New iCIMS Data Reveals Employers Recalibrating Late-Year Hiring Strategies Across Global Markets

iCIMS Insights December Workforce Report captures U.S. and EMEA labor market activity and job popularity trends across occupations

Holmdel, N.J. [Dec. 11, 2025] – iCIMS, a leading provider of talent acquisition technology, released its year-end report of global workforce trends. The iCIMS Insights December 2025 Workforce Report highlights the latest activity across the U.S. and EMEA, drawing on proprietary data from more than 3 million global platform users, over 200 million applications and more than 5.5 million hires annually. The report also reveals the most and least in-demand jobs candidates applied to in 2025, application peaks across industries and a roundup of award-winning insights from throughout the year.

According to the report, U.S. labor market activity cooled from October to November, pointing to seasonal effects combined with greater workforce discipline. Although applications (+6%) and job openings (+4%) remained higher year-over-year, hiring (+1%) continued at a steadier pace as organizations take more time to evaluate needs and sequence hiring plans heading into 2026. These patterns point to employers prioritizing efficiency, role quality and long-term strategic fits.

“The drop in November aligns with what we typically see at year-end, but it also reflects employers being more intentional with how and when they hire,” said Trent Cotton, head of talent acquisition insights, iCIMS. “The data suggests recruiting teams are recalibrating their workforce plans for 2026, giving recruiting teams the perfect time to further develop their talent pipelines for the new year.”

Across EMEA, hiring activity followed a similar late-year pattern. While openings (+13%) and applications (+11%) saw strong year-over-year growth, hiring (+1%) moderated. Some markets across Europe have reported signs of stabilization, and the data suggests employers may be balancing that optimism with a pragmatic approach tied to fiscal cycles and project-based demand. The result is an environment where apply-to-hire ratios are rising, reinforcing a trend of strong talent interest even as mobility remains measured.

As organizations navigate more measured labor activity, data and AI technology are becoming increasingly crucial. Employers are leveraging these advanced tools to improve efficiency, reduce friction and create stronger candidate experiences, positioning themselves to move quickly when demand accelerates.

Applicant interest varied dramatically by role type in 2025, reflecting ongoing economic uncertainty and deep talent-market imbalance. Job seekers’ most and least wanted jobs by applicants per opening (APO) included:

• White collar blues: Layoffs have flooded the market with qualified candidates. White collar jobs are still receiving heavy interest, even as the labor market cools, drawing nearly double the overall average APO (34). Computer and mathematical occupations (65) and business and financial occupations (62) were the top job categories in 2025.
• Still in pain: Healthcare’s worker shortage persists for both clinical and frontline staff, and the low APOs in both categories reflect that — despite the sector reporting the highest urgency to hire, per iCIMS research. Healthcare support occupations (25) and healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (15) were some of the least popular job categories in 2025.
• Back of house: Food prep roles (33) were in line with the overall market, signaling solid applicant interest. But according to the iCIMS 2025 State of Frontline Hiring Report, hospitality had the highest application abandonment and interview no-show rates, which creates a leaky hiring funnel.

Download the iCIMS Insights December Workforce Report for a deeper dive into the latest workforce and job popularity trends and top iCIMS Insights of the year.