Candidates accepting job offers trended down in 2025

The drop coincided with the expected extension of the job hugging trend in workplaces this year, where employees indicated that they would likely stay with their current employer than leave.

Gartner’s research reflected the trend, with 30% of its respondents saying they would prefer staying in their current workplace due to economic volatility, even if faced with a better offer.

Hesitation to leave is also higher among highly skilled staff, who are 39% more likely than less-skilled employees to remain in their current role.

“While hiring is down overall, organisations are still hiring for a smaller set of roles that are critical and much harder to fill. At the same time, candidates are more reluctant to switch jobs right now,” said Jamie Kohn, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner HR practice.

“CHROs need to build higher-touch candidate engagement strategies for critical roles, with a clear narrative on why changing jobs is worth the risk.”