Not all hiring trends rise. Some fall quietly—and others drop hard. This quarter, three traits saw a marked decline in assessment use: Caring, Change, and Self-Esteem. Each of these once held a clear position in talent strategy. Now, they’re being deprioritised.
This isn’t a glitch. It’s a signal. These shifts reveal how economic uncertainty and operational pressure are reshaping what organisations look for—and what they’re willing to deprioritise.
You can read our Hiring Intelligence Report Q1 2025 (HIRE) here
Caring: Altruism takes a back seat
The Caring scale, which once held 18th position, has dropped to 27th—a clear slide down the priority ladder.
This doesn’t mean empathy is dead. But in economic climates where teams are stretched and margins are tight, emotional labour is no longer being assessed as a core motivator. The data suggests a shift away from values-driven hiring toward performance-driven alignment.
Organisations may still want to be “people-first,” but they’re not hiring for it. At least not right now.
In short: When survival is the goal, altruism gets postponed.
Change: From innovation driver to fatigue factor
Once ranked in the top 5, Change now sits at 14th. That’s one of the most significant drops in this data set.
The appetite for transformational energy has waned. After years of rapid shifts—pandemic response, digital overhauls, hybrid working models—many organisations are no longer seeking agents of change. They’re looking for people who can stabilise, not stir.
The decline in Change doesn’t reflect rejection of progress—it reflects exhaustion. Leaders aren’t asking “how can we disrupt?” as much as “how can we make this work reliably?”
In short: Change is still necessary—but right now, consistency is more valuable.
Self-Esteem: Falling out of favour
Self-Esteem dropped from 17th to 22nd. While not as dramatic as Caring or Change, this movement still tells a story.
Internal confidence used to be treated as a proxy for leadership potential. But the hiring focus has shifted. Traits like Poised and Resilient are outperforming Self-Esteem—because it’s not about what people believe about themselves, but how they show up under pressure.
Quiet composure and external control now outweigh inner self-assurance. In practical terms: organisations want people who are functionally grounded, not just emotionally confident.
What this decline tells us
These drops aren’t isolated. They align with a broader hiring pivot: away from values, traits of emotional idealism, and caring energy—and toward durability, clarity, and output stability.
In short: organisations are hiring for what’s immediately useful, not what’s aspirational.
What this means for hiring teams
- Don’t assume emotional appeal equals hire-readiness.
- Put stabilisers before innovators—at least in core roles.
- Make room for caring and change-oriented hires strategically, not reflexively.
As the hiring market adapts to financial pressure and operational fatigue, traits that once signalled growth or culture contribution may temporarily lose ground. Smart teams will track these shifts—without losing sight of when those traits will matter again.
