Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

---

AI-driven change, flexible work, and skills-based hiring in 2026 are how employers attract and retain talent in this pivotal year. Companies that succeed will design roles around skills, embrace workforce flexibility, and hire with intention. The following outlines the top hiring trends for 2026 and how Boulo helps employers build stronger, more agile teams.

Hiring in 2026 at a glance

AI is changing roles, not eliminating work.
A global Teneo survey of >350 CEOs from large public companies found that 68% plan to increase AI spending in 2026 and 67% expect to increase entry-level hiring as they reconfigure jobs around AI, rather than simply cut them. Business Insider

Some companies are still flirting with cutting the talent pipeline.
A separate survey shows that over one-third of companies plan to replace some entry-level roles with AI, even though experts warn this could risk a leadership pipeline crisis in hiring in 2026–2027. Recruiting News Network

Skills-based hiring is becoming the default.
Nearly 70% of employers now use skills-based hiring practices (up from 65% last year), with 71% applying it at least half the time. Naceweb

Flexible work is now infrastructure, not a perk.
Labor force participation among mothers with children under 18 reached 74% (with mothers of children ages 6–17 at 78% in recent data), directly linked to hybrid/remote work options that enable workforce return and retention. Bureau of Labor Statistics

DEI isn’t gone; it’s being rebranded and scrutinized.
DEI-related job postings are down 63% from their 2022 peak, but remain 18% higher than in 2019 as a share of all postings, suggesting inclusion is shifting from standalone roles into embedded HR and business practices. Glassdoor

Fractional and flexible leadership are mainstreaming.
Projections from 2025 (with strong momentum into 2026) estimate that ~35% of U.S. businesses will leverage fractional executives (CFO, CMO, COO, etc.) for flexible senior expertise; recent data show LinkedIn fractional mentions have risen dramatically, signaling sustained growth. HIRECLOUT

In other words: Hiring in 2026 rewards employers who are skills-first and human-centered, exactly where Boulo lives.

---

Four Key hiring trends to watch in 2026

Trend 1: AI-powered… but human-centered hiring

CEOs are doubling down on AI investments in hiring and beyond, even though fewer than half of current AI projects are delivering clear profitability yet. They’re placing long-term bets that enhanced CEOs are continuing to invest heavily in AI across hiring and other functions, even though fewer than half of current AI initiatives are producing clear returns today. The bet is long-term: higher productivity, smarter decision-making, and the creation of entirely new roles like decision designer and AI experience officer to help organizations use AI effectively.

At the same time, HR leaders are growing more cautious. As recruitment becomes increasingly automated, rigid algorithmic screening can unintentionally filter out strong, qualified candidates, making top talent effectively invisible. The challenge now is balancing AI-driven efficiency with human judgment. (Sources: Business Insider, Jobgether )

This balanced reality underscores the need for thoughtful integration: while AI promises efficiency and innovation, maintaining human oversight ensures fairness, candidate visibility, and a positive experience in the hiring journey.

What it means for you:

AI is here to stay, but candidate experience and fairness can’t be outsourced to algorithms. You’ll need:

• Transparent screening criteria
• Tools that reduce bias instead of amplifying it
• Human feedback loops in hiring decisions

---

Trend 2: Skills-based hiring in 2026 becomes the norm

The NACE Job Outlook 2026 survey reveals that nearly 70% of employers now use skills-based hiring practices, up from 65% the previous year, with particularly strong adoption in entry-level roles. Furthermore, broader analyses indicate that adoption of these approaches has risen steadily from approximately 40% in 2020 to around 60% in 2024, fueled by persistent talent shortages and the growing demand for workforce agility. (Sources: Naceweb, Software Oasis)

This upward trajectory highlights how skills-based hiring is evolving from an emerging practice into a mainstream strategy, enabling employers to access a wider, more diverse talent pool while better aligning hires with real job requirements in a rapidly changing market.

What it means for you:

• Degrees and perfectly linear résumés are no longer your best filters.
• Skills-based hiring expands your pool to include career switchers, returners, and non-traditional paths, often your most motivated hires.
• Generally, when hiring in 2026, you’ll need clear skill taxonomies, structured assessments, and consistent interview rubrics to make this a reality.

---

Trend 3: Flexibility is the new retention strategy

Labor force participation among mothers with children under 18 stands at 74%, compared to 93.5% for fathers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Research from the Federal Reserve Banks of Richmond and Chicago highlights that flexible and hybrid work arrangements have been instrumental in enabling women with young children to return to the workforce and remain employed over the long term. Emerging practices like “remote when needed, when life happens,” allowing employees to shift to remote on short notice for personal emergencies or family needs, are further amplifying this effect, with “as-needed” remote options rising sharply to nearly 39% of employers in recent surveys. In addition, new and proposed flexible work laws across the U.S. are actively aimed at reducing burnout among working parents by encouraging employers to adopt more predictable and family-friendly scheduling practices. (Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, ELH, ASE Online)

Together, these data points and policy developments underscore why flexibility has shifted from a nice-to-have perk to essential infrastructure in 2026, directly supporting higher participation rates, stronger retention, and a more sustainable workforce for caregivers and families.

What it means for you:

Flexible work is no longer about beanbags and “Summer Fridays.” It’s:

• A core lever to access experienced talent, especially women and caregivers
• A way to reduce turnover costs and protect institutional knowledge
• A critical input into employer brand, candidates now read your flexibility the way they used to read your 401(k) match

---

Trend 4: Fractional, project-based, and part-time work scale up

Analyses of the fractional executive market show rapid growth, with estimates indicating that roughly 25% of U.S. businesses currently leverage fractional leadership for roles like CFO, COO, and CMO, and projections suggest this adoption will rise to around 35% by 2025–2026 (with Gartner forecasting over 30% of midsize enterprises having at least one fractional executive on retainer by 2027). Broader statistics on fractional work highlight even stronger momentum: the number of fractional professionals has doubled from about 60,000 in 2022 to 120,000 in 2024, the global market has reached $5.7 billion with ~14% annual growth, and LinkedIn mentions of fractional roles surged 5,400% from 2,000 in 2022 to 110,000 in early 2024. This expansion is driven by professionals increasingly embracing part-time, project-based, or portfolio careers for flexibility, while companies gain access to senior expertise at lower fixed costs and greater agility. (Sources: HIRECLOUT, Column, Fractionus, Vendux)

This surge underscores why fractional and flexible arrangements are scaling in 2026, enabling employers to blend high-impact leadership with sustainable workforce models that appeal to experienced talent seeking balanced, meaningful roles.

What it means for you:

---

What smart employers will do differently in 2026

To stay competitive in this environment, leading employers will:

1. Redesign roles around skills and outcomes
   • De-emphasize rigid degree requirements
   • Define the 5–8 core skills that actually drive success in each role
     
2. Offer real, not cosmetic, flexibility
   • Define when and why in-person time is needed
   • Provide guardrails on meeting times for teams with caregivers
   • Build part-time and job-share options into workforce planning
     
3. Safeguard the entry-level pipeline
   • Use AI to automate tasks, not eliminate opportunities
   • Provide structured development pathways so early-career hires see a future with you
   • Implement “remote when needed, when life happens” policies: Trust-based guidelines allowing remote shifts for unforeseen life events, paired with clear communication expectations to maintain productivity.
     
4. Bake inclusion into the process
   • Diversify sourcing channels to reach nontraditional and returner talent
   • Standardize interviews and scoring to reduce bias
     
5. Mix full-time, fractional, and project talent intentionally
   • Use fractional leaders for transformation or turnaround work
   • Use flexible roles to attract experienced professionals who can’t or won’t work traditional hours

This is precisely how Boulo is built to partner with you.

---

How Boulo helps you hire better in 2026

Boulo was designed for this moment: a skills-first, flexibility-forward labor market, and here’s how we support employers in 2026:

Skills-first matching

• Boulo uses a skills-based approach to match employers and talent, focusing on what candidates can do rather than only where they’ve been. Boulo Solutions
• Our platform builds 360° candidate profiles that highlight skills, experience, and “lived experience” relevant to the role, not just job titles. 
• We use responsible AI alongside human recruiters to reduce bias, not scale it, especially as more employers adopt AI in hiring.

Impact for you:

Cleaner shortlists, stronger hires, and a stronger slate without sacrificing quality or speed.

---

Flexible work design: full-time, part-time, project, and fractional

Boulo works with employers to design roles around business needs and human lives, including:

• Part-time and reduced-hour roles
• Project-based engagements
• Flexible and hybrid in-office/remote configurations

As fractional and project-based work continue to expand, Boulo helps you blend full-time and flexible talent so you can move faster without burning people out.

---

Your 2026 hiring readiness checklist

Use this as a quick internal audit with your HR and leadership teams:

1. Strategy & roles
   • We’ve identified the roles most affected by AI in your org
   • For those roles, we’ve defined the future skill mix (not just the historic job description)
     
2. Skills-based hiring
   • We focus on a person’s lived experience vs degree requirements where possible
   • We use structured, skills-based interviews or assessments
   • We can articulate the top 5–8 skills for each critical role
     
3. Flexibility
   • We have clear, written guidelines for hybrid or remote work
   • We offer at least one of the following: part-time, job-share, or fractional options in key areas
   • Meeting times and schedules consider caregivers and multi-time-zone teams
     
4. Partners & tools
   • We use AI intentionally (for efficiency) with humans in the loop for fairness
   • We have at least one skills-first recruiting partner helping us reach nontraditional talent, Boulo, or equivalent
   • We regularly review hiring data to adjust our approach
     

If you’re checking a lot of boxes but still struggling to find or keep the right people, that’s often a signal to bring in a partner who lives and breathes this work. 

In conclusion:

In 2026, the talent landscape rewards employers who are skills-first and human-centered, exactly where Boulo thrives. By partnering with Boulo, you gain a competitive edge through our proven skills-based platform that uncovers high-caliber, often overlooked talent (including experienced professionals seeking flexible arrangements). This means faster access to candidates with the precise power skills and lived experience your roles demand, leading to quicker hires (often 7 days faster), stronger cultural fits, higher retention (97%+ success rate), and teams that adapt seamlessly to AI-driven changes.

While competitors scramble with traditional pipelines or risk leadership gaps from over-relying on AI replacements, Boulo connects you directly to a diverse, ready-to-contribute pool that drives long-term performance and innovation, giving you the upper hand in a tightening, skills-focused market.

---

Ready to take the next step? Discover how Boulo can support your journey.