Hiring and talent acquisition are entering a pivotal phase. Persistent skills shortages, accelerating AI adoption, and uneven economic signals are forcing organizations to rethink how they build, scale, and sustain their workforces. In response to these realities, the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association (RPOA) has introduced its 2028 Vision, a strategic roadmap positioning the association as the world’s leading authority on recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) foresight and innovation, and the trusted convener of the global RPO ecosystem.
At its core, the vision reflects a clear market truth: organizations are increasingly relying on external recruiting partners not as transactional vendors, but as strategic partners helping them navigate complexity and uncertainty.
Despite fluctuations in overall hiring demand, competition for specialized skills, particularly in healthcare, engineering, data, AI, and cybersecurity, remains intense. Research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows continued pressure in critical occupations, while Gartner highlights sustained demand for advanced digital and technical capabilities across industries.
At the same time, workforce mobility remains constrained. Gartner research indicates that a majority of employees plan to stay in their current roles, shrinking the pool of active candidates and increasing reliance on passive talent strategies, an area where external recruiting partners bring significant value.
Hiring timelines continue to stretch, even as top candidates remain available for only a short window. According to research from SHRM and LinkedIn Talent Solutions, average time-to-hire now exceeds six weeks, creating a growing mismatch between employer processes and candidate expectations. External recruiting partners help organizations streamline decision-making, clarify requirements earlier, and reduce delays that result in lost talent.
Employers are navigating a “low-fire, low-hire” environment characterized by mixed economic signals and uneven regional labor demand. Insights from Indeed Hiring Lab and ManpowerGroup show that hiring activity varies significantly by geography and industry, making localized intelligence critical for effective workforce planning. External partners provide access to labor market data and interpretation that many internal teams lack.
While external partners play a critical role in addressing scale, speed, and specialization, organizations are also redirecting internal recruiting capacity inward. Gartner predicts that by 2026, HR teams will turn roughly one-third of recruiting capacity toward internal mobility and workforce redeployment as reskilling accelerates. This shift further elevates the role of RPO and external partners in managing complexity across the talent ecosystem.
RPOA’s 2028 Vision responds directly to these market dynamics. The association is strengthening its role as both the Trusted Convener and the Leading Authority for recruitment process outsourcing, bringing together RPO providers, global talent leaders, and technology partners to collaborate on practical, buyer-centric, and interoperable talent solutions.
“Organizations are facing a talent landscape defined by uncertainty, rapid technological change, and persistent skills gaps,” said Lamees Abourahma, CEO of the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association. “Our 2028 vision positions the RPOA as the place where the industry comes together to make sense of what’s next, grounded in data and focused on practical solutions that elevate RPO as a strategic partner in workforce planning and execution.”
Through expanded research, thought leadership, peer forums, events, and committees, the RPOA will continue to publish influential insights and actionable guidance that help organizations evaluate RPO models, adopt AI responsibly, and build resilient talent strategies.
By 2028, the RPOA aims to strengthen its financial position, AI-adoption, and governance, and become recognized globally as the home of RPO and THE PLACE TO GO FOR RPO™. The vision reflects a commitment not only to industry leadership but to collaboration, ethical innovation, and long-term impact for organizations navigating the future of hiring.
As talent challenges grow more complex, the need for trusted insight, shared learning, and strategic partnership has never been greater. RPOA’s 2028 Vision sets a clear direction for how the industry can move forward by coming together.