Quiet Hiring: HR’s Response to the Skills Gap Crisis
- Deepti Koranne
- Jul 18
- 3 min read
The global workforce is undergoing a seismic shift. As roles evolve and skills become increasingly perishable, the pressure to fill capability gaps is intensifying. Yet, traditional hiring models are proving insufficient—costly, time-consuming, and often unsustainable in today’s fast-paced business environment.
In response, organizations are embracing a more agile and strategic approach: Quiet Hiring.
Unlike its popular counterpart “quiet quitting,” quiet hiring is not a sign of employee disengagement—it is a sign of organizational adaptability. It refers to the practice of leveraging internal talent in new ways—through redeployment, stretch assignments, cross-functional exposure, and project-based work—rather than hiring externally.
As defined by Gartner, quiet hiring is an organization’s method of acquiring new capabilities without adding full-time headcount, often by tapping into underutilized internal talent or engaging with external contractors on a temporary basis. This practice is fast becoming a core element of modern talent strategies.
Why Quiet Hiring Is Gaining Strategic Importance
The Skills Gap Is Growing Wider The World Economic Forum projects that 6 in 10 workers will require reskilling by 2027. However, acquiring those skills externally is becoming increasingly difficult due to intense competition and a narrowing talent pool. Quiet hiring allows organizations to upskill and mobilize internal talent, creating a more resilient and future-ready workforce.
Speed and Agility Are Business Imperatives In times of transformation or crisis, businesses often need immediate capability shifts. Quiet hiring allows them to fill roles faster, with talent that already understands the organization’s culture and systems.
Retention and Engagement Are Tied to Growth Internal mobility is a critical driver of employee engagement. According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Workplace Learning Report, employees who make internal moves are 75% more likely to stay at their companies. Quiet hiring empowers employees to explore new domains and expand their skillsets, increasing their long-term value and loyalty.
How Organizations Are Quiet Hiring—Effectively
1. Redeploying Talent to Priority Projects Companies are identifying business-critical projects and matching them with internal employees whose roles may have capacity or adjacently relevant skills. This not only fills the gap but also provides new learning opportunities.
2. Offering Stretch Roles and Cross-functional Assignments High-potential talent is being assigned to short-term roles or initiatives outside their job scope. This builds leadership capabilities while solving real-time business challenges.
3. Leveraging Freelancers and Alumni for Specific Tasks In addition to internal reassignments, companies are also quietly engaging freelancers, retirees, or alumni on a short-term basis. This provides a flexible talent model without long-term overhead.
4. Using Skill-Based Talent Mapping HR leaders are increasingly turning to internal talent marketplaces and AI-driven platforms to map employee skills and interests to business needs in real time. This allows a much more dynamic, skills-based approach to workforce planning.
Real-World Examples
IBM has deployed an internal AI-powered talent marketplace that identifies employees for internal gigs and mentorships based on their skills, interests, and development goals—creating a vibrant ecosystem of opportunity and resource mobility.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) created an internal “talent cloud” enabling business units to request skills and get matched with internal employees, thereby reducing bench time and enhancing delivery speed.
Google has long practiced a culture of internal exploration, where employees can dedicate time to new projects outside their job roles, fostering innovation and developing untapped potential.
Making Quiet Hiring Work: Key Enablers
Leadership Buy-In: Managers must support redeployment and recognize the strategic value of talent flexibility rather than hold onto team members out of habit.
Transparent Communication: Employees should be informed about the purpose of reassignment or stretch roles, and how it contributes to both business and career growth.
Targeted Upskilling: When internal resources are moved into new roles, relevant learning and support must follow. Focused development accelerates success and confidence in new assignments.
Fair Recognition & Evaluation: Quiet hiring should not lead to burnout. Employees taking on new responsibilities should receive appropriate recognition, growth planning, and performance feedback.
Strategic Perspective
Quiet hiring reflects a deeper evolution in the way organizations think about talent—from viewing people as static jobholders to recognizing them as dynamic contributors with multi-dimensional capabilities. As workforce agility becomes a key differentiator, HR must embrace models that unlock internal potential before seeking external solutions.
By aligning capability needs with the talent already within reach, organizations can close skill gaps faster, enhance engagement, and build a culture where opportunity flows as freely as ambition.
In a world where speed, adaptability, and talent optimization are non-negotiable, quiet hiring isn’t just an HR tactic—it’s a strategic advantage.
About Author
Deepti Koranne - Linkedin
Global President - HR SUCCESS TALK®️
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