The Hiring Confidence Paradox: Why Employers Feel Better While Hiring Gets Harder

One of the most revealing patterns in Skywalk Group’s January 2026 Sentiment Surveys is not found in a single data point. It appears when employer and candidate responses are viewed together. Employers report higher confidence, strong hiring intent, and improved recruiting processes. Candidates report lower confidence, worsening experience, and increased willingness to change jobs. 

At first glance, those results seem contradictory. In reality, they describe the same system from two different vantage points. 

This is the hiring confidence paradox. 

Employers Genuinely Feel More Prepared

Between July 2025 and January 2026, employer confidence in talent availability increased from 45 percent to 55 percent. Confidence in recruiting processes rose even more sharply, with three quarters of employers now rating their process as good or excellent. Hiring intent remained extremely strong, holding steady near 90 percent. 

These responses suggest employers have invested in structure. Processes are more defined. Tools are more capable. Teams feel better equipped than they did six months earlier. 

That confidence is not imagined. Internal improvements are real. 

Candidates Are Feeling The Strain 

Candidates tell a different story. Confidence in job availability declined meaningfully between survey cycles. Nearly half of candidates now report feeling unconfident about the market. 

At the same time, job change likelihood increased to 50 percent. More candidates are open to leaving even as they feel less secure. Candidate experience also deteriorated. Slow response times, poor communication, and lack of transparency continue to dominate feedback. Satisfaction with the interview process declined rather than improved. 

From the candidate’s perspective, hiring feels harder, slower, and less predictable. 

How The Paradox Forms

This paradox exists because internal progress does not always translate externally. Employers experience improvements inside their systems. Candidates experience outcomes. A process can be well designed and still feel broken if communication is delayed. A workflow can be efficient internally and still feel impersonal externally. Confidence built within the organization does not automatically transfer to the candidate experience. 

When employers feel better and candidates feel worse, misalignment grows. That misalignment shows up in longer time to fill, higher decline rates, and weaker trust. 

Why This Matters Early In 2026

Markets like this reward clarity and responsiveness. Candidates have options, even when confidence is low. Employers have demand, even when supply feels tight. The organizations that close the confidence gap will be the ones that align internal efficiency with external experience. Speed matters. Communication matters. Human interaction matters. Hiring outcomes improve when candidates understand where they stand, who they are speaking with, and what happens next. 

Bridging The Gap Intentionally

Solving the hiring confidence paradox does not require abandoning technology or overhauling systems. It requires recalibrating priorities. Recruiting teams that treat candidate experience as a strategic lever rather than a byproduct will regain trust faster. Leaders who measure success only through internal metrics may miss early warning signs that candidates see immediately. The sentiment data offers a clear message. Confidence is rising on one side and falling on the other. The opportunity lies in bringing those experiences back into alignment. 

Organizations that do, will not just hire faster. They will hire better. 

How Skywalk Group Can Help 

At Skywalk Group, we see this dynamic play out across organizations of all sizes and industries. The companies achieving the strongest hiring results are not just improving internal processes, they are intentionally designing experiences that build confidence for both employers and candidates. By aligning structure with responsiveness and communication, organizations can turn hiring confidence into measurable hiring success.

By: Adam McCoy