To address hiring challenges and ensure projects stay on track, Canadian employers are adopting several strategies:

• Partnering with staffing firms (39%)
• Employee referral programs with bonuses (35%)
• Paid internships for students and recent graduates (34%)
• Enhanced mentorship programs (34%)
• Clear career pathways to attract internal candidates (33%)

Consequences of not filling roles

The Robert Half survey highlights the potential fallout from delays in filling open positions, with managers identifying several critical impacts:

• Decreased productivity (40%)
• Burnout among existing staff (39%)
• Delayed project timelines (34%)
• Inability to support key business initiatives (31%)

“While hiring plans remain high as we enter 2025, businesses must ensure they have the right hiring strategies in place to keep key initiatives running smoothly, complete projects on time, achieve goals, and attract top talent for the future. In addition, they need to mitigate burnout and decreased productivity from overstretched teams through strong retention plans,” Vasilopoulos added.

Conducted in December 2024, the survey included over 1,050 hiring managers from industries such as finance, technology, legal, and human resources across Canadian companies with 20 or more employees.