A brief look back at 2025.
The year of 2025 was marked by the continuation of transformations in the labor market. Companies struggled to attract talent in a landscape of high expectations, with candidates becoming increasingly selective and focused on compensation, growth, and especially work-life balance - cited by 9 out of 10 professionals as a decisive factor when choosing a job (Source: Randstad, Workmonitor 2025).
Technology, automation, and artificial intelligence have gained central importance, accelerating processes and altering expectations, but the challenges of cultural alignment, candidate experience, and retention remained a top priority for HR.
With this recent context as a basis, you - as a leader and/or SME entrepreneur - need to understand the trends that will dominate 2026 - and that are already beginning to define the strategic success of companies that want to grow safely.
🚨 Why is this reading worth your time right now?
A bad hire is costly. Very costly.
Studies show that the costs of a bad hiring decision can reach up to 400% of the professional's annual salary, depending on the job level and impact on the team. This includes:
- Costs of a new selection process.
- Negative impacts on culture.
- Loss of productivity.
- Managerial overload.
- Others.
In SMEs, where each employee can represent a large portion of the operation, a hiring mistake can delay goals, reduce performance, and erode margins.
📈 10 Trends for 2026.
1️⃣ Talented individuals continue to choose — and this redefines power in the market.
Even with a slight reduction in the number of multiple job offers received by candidates in 2025, a significant portion of professionals continue to receive more than one offer — and many even give up after accepting a job. This shows that control over one's career lies in the hands of the talent, not the company.
👉 What does this mean for you? Losing a candidate who has already been accepted, or failing to engage them at all, can cost much more than a poorly written job posting.
2️⃣ Candidate experience has become a competitive advantage.
Candidates delay decisions and abandon poorly managed processes. In 2025, many Brazilian companies reported that candidates drop out when they don't receive feedback or when the process is bureaucratic and time-consuming.
As a practical example, here at Good Bridge, we always strive to make our clients aware of the importance of being agile and transparent in our responses to candidates, regardless of the daily "rush".
👉 Solução: processos ágeis, comunicação clara e feedback constante.
3️⃣ IA e automação mudaram o jogo — mas não substituem o humano.
Ferramentas de IA – inclusive generativa – estão acelerando triagens, análises e comunicações; porém, ainda não substituem a avaliação humana de cultura, fit de liderança e potencial de crescimento.
👉 Solution: using AI to streamline operational steps while allowing recruiters to focus on strategic decisions.
4️⃣ The focus shifted from “jobs” to “skills”.
Practical skills and abilities carry more weight than traditional certifications or rigid degrees. Companies that have adopted skills-based hiring have seen improved performance and retention.
👉 Solution: selection structures that value genuine skills and learning potential.
5️⃣ Retention starts with recruitment.
The salary attracts – but doesn't retain. Research indicates that over 60% of executives are constantly considering new opportunities, even when they aren't actively seeking a change.
👉 Solution: align expectations from the first contact and reinforce the career path.
6️⃣ Competition for technical talent – especially in the areas of technology, marketing, and sales – remains intense.
Especially in technology, marketing, and sales, qualified professionals are scarce and expensive. This has already been evidenced in several analyses of hiring trends for 2025.
👉 Solution: specialized partnerships to identify hard-to-reach talents.
7️⃣ Data and metrics are imperative — not “extras”.
Companies that track metrics such as recruitment funnel, hiring time, and internal turnover can identify bottlenecks and anticipate risks in advance.
👉 Solution: clear dashboards and OKRs for recruitment and retention.
8️⃣ Internal mobility and development are growing in importance.
Retention isn't just about better pay: it's about showing growth opportunities, providing training, and offering clear career projections — especially for professionals in technology, marketing, and sales.
👉 Solution: integrating HR and leadership for career strategies.
9️⃣ Lengthy and bureaucratic processes drive talent away.
Professionals receive offers quickly — and can move even faster. The average processing time assumes that top talent closes deals within a few weeks.
One of our recent success stories here at Good Bridge is that of a technology client who hired a Commercial Manager and a Sales Executive very quickly, thanks to the engagement and focus of their leaders in the hiring process.
👉 Solution: reduce unnecessary steps and speed up decisions.
🔟 SMEs that don't professionalize recruitment lose scale and profit margin.
If you conduct recruitment "when you have spare time," without methodology or specialized support, you are running a risk that many companies have already experienced in terms of both cash flow and organizational climate.
📌 Fact: fewer qualified candidates are seeking poorly managed positions, slow processes, or flawed communication—while well-structured competitors are hiring these professionals.
📌 Why can't you do recruitment "alone" in 2026?
If you are a leader and/or entrepreneur of an SME and want to grow in 2026, the reality is:
👉 Recruitment is no longer a bureaucratic task. It's a strategic decision.
Amateurish or isolated recruitment practices cost:
- Wrong hire.
- High turnover
- Loss of performance.
- Deteriorated organizational climate.
- Direct impact on results.
Worse still, you don't always realize the impact until it's too late.
Companies that professionalize this process with structured methods and specialized support are not just hiring — they're building a sustainable competitive advantage.
So the question is no longer:
"Should I improve my recruitment?"
The question is:
"How much is my company already losing by not doing this properly?"
If you want your business to scale safely, the answer is: strategic recruitment, selection, and retention.
💬 Does your team need to attract and select talent? Get in touch with us: contato@goodbridge.com.br contato@goodbridge.com.br