As we head into a new year, the labor market is sending a clear message: stability is holding, efficiency is rising, and temporary recruitment is emerging as a bright spot. While permanent hiring followed familiar seasonal patterns in December, temporary staffing delivered an unexpected — and encouraging — surge, showcasing where employers are placing their confidence in an uncertain market.

For staffing leaders planning their Q1 strategies, this month’s hiring outlook, based on proprietary Bullhorn data, offers both some familiar and unexpected trends to watch. Let’s break down the key trends shaping the close of last year.

Permanent hiring softens seasonally — but efficiency is picking up

December always brings a predictable slowdown in permanent hiring, and this year was no exception. Permanent job orders dipped as clients hit pause for the holidays, ultimately ending the year at levels similar to 2024 and 2023. What’s more, according to the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. added just 50,000 jobs in December. Hiring remained slow last year, but that’s not the full story.

The permanent fill rate for jobs increased, even as submissions declined. This pattern of fewer applications but more successful placements is typical of late-year hiring, when activity slows, but critical roles still need to be closed out before year-end.

Even with November’s sharp decline in fill rates, December’s rebound pushed performance slightly above where the labor market ended last year. This signals that while employers may be cautious, they remain committed to filling strategic roles quickly. And based on submissions per job order, they’re doing so with the same or less recruiter effort as earlier in the year. For recruiters, this reaffirms an important shift unfolding across the industry: efficiency remains a competitive advantage. 

Temporary recruitment finishes the year on a high note

December brought an atypical — but welcome — surprise in temporary staffing: temp job orders rose compared to November, bucking the usual seasonal decline.

Even better:

• Temp job orders per recruiter ended the year above 2023 and 2024 levels
• Temp fill rates have accelerated over the past two years
• Employers are filling temp roles faster and with equal or less recruiter effort than earlier in the year

This combination of rising demand, faster fills, and decreasing effort is a signal that businesses are relying on temporary talent as a flexible, lower-risk way to maintain productivity while broader economic uncertainty persists. Heading into 2026, temp staffing presents an opportunity for firms seeking near-term momentum.

IT hiring: tech hubs surge, soft skills reshape demand

Across the broader market, few segments are as closely watched as IT, and December’s SIA | Bullhorn IT Staffing Indicator data shows meaningful shifts.

IT job openings are surging in major and emerging tech hubs

The strongest year-over-year growth in IT job postings comes from well-known innovation centers and fast-rising secondary markets.

• San Francisco, CA: +47.34%
• Redmond, WA: +37.81%
• Austin, TX: +27.76%
• Nashville, TN: +18.65%
• Columbus, OH: +18.38%
• Dallas, TX: +18.23%

As the geography of tech work broadens, agencies may have more opportunities to diversify their client base.

Soft skills in IT are becoming non-negotiable

Even as AI-related technical skills are in high demand, soft skills such as professional responsibility and decision-making are also on the rise. Other in-demand soft skills in IT and tech roles include:

• Reliability: +39.33%
• Leadership: +21.30%
• Friendliness: +22.74%

These year-over-year increases show employers are prioritizing operational stability and people management more than before.

Meanwhile, creativity (-39.74%) and strategic thinking (-32.65%) declined, suggesting organizations are past the “vision phase” of digital transformation and are now focused on execution, consistency, and stable performance.

For recruiters, this shift means that strong interpersonal attributes are now just as important as deep technical expertise — and AI-powered matching tools that understand context, not just keywords, will be essential.

Want deeper, real-time labor insights every month? Explore the full Bullhorn hiring outlook and stay ahead of the market.