Gartner HR Research Finds Only 31% of Recruiting Teams Use Labour Market Data to Inform Their Talent Strategy

26 February 2026 — As the labour market undergoes unprecedented and rapid transformation, only 31% of recruiting functions are leveraging labour market data to shape their business and talent strategies, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc., a leading business and technology insights firm.

"Given the evolving labour market, organisations must constantly adapt their workforce strategies to meet their ever changing skills requirements," said Jamie Kohn, Research Director in the Gartner HR Practice. "Recruiting is HR's window to the external labour market. Recruiting leaders are uniquely positioned to detect challenges early, so organisations can get ahead of major shifts."

Gartner has identified three main challenges threatening the viability of organisations' current talent management strategies:

• Shifting skills demand as organisations adapt their strategy and operations to AI, as well as economic and geopolitical shifts.
• Scarcity of critical skills resulting from aging workforces and immigration policy shifts.
• Unpredictable candidate expectations, with candidates becoming highly selective even in a cooling job market.

Gartner recommends recruiting leaders take three actions to improve talent strategy effectiveness:

1. Use External Data to Inform Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP)
According to a July 2025 Gartner survey of 426 CHROs, 42% listed SWP as a top priority. While recruiting plans for roles needed within the next year, SWP focuses on the skills required to meet long‑term goals three to five years out. 

Recruiting leaders can support SWP with insights on changing skills to inform what leaders should hire for in the future. They can also support location strategy decisions to make sure a local market can support the organisation's talent needs.

"We are still seeing significant talent shortages in the market for some skills," said Kohn. "Organisations can't take for granted that they can find the talent needed to execute their strategies. They need to bring an external market perspective to drive strategic workforce planning success."

2) Actively Track and Share Emerging Talent Risks
Only a small fraction of CHROs say workforce planning at their organisation is agile and able to respond to unforeseen circumstances, such as geopolitical events, economic policy and rapid technology changes. 

Recruiting leaders can track and communicate early signs of talent risks to support strategic pivots by HR leadership. For example, an expected increase in competition for a critical role may lead organizations to hire earlier to avoid paying salary premiums. 

3) Shape Job Design for Talent Attraction
In response to new AI-driven technologies, many organisations are reshaping existing roles. However, only a small percentage of recruiting functions share labour market data to influence job design. 

"If organisations aren't providing what candidates want, they will struggle to attract and retain top talent. Recruiting data can inform adjustments that make roles more compelling," said Kohn. "

Recruiting leaders should collaborate with business leaders to design appealing EVP-aligned roles that will attract high-quality talent using market data and insights on candidate personas and motivators."

For additional information, Gartner clients can read more in the report:  Recruiting's New Talent Strategy Mandate.

About Gartner for HR Leaders
The Gartner HR practice brings together the best business and technology insights across Gartner to offer individual decision makers strategic business advice on the mission-critical priorities that cut across the HR function. Additional information is available at http://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/human-resources-leaders. Follow news and updates from the Gartner HR practice on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.

About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) delivers actionable, objective business and technology insights that drive smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organisation's mission-critical priorities. To learn more, visit gartner.com.