HR Recruitment Trends Heading into Quarter 2

The world we live in moves quickly these days. We’re seeing it everywhere, including in HR recruitment, and if you’re not adapting, you’re falling behind. Heading rapidly through Q2 of 2025, the latest HR hiring practices are being driven by a mix of tech, talent expectations, and smarter strategies.

Here’s what’s actually happening in the market, not just buzzwords, but real, current HR industry hiring trends worth paying attention to.

Skills-first, CV-second

Recruiters are paying less attention to job titles and education, which would usually be their main filters. More employers are prioritising their staff’s core skills, potential, and adaptability. This year, your next great HR hire might not come from where you’re expecting – and that’s a good thing.

A study by the Internet Institute at Oxford University analysed over 10 million UK job vacancies from 2018 to 2024 and found that the demand for AI-related roles grew by 21% during this period. Simultaneously, the proportion of AI job postings requiring formal higher education qualifications declined from 36% in 2018 to 31% in 2023. 

Several UK-based organizations are adopting skills-first recruitment strategies, including JP Morgan, who’ve shifted their focus from degrees to skills and abilities for entry-level roles in their ops division, driven by the desire to enhance socio-economic diversity within the financial sector, and John Lewis Partnership, who’ve published their interview questions online to help reduce candidate anxiety and promote inclusivity. This is reflective of that broader trend of leaning into skills and specific abilities over degrees. 

AI is finally useful (and no, it’s not replacing you!)

Are you sick of hearing about it yet? Everyone’s talking about AI, but in the HR hiring world, the intention isn’t to replace jobs, it’s to make hiring smarter. Think automated candidate screening, better job matching, and faster shortlisting. When AI in HR hiring is used in the right way, it cuts admin time and helps you focus on what really matters: the people.

Workday's latest upgrades include AI-enhanced recruitment tools like "Recruiter Agent" . It helps consultants create job descriptions and schedule interviews, aiming to streamline processes. 

HR leaders definitely need to remember that it’s essential to balance technology with human judgment. When we start to lean too heavily on AI, this will inevitably lead to biases and the overlooking of high quality, qualified candidates.

Internal mobility is getting serious

Retention is the new recruitment. We put a ton of effort into hiring the best candidates, but it’s only recently HR hiring managers seem to have put more onus on holding onto them. We’re seeing more companies build clear internal pathways and promote from within. If you’re not offering growth, someone else will, and it’s usually a click away.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) highlights workforce upskilling as a key focus area in 2025, addressing labour shortages and the need for continuous employee development.

Flexibility is non-negotiable

HR jobs in 2025 need to offer flexibility; not just remote work, but real autonomy. Candidates want to know how a role fits into their life, not just between the hours of nine and five. If the benefits on your job ads are still leading with Friday drinks and ping pong tables, it’s time for an update.

A YouGov survey found that 56% of UK employees prefer hybrid work arrangements, emphasizing the importance of flexibility in retaining top talent. 

There’s been a push from some employers to return to the office, but we’d recommend you get to know your workforce and how they like to work. Flexibility is the name of the game.

DEI: Beyond the checkbox

Diversity, equity, and inclusion should never have been a side project, but they definitely aren’t anymore. They’re baked into recruitment strategies from the ground up, and yours should be too. The smartest companies are building diverse pipelines proactively, not reactively. We’re seeing more companies adopt more inclusive hiring practices, such as blind resume screenings, to promote DEI. Structured interviews and diverse hiring panels are also being implemented to ensure fairness and reduce biases in the recruitment process.

Final thoughts

If you’re still using outdated processes and expecting fresh results, you need to start thinking about changing. The HR recruitment trends of 2025 demand sharper, more people-first approaches, powered by data, driven by culture, and backed by real action that benefits employees and employers alike. Great HR recruitment isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about thinking forward, hiring smart, and making it stick.