After 75 years in the staffing business, Snelling has seen the labor market evolve through economic booms, recessions, technological shifts, and workforce revolutions. Yet according to new insights from the company’s nationwide recruiter network, the qualities that most consistently drive hiring success remain strikingly human.
The U.S. staffing firm—part of the HireQuest network of recruiting brands—is marking its 75th anniversary with fresh data collected from its offices across more than 100 local markets. The survey captures real-time observations from recruiters working directly with employers and job seekers and highlights a major trend shaping hiring decisions in 2026: soft skills, adaptability, and work ethic are increasingly outweighing technical credentials.
That finding underscores a broader shift happening across the talent market as organizations rethink what defines long-term employee success.
Soft Skills Are Rising to the Top
Across Snelling’s nationwide network, recruiters report that attributes such as reliability, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and work ethic are emerging as stronger predictors of long-term performance than technical qualifications alone.
The shift reflects the increasingly dynamic nature of modern work. As technology, automation, and AI tools reshape job requirements at a rapid pace, employers are placing greater value on employees who can learn quickly and adapt to changing roles.
Technical skills remain important, of course—but they’re no longer the sole focus.
In many cases, recruiters say employers are prioritizing candidates who demonstrate coachability and long-term growth potential, even when their resumes don’t perfectly match the job description.
Hiring for Potential, Not Perfection
One of the more striking insights from the survey: many Snelling offices estimate that 50% to 75% of successful placements recently were based primarily on attitude, adaptability, and long-term potential rather than exact skill alignment.
That trend suggests employers are becoming more flexible in their hiring criteria as labor shortages persist across multiple industries.
Instead of waiting for the “perfect candidate,” companies are increasingly willing to hire individuals who demonstrate the right mindset and then invest in training or development after the hire.
For staffing firms, this shift places greater emphasis on recruiter judgment—evaluating not just what candidates know today, but how well they might grow into a role over time.
Strategic Hiring During Downturns Still Pays Off
Another lesson drawn from Snelling’s decades of workforce experience: organizations that continue hiring during economic slowdowns often emerge stronger.
Recruiters across the network cited repeated examples—from pandemic-era disruptions to regional economic downturns—where companies that maintained hiring momentum gained a competitive advantage.
Those employers often emerged with stronger leadership pipelines and greater market share once economic conditions improved.
The takeaway for business leaders is a familiar one: workforce investment during uncertain times can position companies for faster recovery once growth resumes.
Human Relationships Still Beat Algorithm-Only Recruiting
Despite rapid advances in recruiting technology—including AI-driven candidate matching and automated sourcing—Snelling’s offices report that relationship-driven recruiting still produces better outcomes than purely digital approaches.
Across markets, recruiters say placements facilitated through direct human interaction perform slightly to significantly better than those sourced exclusively through algorithms.
The difference often comes down to factors that technology still struggles to measure effectively—cultural fit, motivation, communication style, and team compatibility.
For staffing professionals, that reinforces the continued importance of human judgment and relationship-building, even as recruitment platforms become more sophisticated.
A 75-Year Legacy in Staffing
Founded in 1951 in Philadelphia, Snelling began with a mission to help military veterans transition back into civilian employment following World War II. From that single office, the company gradually expanded into a national staffing network serving a wide range of industries.
Today, Snelling operates more than 100 locally owned franchise locations, placing workers across sectors including professional services, healthcare, hospitality, and light industrial roles.
Reaching the 75-year milestone places the company among a rare group of American businesses—roughly one percent of U.S. firms survive that long, according to small-business longevity statistics.
The company’s growth has also been shaped by its franchise model, which emphasizes local market expertise. Many franchise owners have spent decades operating in the same communities, developing deep relationships with regional employers and job seekers.
Some offices have even passed ownership through multiple generations of families, creating long-standing entrepreneurial legacies in local labor markets.
Local Insight Meets Global Scale
Snelling’s reach expanded further after it was acquired in 2021 by HireQuest, a staffing and recruiting company that operates the HireQuest Global Talent Network.
The broader network now includes more than 400 locations worldwide, combining local recruiting expertise with national and international scale.
For employers, that hybrid model—local market knowledge backed by a larger organizational infrastructure—has become increasingly valuable as hiring strategies grow more complex.
“Every generation believes today’s labor market is unprecedented, yet over seven decades we’ve seen the same cycles of disruption and renewal,” said Rick Hermanns, CEO of HireQuest.
“What consistently drives success isn’t just technology—it’s trusted relationships, local insight, and a deep understanding of what fulfills people at work.”
Technology Evolves, but Human Insight Endures
The staffing industry has undergone significant transformation over the past decade, with digital platforms, AI-driven recruiting tools, and advanced workforce analytics reshaping how employers find talent.
But Snelling’s 75-year perspective suggests that technology alone doesn’t define hiring success.
Recruiters across its network say human insight, advocacy, and relationship-building remain the company’s most durable competitive advantages—even in an increasingly automated recruiting environment.
As organizations continue to experiment with AI-powered hiring tools and digital talent marketplaces, those human factors may prove to be an enduring differentiator.
And for a staffing firm that has navigated more than seven decades of workforce change, that lesson remains consistent: while tools evolve, the impact of meaningful work—and the relationships that make it possible—does not.
Join thousands of HR leaders who rely on HRTechEdge for the latest in workforce technology, AI-driven HR solutions, and strategic insights
