
Ep 50 Skills-First Hiring in 2026: How AI, Emerging Skills, and RPO Are Redefining Talent Acquisition with Chip Holmes
From Time to Hire by Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association (RPOA)
February 23, 2026 · 33 min
About this episode
The episode discusses how skills-first hiring is evolving in 2026 with the influence of AI and emerging skills on talent acquisition.
In 2026, demand for emerging skills is accelerating even as overall hiring slows—yet only 21% of companies have fully adopted skills-based hiring, according to LinkedIn’s 2024 Future of Recruiting report. Talent acquisition and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) teams face a widening execution gap as AI and automation create new roles faster than traditional, credential-based hiring can keep up. Only a small share of employers are redesigning sourcing, screening, and workforce planning to ...
People in this episode
Guest: Chip Holmes
Topics covered
- skills-based hiring
- AI in recruitment
- emerging skills
- talent acquisition
- RPO
- automation
Keywords
- skills-first hiring
- AI
- emerging skills
- talent acquisition
- RPO
- automation
- recruitment
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: LinkedIn
More episodes of Time to Hire
- Keep Hiring Human: Nick Livingston on AI-Assisted Interviewing and the Future of Recruiter Intelligence · June 12, 2026 · 43 min
- From Hype to Hiring Outcomes: Jan Grohoske on AI Strategy, Applicant Fraud, and What RPO Partners Must Deliver in 2026 · May 22, 2026 · 34 min
- From Tool Users to Trusted Advisors: John Fitzgerald on AI Strategy, Organizational Readiness, and What RPO Partners Must Deliver Now · May 8, 2026 · 27 min
- Skills Over Jobs: Stefan Lint on Navigating Talent Scarcity, AI, and the Future of RPO · April 24, 2026 · 33 min
- Navigating Skills Gaps, Passive Talent, and Embedded Recruiting Strategy with Lori Prehar · April 10, 2026 · 30 min
- Closing the Skills Gap: Jim Sheehan on the Silver Wave, Skills-First Hiring, and AI-Driven Talent Strategy in Advanced Manufacturing · March 20, 2026 · 29 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Time to Hire podcast page.