By George Waggott, founder, and Roberto Fonseca-Velazquez, law student,
George Waggott Law

With 2025 now upon us, Human Resources leaders are facing a significant challenge in the unfolding job market: despite an abundance of job applications, HR professionals and business leaders are reporting increasing difficulty in finding the right talent for their organizations. This labour mismatch is creating frustration for
both employers and job seekers, as skills gaps widen and traditional hiring practices fall short.
According to LinkedIn’s 2025 Work Change report, more than half of the workforce claim that they are considering a job change this year. In response, job seekers are applying to more positions than ever before, but the data shows that they are receiving fewer responses. In addition, this increase in applications is not translating into more successful hires, as many of the applicants fail to meet the specific, more detailed qualifications needed for open positions.
According to the LinkedIn report, almost two-thirds (64%) of HR professionals claim that finding qualified talent has become more difficult over the past year. This is partly due to the growing mismatch between the skills candidates have and those employers are seeking. While recruiters may be dealing with a high volume of incoming applications, a surprising 73% of HR professionals report that fewer than half of the applications which they receive meet the requirements for the relevant job. This gap is often not just in technical skills, but also in the essential soft skills that modern workplaces are now demanding.
Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn’s Chief Economic Opportunity Officer, explains this phenomenon as a so-called “skills mismatch” that is deepening as the job market shifts. Traditionally, relevant work and posted jobs were defined by titles, but as industries evolve and new technologies emerge, the key to a successful hire lies in the specific tasks and skills required for the role. This means that recruiting is now a more rigorous process. This approach—looking beyond a job title to assess the skills needed—can provide a more accurate match between candidates and opportunities, but it also means that it takes longer to recruit, and organizations will invariably be more selective and take longer.
The challenge is further exacerbated by the increasing amount of time HR professionals spend sorting through resumes. In fact, more 20% of HR professionals claim that they spend three to five hours each day reviewing applications. Despite this (and even if the numbers are not quite on the mark), two-thirds of HR leaders note a consistent mismatch between the skills candidates possess and the skills their organizations need. All of this points to an emerging disconnect between what candidates are offering and what employers are seeking.
The solution, however, may not lie in focusing solely on traditional qualifications. While technical expertise is essential, hiring managers are also placing increasing importance on soft skills. LinkedIn’s research reveals that 45% of hiring managers report that candidates often lack the necessary soft skills—such as communication, adaptability, and problem-solving—that are vital for success in the workplace.
This raises an important point: the right candidates may be out there, but HR professionals will likely need to expand the focus of their recruiting efforts. Candidates today are likely to have a diverse set of skills gained from a variety of roles or industries, which may not always align with a traditional job description. As Raman points out, today’s job seekers will likely hold twice as many jobs over the course of their careers compared to just 15 years ago. This means they are generally building a broader set of skills across multiple disciplines, which can be valuable even if their experiences do not perfectly align with a specific job title.
To address this skills mismatch, Raman advocates for a shift in how both employers and candidates approach hiring. “More and more of hiring conversations are about mapping skills against the job tasks as they change,” he explains. In the future, both sides of the hiring process need to prioritize skills over titles, creating a more dynamic and adaptable workforce that can meet the evolving demands of the modern economy.
As the labour market continues to evolve, job seekers and employers will need to think beyond traditional job titles and focus more on the specific skills that drive success in today’s workplace. Only by bridging the skills gap can organizations ensure they attract the right talent and build a workforce equipped for the challenges ahead.
For more information about George Waggott Law, please see: www.georgewaggott.com, or contact: george@georgewaggott.com
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