The end of 2025 brings a sense of caution among employers, who are mainly focused on adapting to current economic conditions (58%), as well as on process digitalization (53%), customer experience (45%), and human capital (41%), according to the HR Insights Report conducted by the Association of Human Resources Services Providers. 39% of companies rely on internal resources to meet their temporary staffing needs, 31% use internal referrals, and only 24% turn to staff leasing.
On the other hand, candidates are becoming more selective about their next career move. Salary, remote work options, and flexible schedules remain at the top of candidates’ expectations.
- How can you stay competitive in a market where employees have increasingly higher expectations regarding salary, flexibility, and benefits?
- What are the advantages of outsourcing recruitment to a team with experience in attracting talent for niche positions?
Find out the answers from the BIA Human Capital Solutions recruitment team. Georgiana Stroe – Senior HR Consultant and Cristina Scărlătescu – Recruitment Manager share their perspective on candidates and their expectations.
How candidates are reacting in the current economic context
Considering recent changes – from political and fiscal developments to major corporate restructuring decisions – it’s clear that toward the end of the year, candidates are becoming more cautious when it comes to making a career change.
“Many employees prefer to wait until early 2026 for a potential career move, using the last quarter of the year for reflection and setting new career goals. At the same time, some candidates focus on consolidating their achievements and prefer to wait for the evaluation and bonus season, avoiding major changes during this period,” says Georgiana Stroe, Senior HR Consultant, BIA HCS.
Even though caution is more visible, candidates remain open to the right opportunities.
“However, their involvement in recruitment processes has become more selective: they no longer apply to every open position but carefully assess the compatibility between the role and their professional goals. They also research companies and industries thoroughly, so they can ask relevant questions during interviews and make informed decisions,” adds Georgiana Stroe.
What are candidates’ expectations from their next job?
In a volatile economic environment and a constantly evolving job market, candidates are increasingly attentive to the quality and sustainability of professional opportunities.
“Candidates mainly seek professional stability within an environment that offers real prospects for long-term growth and development. Work-life balance remains a key factor in choosing a new role — a trend that continues to be relevant at the end of 2025 and most likely into 2026. The hybrid work model also remains an important consideration when selecting career opportunities. As for benefits, meal vouchers and private medical insurance continue to be the most appreciated,” explains Georgiana Stroe.
How can employers stand out?
By offering additional benefits such as extra paid leave, performance bonuses, or a 13th salary. The BIA HCS recruitment team believes these benefits are strong differentiators that can significantly influence candidates’ decisions and how they rank available offers.
Balancing Budgets and Employee Motivation. Discover the advantages of partnering with BIA HCS!
“More and more companies are realizing that partnerships — with other organizations, employees, suppliers, and clients — can become a major source of business efficiency and growth,” says Mariana Vaida, CEO, BIA.
Over the years, BIA has built partnerships with employers across various industries, and many of them continue to return with new recruitment projects. The fact that they choose to work with us year after year is our best recommendation.
“Most of BIA’s partners are recurring clients who return regularly or on a project basis, depending on their company’s specific needs. These long-term partnerships are built on our consultants’ involvement in understanding each business, its organizational culture, and the unique characteristics of each team. This approach reduces hiring risks and enables faster identification of the right candidates,” says Cristina Scărlătescu, Recruitment Manager.
The Benefits of Working with BIA HCS
“Clients particularly value BIA’s flexibility, openness, transparent communication, and ongoing interaction with our team, as well as the expertise and quality of our services. Our consultants continue to offer support even after recruitment processes are completed, strengthening trust-based relationships with our partners,” adds Cristina Scărlătescu.
BIA HCS is also a trusted partner for career transition consulting for companies going through restructuring phases. Our goal is to provide departing employees with a smooth career transition while preserving the employer’s positive reputation.
We organize one-on-one meetings with employees to clarify their objectives, priorities, and professional aspirations. We offer guidance for identifying new career opportunities, developing personal marketing strategies, and support in choosing suitable employers.
🚀 Discover the BIA TalentScale Recruitment Package
With over 33 years of experience in recruitment, the BIA Human Capital Solutions team stands by your side — understanding the challenges businesses face in today’s economic environment and the need to maintain high-quality hiring standards.
That’s why we’ve launched BIA TalentScale, a recruitment offer designed to help you build your team faster, more efficiently, and without wasting time or resources. In short, we turn your recruitment challenges into a financial advantage for your company.
BIA TalentScale is the right solution if:
✅ You’re under pressure to deliver more, faster, and better — and you need the right people, well-integrated into your team
👉 Your recruitment budget has decreased or is capped compared to previous years
🚀 You want to bring in professionals with key expertise — in sales, project management, operations, customer success, or tech
🎯 Your internal recruitment team is overloaded or you don’t have a dedicated recruitment department
What the BIA TalentScale package includes:
- Full-cycle recruitment for 2+ positions simultaneously. We handle the entire recruitment process — quickly, efficiently, and tailored to your growth context.
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Role requirements analysis – we clarify responsibilities, profiles, and expectations.
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Job ad creation & publishing – clear, employer-brand-aligned messaging.
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Active candidate sourcing – proactive talent search, even beyond the active market.
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Screening & preliminary interviews – evaluating skills, motivation, and cultural fit.
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Shortlisting & support during selection/offers – validated candidates and full support through hiring.
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Profile assessment (skills + cultural fit) – analyzing candidates’ autonomy, values, and working styles for optimal integration.
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Temporary employment option – test candidates before permanent hire; we manage legal contracting.
🎁Bonuses:
💸 30% discount on additional recruitment processes initiated in the same month.
📋 Job description audit for 2 roles – verifying clarity and compliance.
📘 Practical onboarding guide – integration plan, expectation setting, and retention best practices.
The fourth quarter of 2025 brings a shift in recruitment perspectives. With recruitment budgets increasingly directed toward roles that generate direct value, the focus should be on retaining and developing current employees and prioritizing the benefits that motivate them today.
The job market continues to evolve, but one truth remains: the right people make the difference — and investing in them is always the safest decision.
When you need an external perspective, real support in identifying top talent, or consultancy in optimizing HR processes, BIA Human Capital Solutions is your trusted partner — with experience, pragmatism, and solutions tailored to your business.
Source:
- HR Insights Report by the Association of Human Resources Services Providers (AFSRU), presented at the HR Insights Forum.
The study was conducted on a sample of 155 respondents — private-sector companies using or considering temporary staffing. Respondents’ roles: 45% Top Management, 27% Middle Management, 28% Specialists.
61.5% of respondents represent companies with over 100 employees.
Online survey period: August–October 2025.
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