The job market will continue its recovery well into 2022. That's according to research from talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half suggests. The company's State of U.S. Hiring Survey of more than 2,300 senior managers reports that 65% of respondents anticipate adding new permanent positions in the first half of the year, up 14 points from six months ago; another 33% expect to fill vacated positions. And, significantly, employers are offering remote options to many new hires, and are seeing benefits when it comes to their talent acquisition strategies.

Among the 24 U.S. cities in the survey, those with the highest percentages of employers planning to add permanent positions are Charlotte (75%), San Francisco (74%) and Detroit (72%). In addition, managers in administrative and customer support (72%) and marketing (69%) departments have the greatest hiring needs.

Contract hiring is also heating up: Nearly three-quarters of senior managers (71%) expect to bring in more contract professionals in 2022. Those in marketing and technology departments (78% each) are most likely to increase the number of contract workers they use.

Top Hiring Strategies

According to the research, companies are pulling multiple levers to attract skilled candidates:

• 55% are increasing starting salaries.
• 50% are offering remote options and evaluating candidates outside of their office's geography.
• 44% are providing signing bonuses.
• 41% are giving more paid time off.
• 31% are loosening education, skills or experience requirements.

Remote Recruiting Opportunities

Adopting a remote-first approach can give employers a leg up when competing for top talent: more than half of professionals (54%) are interested in pursuing fully remote positions.

Companies are reporting benefits of offering fully remote roles:

• More applications from skilled candidates (54%)
• Greater compensation flexibility (45%)
• A quicker hiring process (34%)

Remote Hiring and Onboarding Challenges

When asked to reveal the biggest obstacle to hiring remote talent, the top responses among senior managers were:

1. Assessing candidates' skills through virtual interviews
2. Developing compensation packages for candidates outside of the company's city or state
3. Scheduling virtual interviews across multiple time zones

And when it comes to onboarding employees remotely, human resources managers said the greatest challenges are:

1. Building engagement and connection
2. Providing training and support
3. Having adequate equipment and technology

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