iCIMS, a leading talent acquisition software company, has released its State of Frontline Hiring report, uncovering urgent demand for frontline workers and the process challenges keeping employers from meeting hiring needs. Frontline hiring managers overwhelmingly say the need is immediate: 91% report urgency in filling roles. Yet, most candidates never make it from application to interview. Six in 10 workers have abandoned an application because it was too lengthy or unclear, and nearly one-third of frontline hiring managers see the most drop-off at the interview stage.
“Frontline teams are the face of the customer experience, but too often they are stalled by outdated hiring processes,” says Trent Cotton, head of talent acquisition insights at iCIMS. “This costs organizations critical talent at a time when speed and AI-powered technology are essential. Our report challenges talent leaders to rethink frontline hiring with urgency and strategy so they can fill critical roles faster and keep business moving.”
Hiring process friction—not candidate interest—is holding companies back from filling critical roles. Over half (62%) of frontline hiring managers say quality of candidates is their biggest challenge, ahead of turnover (30%), no-shows (27%), and not enough applicants (24%). Yet only 17% of frontline workers say they “always” come across jobs that meet their needs.
One-third of frontline hiring managers report candidate drop-off at the interview (32%), followed by scheduling (20%), onboarding (18%), and application (14%). On the worker side, 60% say they have started but not finished an application, citing that forms are too lengthy or time-consuming (50%), uncertainty about qualifications (35%), and lack of pay transparency (31%).
Nearly three-quarters (69%) of frontline workers say employers always or sometimes ignore what candidates want in the hiring experience, emphasizing the need for hiring managers to provide role clarity and pay transparency, fewer steps, faster replies, and manager authority to decide.
Despite the misalignment among frontline hiring managers and workers being universal, the report finds it shows up differently by sector:
- Healthcare: With highest urgency to hire (96%), healthcare still loses candidates most at the interview stage (33%). The research also shows 52% of healthcare workers have abandoned applications and 70% say pay is their top priority. With candidate interest steady in healthcare, employers must prioritize shortening applications, stating pay upfront and speeding up communications, scheduling and offer approvals.
- Hospitality: With 68% of candidates abandoning applications and 26% skipping interviews, hospitality has the leakiest funnel. Hospitality hiring managers say the biggest issue is applicant quality (57%), but candidates want responsiveness (42%) and supportive teams (44%). Hospitality employers can prioritize improving candidate experience — not raising the bar — to capture quality talent.
- Manufacturing: Hiring managers’ sharpest challenge is candidate quality (75%), but drop-off peaks late at interviews (27%) and onboarding (24%). Candidates prioritize pay (69%), benefits (45%), reliable hours (34%), and advancement (27%). To bring qualified talent across the finish line, manufacturing employers should streamline late-stage steps and be transparent about what matters most.
- Retail: Only 9% of retail workers always find a suitable job match, the lowest across industries. Despite high urgency from retail hiring managers (90%) and low no-show (12%), poor communication drives 22% of candidate drop-off and 51% want pay posted. With holiday hiring coming up, retailers risk losing talent with strong job matching, transparent postings, and faster replies.
