Despite an uncertain economy, most employers are staying steady on hiring, a new HR Brew survey suggests.

Holding steady. More than half (64%) of the 200+ people professionals surveyed by HR Brew in June said that their hiring outlook for the second half of 2026 was about the same as that for the first half of the year, while 16% expect to hire more, and 11% expect to hire less. Their responses are reflective of the current labor market, as employers in most sectors have seen little to no job growth on a monthly basis.

One-third (34%) of respondents plan to make between one and four hires, 14% plan to make five to nine hires, and 12% expect 10 to 25. The most common roles HR pros expect to hire for include those in sales and business development (43%, a significant jump from just 34% last year), customer support and success (38%) and operations and logistics (35%). Executive and leadership (14%), legal and compliance (11%), and design and UX (7.27%) were the least common.

Under pressure. While hiring plans seem to be holding steady, some respondents indicated that they are not immune to uncertainty and business change. When asked about factors affecting hiring plans, the largest cohort of respondents said budget changes (45%), followed by changes in organization priorities or structure (33% and 30%, respectively), and economic uncertainty (27%).

It seems the economic issues dominating headlines are having little influence on employers’ hiring plans. Just 3% of respondents expect tariff policy to affect their TA strategy, making it the least-cited issue, followed by gas prices (6%) and the US-Israel war with Iran (6%).

Industry trends are also affecting hiring, with respondents citing a slowdown (24%) or growth (21%) as another reason for changing plans.

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