The majority of U.S. employers say they plan to increase hiring this year—these are the top roles
Job hunters were off to a bad start in 2026, with hiring rates dropping to pandemic-era lows. But looking ahead, U.S. businesses are poised to beef up their headcounts—and workers in HR, tech, and healthcare are most in demand.
Around two-thirds (66%) of U.S. employers plan to increase permanent hiring in the second half of this year, according to recent data from staffing firm Robert Half.
That’s up from 60% who said the same in the first half of this year, and an even bigger bump from the 57% one year ago. Plus, 56% of American employers say they’ll be adding contract talent to help unlock specialized skills that have been in short supply; nearly half have had to cancel projects due to a skills gap. They can no longer afford to hold out.
Michelle Reisdorf, district director at Robert Half, tells Fortune that employers seem to have reached a boiling point where waiting longer to hire “isn’t really an option” anymore.
“They have...




