Recruiting Market Report - January 2025

​Find out what we are hearing from candidates and clients and get our predictions for the future of the hiring market in the January 2025 edition of The ASP Team Market Report:

Quinn Finnigan - Recruiting Services Leader

Joss Stokke - Recruiting Services Leader

What are we hearing from candidates?
"I value balance and community over compensation." - this is a shift we've been sensing for years now and it’s a sentiment we hear from people every day. Candidates are more heavily prioritizing work/life balance and shared values over compensation when considering new job opportunities. A large recent global survey confirms what has been our sense for a while that for the first time in the 20+ years of tracking, a majority indicate balance as a stronger motivator than pay. They also want their work place to align closely with their values. This may not be new, but people are not only wanting this latently, rather are also increasingly willing to take action based on their needs not being met by quitting. Perhaps most surprisingly, over 1/3 of people surveyed said they'd take less money if they had friends at work! I'm not sure if companies need much more proof of the importance of giving their employees balance and a sense of community than these survey results.

What are we hearing from clients?
"I can't keep up!" Hiring managers at every level we speak to are grumbling about the volume and quality of applications to job ads they have posted. One survey noted the average corporate job opening receives ~250 applications! This is a relatively new sentiment and likely happening as a combination of AI (see below) and the proliferation of hybrid/remote jobs. Candidates assume any job posted could be remote so companies are seeing applications from all over the country even if a job is locally-based. The increase in volume often translates to lower quality of applicants, but company's still need to sort through them all. This is an issue we don't see disappearing any time soon, so the use of an industry-specific recruiter who is an expert in the field and able to more quickly find skilled talent is a great solution to this modern day conundrum.

What am I feeling about the hiring market?
Robust but frozen labor market - hiring in the U.S. was subdued in January as the economy added 143,000 jobs, falling short of forecasts. However, at the same time, the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.0%, the lowest it's been since May, 2024. One way I've heard hiring explained in this type of economy is 'judicious'. Low unemployment signals a strong fundamental economy and job ads being lower than expected may mean that businesses are hiring when needed, but we're seeing very low churn. The good news is that accounting and finance are necessary roles and most companies already operate lean, so when a company needs someone they're likely to act on it quickly. I believe the accounting/finance hiring market will be more robust than frozen for the foreseeable future.

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ASP Hiring Statistics - 2024/2025
41 - Days to Place (avg.)
$156,596 - Avg. Placed Controller Salary
30% - Percent of Diversity Hires
94% - Percent of time we get interviews for our clients

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Recent Placements
VP Finance - Services - Kirkland 
Controller - Financial Services - Portland
Finance Manager - Agriculture - Eastern WA

View Our Current Openings

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Hiring Smarter with The ASP Team
Check out the latest episode of our accounting and finance recruiting podcast!

Season 2 Episode 1 - Hiring a Recruiter While Recruiting on Your Own

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Top Candidates
Take a look at some examples of accounting and finance candidates we are working with currently.

View Our Top Candidates