Karun Asireddy
President, InfoSmart Technologies Inc.
In 2026, the staffing industry will be most impacted by the rapid adoption of AI and automation across recruiting, workforce planning, and service delivery. Employers will increasingly shift toward skills-based and outcome-driven hiring, reducing reliance on traditional résumés and job titles. Demand for niche talent in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and digital platforms like ServiceNow will continue to outpace supply. Staffing firms that leverage data, AI tools, and managed talent models will be best positioned to succeed.
Diana Cafi
CEO, HealthPro Innovation Workforce Solutions LLC
The convergence of the nursing shortage with heightened regulatory requirements and facility accountability standards will fundamentally reshape how health care organizations approach workforce management in 2026. Facilities can no longer afford to view staffing as a transactional service; they need strategic partners who guarantee competency, ensure compliance, and deliver professionals who maintain continuity of care. The biggest impact will be the industry’s shift toward comprehensive risk mitigation, where staffing firms are evaluated not just on fill rates but on their ability to provide fully vetted, credentialed, and continuously educated health care professionals who meet both state and federal compliance standards.
The most transformative trend is the emergence of integrated workforce ecosystems, where a single provider coordinates comprehensive solutions through strategic partnerships rather than fragmented vendor relationships. At HealthPro Innovation Workforce Solutions LLC, we’ve established this model by partnering with nationally accredited providers for employment screening (ensuring every candidate undergoes rigorous background checks and drug testing that meet state and federal compliance requirements), while our partnership with Nursing Excellence Continuing Education Services, an ANCC-accredited provider unit, ensures access to nursing continuing professional development for ongoing competency. By adding answering services and call center support for 24/7 operational assistance, we’re creating a coordinated compliance framework that gives health care facilities confidence that every aspect of workforce management meets regulatory standards while reducing their administrative complexity.
Cory Holen, CSP
Professional Staffing Consultant, Preference Employment Solutions
I believe AI will continue to have the biggest impact on the staffing industry in 2026, just as it has in recent years. One trend I see growing is companies relying more on recruiters to identify talent through relationship-based interviewing. There are more candidates to choose from, but they often look and sound the same due to AI-generated résumés and interviews. This makes it harder to separate what’s real from what’s prompted—increasing the need for recruiters to validate experience, assess culture fit, and confirm the truth. AI has changed hiring forever, but it hasn’t replaced human judgment—it has shown how important it still is.
Laura Huggett
President, Truity Partners
With so much uncertainty in the job market, the key driver of results for the staffing industry in 2026 will be the degree to which employees continue to "job hug." Employees—even unhappy ones—are staying in jobs because they fear being the "last one in (first one out)" in the event of job cuts, efficiencies from AI, or simply a slowing economy. The next most important factor will be the impact of economic and trade policies on broader business results—something that economists have struggled to quantify to date, leaving businesses to decide for themselves how to budget for 2026 and beyond.
Wendy Kennah
COO, Procom
In 2026, I see a clear divide between firms that use AI to simply automate tasks and those that use it to drive higher performance. AI should reduce friction so people can do higher-value work. If the use of AI doesn’t improve outcomes or productivity, it’s just faster noise. Achieving that requires more than deploying a series of fragmented tools; AI adoption must be intentionally cultivated, supported, and embedded into streamlined workflows so teams actually change how they work. The real opportunity is using AI to free up time for more human-centric work that strengthens relationships with clients and talent, and that depends on AI processes being transparent, trusted, and aligned with how people actually work. Without trust and transparency, AI simply scales the wrong behaviors faster.
I expect talent authentication to emerge as a core operating capability in staffing. As AI-generated résumés, remote hiring, and candidate misrepresentation increase, clients will demand greater confidence in the talent they receive. Firms that can verify skills, identity, and experience will reduce risk for clients, improve focus for internal teams, and build deeper loyalty with top candidates who want to stand out credibly.
Ryan Klusch, CSP
President and Owner, AllStaff
AI will have the biggest impact on the staffing industry in 2026, helping firms increase recruiter productivity and deliver faster, higher-quality service. Staffing companies that successfully integrate AI into their operations will be best positioned to win. We also anticipate an uptick in business activity driven by rate cuts, reshoring of manufacturing, and demographic shifts—all of which should increase demand for staffing services.
Tim Massey
CEO, Penmac Staffing Services Inc.
There is so much disruption in staffing right now with digital solutions and AI. Just as substantial in 2026 will be the focus on skills and less importance regarding degrees. For the commercial staffing space, the need for semi-skilled and skilled employees will ramp significantly in manufacturing and trade niches. The supply of skilled workers is limited, and firms will need to be all-in on training and development to ensure a marketable supply of contingent workers.
Isaac Schild
CEO, Scion Staffing Inc.
2026 will bring a strong return to hiring momentum, with meaningful opportunities across the staffing industry—alongside continued workforce realignment driven by AI. We expect ongoing layoffs in sectors most directly affected by automation—including customer service, accounting, lower-level software development, and basic web development—while demand rises for experienced professionals who can design, manage, validate, and correct AI-generated work product. As AI and workflow automation mature, U.S. companies will increasingly refocus on hiring experienced domestic talent with broad, adaptable skill sets who can evolve organizational practices as quickly as technology changes. AI will enhance productivity and decision-making across modern tech stacks, enabling organizations to build leaner, higher-performing teams closer to home. Rather than offshoring primarily to reduce costs, employers will lean into AI-driven efficiency to achieve better outcomes, stronger collaboration, and higher accountability, reinforcing the value of strategic staffing partners.
Talent exhaustion and technology fatigue will continue to grow on the candidate side, as AI and automation expand across customer support, administrative, and financial functions and steadily reduce the number of entry-level roles. Competition for remaining early-career opportunities will intensify, making temporary and project-based work one of the most reliable paths for new graduates and emerging professionals to gain real-world experience. At the same time, self-employed and independent work will continue to expand, driven by AI tools and social platforms that lower barriers to entry. This will create two dominant talent groups: gig and self-employed professionals, and highly experienced individuals with proven expertise inside established organizations. AI will also continue to reshape how people find work, with smarter tools guiding discovery and matching, while human adoption and behavior ultimately determine its full impact as supply, demand, and entrepreneurial activity remain the enduring drivers of the global economy.
Shannon Strickland
COO, Maine Staffing Group
I believe AI will continue to have a major impact on staffing as more companies use it to improve efficiency, but the biggest shift in 2026 will be how it allows us to fix the candidate experience. Recruiters who have been buried in administrative paperwork can use technology to handle the busywork so they can get back to being a true job coach. Feedback from candidates is they expect transparency, instant updates, and a personal touch throughout the hiring process. Even as the industry becomes more automated, the real winners will be those who don’t let the human element get lost in the tech.
