Hiring in 2025: How to Keep Up with a More Restless Workforce by Ramon Olsen

People aren’t sticking around as long as they used to. According to LinkedIn’s latest Jobs Change Report, professionals entering the workforce today will hold twice as many jobs over their careers compared to 15 years ago.

For hospitality businesses, where staff turnover is already a headache, this could feel like a nightmare. But fighting it won’t help. The reality is, the industry needs to adapt, not resist. The good news is that if you play it right, you can actually use this shift to your advantage.

Here’s how:

1. Retention Isn’t Dead - It Just Works Differently Now

Forget trying to hold onto staff for years, that’s not the game anymore. Instead, focus on keeping them engaged while they’re with you. Fast-tracked training, clear career pathways, and a solid work culture make a huge difference. If you do it right, they might stick around longer than you expect… or even come back later.

2. Stop Hiring for Longevity, Start Hiring for Impact

If people are moving jobs faster, you need to change how you spot great talent. Instead of obsessing over experience, look for attitude, adaptability and problem-solving skills. Someone with the right mindset can hit the ground running faster than a ‘perfect on paper’ hire who’s just going through the motions.

3. Slow Hiring Will Cost You BIG time

Let’s be real: if your hiring process drags, you’re losing out. Candidates aren’t waiting around for weeks while you decide. They’re taking the job that moves first. Streamline your process, cut the unnecessary steps and be ready to make offers fast. Otherwise someone else will.

4. Ex-Employees Might Be Your Best Future Hires

Not every staff member who leaves is gone for good. With job-hopping on the rise, more and more people are boomeranging back to past employers. If someone was great but left for a new opportunity, keep that door open. They already know your business, so rehiring them is a win-win.

5. Training Needs to Work Fast

A lot of businesses hesitate to invest in training because, well, what if they leave? But the real problem is what happens if you don’t train them, and they stay. Set up your training so new hires can contribute quickly, even if they don’t stick around forever. That way, they add value while they’re with you, and if they do leave, they’ll remember you as a great place to work.

Final Thoughts

The days of employees staying put for years are pretty much over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t build a strong team. The key is adapting to the way people work now - hire smarter, move faster, and focus on making an impact while you’ve got them. The businesses that do this? They won’t just survive, they’ll thrive.