Hiring Trends for 2026: What Job Seekers Are Looking for by Generation

Hiring trends in 2026 reflect a workplace environment shaped by economic uncertainties and a multigenerational workforce with evolving priorities. While recent job reports show an overall slowdown in hiring, employers and HR leaders looking to recruit or retain team members continue to navigate changing expectations around flexibility, career development, technology, and total rewards — often with leaner teams, tighter budgets, and less margin for hiring missteps than in years past.

Rather than a single, dominant narrative, hiring trends for 2026 reveal a more complex picture. Some roles still require in-person work, while others support hybrid or flexible models. Degrees remain essential in many industries, even as skills, experience, and adaptability play a growing role in how employers assess talent. And across generations, candidates are paying closer attention to how employers communicate expectations, support growth, and deliver consistency throughout the hiring process.

In this article, we’ll break down the hiring trends shaping 2026’s labor market and explore how understanding job seeker priorities by generation and where those priorities overlap can help small and mid-sized businesses make more effective recruiting and retention decisions.

Trend 1: Workplace Models: Flexibility Over Fixed

Rather than a single dominant workplace model, flexibility has become one of the most important factors shaping hiring trends in 2026. Job seekers are paying closer attention to how work is done — whether that means remote, hybrid, or onsite roles with predictable schedules, autonomy, and clear expectations.

While some positions still require an in-person presence, many candidates across generations value flexibility in different forms. For some, that may be remote or hybrid work. For others, it may mean flexible start times, compressed workweeks, or greater control over how and when work is completed. The common thread is not location alone, but the ability to balance performance with personal responsibilities.

For employers, offering thoughtful flexibility can support retention, reduce burnout, and widen access to talent, without requiring a fully remote workforce. In 2026, businesses that clearly define their work model, communicate expectations upfront, and apply flexibility consistently are better positioned to attract and retain employees than those relying on rigid, one-size-fits-all approaches.

Trend 2: Hiring Criteria Are Becoming More Flexible and Role-Specific

In 2026, hiring trends reflect a more nuanced shift — not away from education, but toward a broader view of qualification. Degrees remain essential in many industries and roles, particularly those tied to regulated professions or specialized technical expertise. At the same time, employers are placing greater emphasis on practical skills, relevant experience, and demonstrated capability alongside — or even in lieu of — formal education.

This shift to skills-first hiring is less about devaluing degrees and more about responding to persistent talent gaps. As employers struggle to find enough candidates who meet all traditional requirements, many are expanding how they evaluate readiness for a role, looking at certifications, portfolios, hands-on experience, transferable skills, and academic credentials.

Across generations, job seekers who can clearly demonstrate how their skills apply to real-world challenges tend to stand out in today’s job market. For employers and HR leaders, this more balanced approach can help widen candidate pools, improve job fit, and reduce time-to-hire — while still maintaining role-appropriate standards for education and training.

Trend 3: Benefits and Total Rewards Matter More Than Ever

Competitive compensation remains paramount, but in 2026, job seekers are paying even closer attention to an employer’s total rewards package, starting with core health benefits and extending well beyond them.

Access to affordable, comprehensive healthcare is a baseline expectation across generations, particularly as healthcare costs continue to rise for employers and employees. At the same time, candidates are looking at what comes in addition to medical coverage when evaluating whether an offer truly supports their well-being and long-term stability.

Increasingly, job seekers are weighing factors such as:

• Mental health and wellness support
• Flexible benefits or lifestyle stipends
• Student loan assistance or education support
• Financial wellness tools and planning resources

These offerings are not viewed as replacements for healthcare, but as signals of how an employer supports employees beyond the basics, especially during periods of economic uncertainty and cost pressure.

While priorities may vary by life stage, most employees want the same core outcomes: stability, flexibility, and confidence that their benefits will support them as their personal and professional needs change. That makes rigid, one-size-fits-all benefits strategies harder to sustain.

For many small and mid-sized businesses, delivering this balance can be challenging. Rising premiums, plan complexity, and administrative burden make it difficult to expand offerings independently. This is where partnering with a professional employer organization (PEO) can make a meaningful difference. By pooling buying power and offering access to competitive, large-group benefits plans, a PEO like G&A helps SMBs provide affordable, comprehensive healthcare coverage alongside modern, flexible benefits.

Trend 4: Fairness, Inclusion, and Workplace Practices Remain Important

In 2026, hiring trends show that job seekers continue to care about fairness and inclusion in the workplace — and they are increasingly focused on how those principles are reflected in everyday practices. Regardless of how organizations label or describe their initiatives, candidates are paying closer attention to how policies are applied, how decisions are made, and whether employees feel respected and supported.

Across generations, job seekers look for tangible indicators such as equitable pay practices, clear performance standards, transparent advancement paths, and leadership accountability. These signals help candidates evaluate whether an organization’s culture aligns with their expectations for professionalism, opportunity, and trust.

For employers, this means that consistency matters. Organizations that clearly communicate expectations, apply policies evenly, and follow through on commitments tend to build greater credibility with candidates. In an environment where workplace practices are more visible and closely examined, clarity and alignment between stated values and day-to-day operations can positively influence recruiting and retention.

Trend 5: Tech-Enabled Recruitment and AI Adoption Continue to Accelerate

Technology continues to reshape how employers attract, screen, and hire talent. In 2026, applicant tracking systems (ATS), AI-assisted screening tools, skills assessments, and video interviewing platforms are widely used across organizations of all sizes, not just enterprises.

For employers, these tools offer clear advantages: faster time-to-hire, improved consistency, and the ability to manage growing volumes of applicants with leaner teams. But they’ve also introduced new challenges. As AI-driven résumé tools and application platforms become more accessible, many hiring managers are seeing a sharp increase in applicant volume, often without a corresponding increase in qualified candidates.

In some cases, candidates are using artificial intelligence to closely mirror job descriptions, making it harder for recruiters to quickly distinguish between genuine experience and surface-level alignment. This has added friction to the screening process, requiring employers to rethink how they evaluate skills, validate experience, and identify strong fits earlier in the funnel.

At the same time, increased reliance on AI has raised new considerations around transparency, data privacy, and bias mitigation. Regulators are beginning to scrutinize how tools with automation influence employment decisions, making it essential for businesses to balance efficiency with human judgment and clearly defined evaluation criteria.

In 2026, the most effective hiring strategies use technology as a support — not a shortcut. Employers that pair AI-enabled tools with structured screening processes, skills validation, and consistent human touchpoints are better positioned to improve hiring outcomes while reducing noise and risk.

These dynamics are part of a broader transformation underway across HR — from recruiting and onboarding to benefits and compliance. For a deeper look at how technology, workforce expectations, and regulation are converging, explore G&A’s 2026 HR Forecast, which outlines the trends shaping HR strategy in the year ahead.

Tailoring Your Hiring Strategy by Generation

Most workplaces today are not comprised of employees from a single generation. Small and mid-sized businesses are far more likely to employ Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers side by side, often within the same teams or reporting structures.

While individual preferences vary widely, employees at different life and career stages often bring different expectations to work. Those expectations are influenced by factors such as when they entered the workforce, the economic conditions they’ve experienced throughout their careers, and the technologies they’ve worked with over time. Understanding these patterns, relying on stereotypes, can help employers design hiring, onboarding, and retention strategies that feel relevant, fair, and flexible across age groups.

Rather than creating separate policies for each generation, the goal is to build adaptable frameworks, around communication, development, benefits, and flexibility, that meet employees where they are while maintaining consistency and equity across the organization.

With that context in mind, the sections below outline common generational themes that can offer a helpful perspective — while recognizing that individual priorities will always vary.

Gen Z: Early Career Growth, Learning, and Well-Being

Gen Z employees are early in their careers and focused on skill development, learning opportunities, and personal well-being. Research consistently shows that growth and development matter more to this group than traditional markers of success alone.

According to Deloitte Global’s 2025 Gen Z and Millennial survey, learning opportunities, mental well-being, financial security, and meaningful work consistently rank among the top priorities for Gen Z employees. The report also notes that only about 6% of Gen Zs and Millennials identify reaching senior leadership as their primary career goal, signaling a broader shift toward defining success through balance, growth, and purpose rather than titles alone.

Hiring and retention strategies that resonate with Gen Z often include structured onboarding, frequent feedback, mentorships, and access to upskilling opportunities. Clear communication around expectations and growth paths helps reduce early disengagement and supports long-term development.

Millennials: Balance, Advancement, and Stability

Millennials make up a significant portion of today’s workforce and are often navigating mid-career growth alongside broader life responsibilities, including financial planning and caregiving. While flexibility remains important, this group also places strong emphasis on sustainability — seeking roles that support professional progress and personal well-being.

According to Deloitte Global’s 2025 Gen Z and Millennial survey, Millennials consistently rank work-life balance and mental health support among their top workplace priorities. The report also highlights that Millennials value opportunities to build skills and grow in meaningful ways, rather than advancement based solely on titles or hierarchy.

To attract and retain Millennial talent, employers often benefit from offering flexible work options where feasible, clear and consistent performance feedback, professional development opportunities, student loan assistance, and benefits that support everyday life, such as wellness initiatives and financial planning resources.

Gen X: Stability, Autonomy, and Continuity

Gen X employees often occupy leadership or senior individual contributor roles and bring deep experience to their organizations. At this career stage, many value autonomy, clarity of expectations, and long-term stability, along with opportunities to continue developing their skills without constant disruption.

While generational research frequently focuses on younger workers, Gallup’s research on employee motivations, featured in their “Top Four Reasons for Taking a New Job,” shows that across age groups, work-life balance, clear expectations, and meaningful work consistently rank among the top factors influencing engagement and retention. These drivers tend to resonate strongly with experienced professionals who value trust, accountability, and consistency in how work is managed.

For Gen X employees, hiring and retention strategies that emphasize clear accountability, respect for experience, competitive healthcare coverage and retirement benefits, and leadership or advanced skill development opportunities can help reinforce commitment while supporting continuity across teams.

Baby Boomers: Experience, Knowledge Transfer, and Transition Flexibility

Baby Boomers continue to bring deep institutional knowledge, professional judgment, and continuity to today’s workforce. As many move closer to retirement age, priorities often shift toward healthcare stability, flexibility, and opportunities to pass along expertise through mentorship or advisory roles.

Research from SHRM on employee benefits and retention trends shows that health benefits and overall well-being remain top drivers of retention for older workers, particularly as healthcare costs rise and long-term benefits decisions carry greater financial impact. In addition, flexible work arrangements and phased retirement options play an important role in helping experienced employees remain engaged later in their careers.

For employers, supporting this stage of the workforce means balancing continuity with transition. Flexible scheduling, phased retirement options, strong healthcare benefits, and intentional knowledge-transfer opportunities help preserve institutional knowledge while enabling thoughtful workforce transition, benefiting employees and the organization as a whole.

How a PEO Can Support a Multigenerational Hiring and Retention Strategy

Keeping up with shifting expectations across generations can be challenging for small and mid-sized businesses — especially while managing payroll, benefits, compliance, and day-to-day operations. A professional employer organization (PEO) provides HR administration, payroll, benefits, compliance guidance, and workforce support under one model.

With that foundation in place, your business can focus more on hiring and retaining the best people. A PEO supports multigenerational hiring by helping employers:

• Offer competitive, flexible benefits that appeal to employees from entry-level to near retirement
• Maintain consistent, compliant hiring and onboarding practices
• Support recruiting and onboarding through technology and process guidance
• Equip managers with tools to communicate expectations clearly and fairly

By centralizing HR responsibilities and providing expert support, a PEO helps you adapt to evolving hiring trends without adding complexity.