Hub gathers those reports in one place.
What You’ll Find Here
This hub is the home for all EmployTest hiring surveys and industry reports. Each edition includes real responses from people on the front lines of recruiting. You’ll see:
- The challenges teams are running into
- How organizations are verifying job skills
- The role testing plays in successful hiring
- How AI is being used today (and how it’s expected to grow)
- Shifts in applicant quality and hiring volume
- What HR teams say they need most in the coming year
As the library grows, this page provides a quick way to track hiring trends year over year, without needing to dig through multiple pages or PDFs.
Latest Edition: 2026 Hiring & Pre-Employment Testing Trends Report
The newest survey captures what HR teams are preparing for as they enter 2026, and the message is loud and clear: skills verification is now the #1 challenge in hiring. Not applicant volume. Not recruiting costs. The real struggle is figuring out whether someone can actually do the job.
Key Highlights From the 2026 Survey
Skill verification is the biggest concern
Respondents rated “confidence in candidate skills” at 4.1 out of 5, making it their top challenge again this year.Applicant quality remains unpredictable
“Low quality of applicants” scored 3.6 out of 5, showing the need for stronger screening steps early in the funnel.Pre-employment testing continues to climb
A full 79% of teams use skills tests, aptitude tests, or behavioral assessments to confirm ability before or after interviews. Many expect to add more role-specific tests in 2025.AI tools are becoming normal in hiring
Three-quarters of recruiters are using AI to help with screening, scheduling, communication, and workflow management. Adoption is expected to rise even further next year.Hiring demand remains steady
Hiring teams are trying to move faster without sacrificing quality. Testing plays a key part here by giving managers clearer skill signals earlier.
The full report breaks these themes down in detail, with charts and data points you can use for planning, presentations, or internal discussions.
👉 Download the 2026 Report (PDF)
Previous Editions
2024 Hiring & Industry Report
The 2024 report marked a turning point for skills-based hiring. Teams began shifting away from résumé-heavy screening and relied more on practical skills assessments. It also showed early signs of AI appearing in HR workflows, long before the broader adoption we’re seeing now.
Inside this edition, you’ll find data on:
Skill gaps that stood out across industries
How teams balanced speed with quality
The early rise of AI screening assistants
The types of tests employers used most
What hiring managers said they needed to improve their process