US President Donald Trump launched sweeping tariffs against nearly all imports from more than 180 countries last month as well as a stringent crackdown on immigration. There have been several updates to the US government policy in the ensuing weeks and companies remain braced for fresh upheaval. Against this backdrop many speculate that the recent changes in policy are likely to increase talent competition and impact hiring policies.
“US private sector HR leaders anticipate increased talent competition due to US administration’s tariff policies, particularly for front-line talent (61%). These policies are also expected to make hiring more difficult, particularly for new roles (55%). This highlights the need for organisations to invest in strategies to attract and retain talent in preparation,” read an excerpt quoted by X user Amanda Goodall.
The CEO of EdgePulse however insisted that the hiring system had been ‘broken’ for quite some time — irrespective of tariffs.
“Hiring was already broken. Ghosting. 20-step interviews. I’m not pointing out anything we don’t already know. Now 61% of HR leaders are sweating about talent? No – I’m sorry, but I’m calling it like it is – they’re exposed. This isn’t policy fallout. It’s bad hiring strategies and bloated systems. Don’t blame tariffs. Fix your damn strategy,” she wrote on X.
Many on social media appear to agree with this assessment while others issued grim warnings about layoffs and hiring freezes.
“Don’t forget we have talent managers that have ridiculous KPIs. I know several companies where recruiters need to hit a certain number of interviews per week, even if they don’t have an open positions. Interview for interview sake. Because god for bid if you would give recruiters a free hour to catch up on emails, training or any other to-do. Just busy work,” rued one user in the comment section.
Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that hiring slowed but remained robust in April following the ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcements. The country added 177,000 jobs in April —making solid growth but a slowdown from 228,000 jobs added in the previous month. The unemployment rate stood unchanged at a historically low 4.2% in April.