Where Did All The Recruiters Go?

Rachel Cupples
Aug 10
5 min read

Updated: Sep 9

Another Quiet Shift In The Recruitment Community: Are We Losing Our Voice in 2025?

AI, hiring slowdowns, and a shift in conversation—are recruiters losing their voice in 2025?

Not long ago, a recruiter friend—someone I’ve collaborated with and brainstormed alongside for years—asked me a question that really struck a chord:

“Have you noticed the recruiting community feels quiet lately?”

I have. In fact, I’ve been sensing this gradual slowdown since late 2024, and it’s become even more noticeable through 2025. Some of this may relate to the algorithms and who we are connected to across social media. However, most of it stems from the resurfaced and dangerous narrative that recruiters are replaceable with technology. And here's the thing: not all recruiters work for big tech, healthcare, or other mega to large-sized companies. A majority of recruiters work for smaller organizations, whether in-house or agency side.

If you’re in recruiting—whether in-house, agency side, or independent—you might be feeling it too.

You may have even found yourself wondering:

"Is this just my impression, or are recruiters truly less vocal online?"

"Has AI buzz pushed us to the sidelines?"

"Are we holding back because of uncertainty or fear?"

"Is this silence a sign that something bigger is changing?"

"Who’s leading our conversations now—and why isn’t anyone else louder?"

"Should I rethink how I engage online?"

"Is our professional identity losing traction?"

"Are there fewer of us, or are we just quieter?"

"And am I the one who should start speaking up again?"

These aren’t just surface questions—they reflect deeper emotions like validation, protectiveness, anxiety, fear of missing out, professional pride, and the desire to belong.

Why Are Recruiters Asking These Questions?

For those in professions outside of recruiting, this might seem trivial. But here’s what’s really happening:

Pulse Checking: Recruiters want to know if others see the same quietness.
Market Sentiment: They wonder if layoffs, hiring slowdowns, or economic jitters are the cause.
AI Disruption: Concern that AI conversations are overshadowing traditional recruiting perspectives.
Content Strategy: Questioning if recruiter-focused content still resonates or if audiences prefer AI topics.
Community Engagement: Fatigue, budget cuts, and burnout may be dampening online interaction.
Trend Spotting: Noticing conversations moving to private groups instead of public platforms.
Professional Isolation: Wondering if they’re among the last voices still active.
Labor Market Health: Using online recruiter activity as an informal barometer of job market strength.
Opportunity Scanning: Seeing if quieter times offer chances to emerge as thought leaders.
Cultural Shift: Detecting a shift towards internal focus on compliance, up-skilling, and tech adoption rather than public sharing.

What’s Happening In The U.S. Labor Market Right Now?

The quieter recruiter voice aligns closely with these current realities:

Hiring Growth Has Slowed: The US added roughly 73,000 jobs in July 2025, a significant drop compared to previous months, with employment trends indicating a "cooling" labor market.
Unemployment Claims Are Rising: Nearly 2 million Americans are on unemployment benefits, the highest number since late 2021.
Recruitment Firms Feel the Strain: Many report reduced hiring demand and cautious clients, with hiring activity dropping to levels not seen since before recent economic expansions.
Skills-Based Hiring Gains Focus: While not new, skills-first hiring is being spotlighted again, as companies struggle to find talent matching evolving requirements. It's beyond me why this hasn't been something companies have truly adopted and learned to do well in 2025.
AI Adoption Is Accelerating: Employers increasingly require recruiters to use AI-powered tools—some to streamline processes, others raising concerns about bias and replacement risks.
AI Conversations Dominate Social Media and Output From Media: Automated hiring and AI discussions are crowding out traditional, human-centered recruiting narratives while also crowding out the "News" we read. Algorithms are running the information show.

What Does This Mean For Recruiters?

When hiring activity slows and job seekers feel overlooked, it’s natural for recruiters to pull back from social media. But behind the scenes, many recruiters grapple with:

Doubts about their role and professional visibility.
Fear that posting during a slowdown could seem out of touch with the market and the everyday job seeker's plight—or even jeopardize their jobs.
Companies rolling out social media policies that stifle a recruiter's ability to post openly on social sites—even on their own personal profiles like LinkedIn.
The overwhelming narrative that AI is replacing recruiters is hard to escape and often leads to recruiters wondering if their expertise and experience are only optional or a "nice to have."

All of this and yet, precisely at this time, recruiters must reclaim their voices. We must! If we remain silent, if we let fear silence us, others will tell the story—and often a story that prioritizes efficiency over empathy, automation over authenticity, tech over humanity, and data over the important dialogue that typically only a skilled recruiter can pull from the process.

Recruiters and HR teams need to face this moment head-on and stay fully informed—if we want a real shot at having a voice in how technology shapes the future of hiring and all people-related work.

The BBC just came out with an article with a super literal title called, "Why Firms are merging HR and IT departments." At the end of the day, HR/Recruitment teams need to be not just the loudest but also the most informed voice in the room if we want to advocate for the right technology versus the technology that has no business evaluating and supporting people.

We should be looking for and creating case studies, the community members talking about tools, and investigating for ourselves. From there, we need to stop this nonsense of being afraid to talk about AI (what we know and do not know) and start conversations with our greater HR/Recruitment community. I've seen a few creators and thought leaders on social media share, but what I am not seeing is a large or even growing smaller group of us who are in the weeds and doing the work actually speaking up intentionally. We need to change that. I know I likely sound like an overly scratched-up record, but I need this to sink in for all of us! Me included.

I want to make sure my stance on AI is clear. When AI is used ethically and as a support tool in HR and recruitment, it can be phenomenal. AI isn't bad news. We have to be the change and the voice of reason to weed through the bad actors pushing unethical AI and AI that introduces additional bias to all of our processes and decision-making.

Your Move Recruitment Community!

Who's With Me to Reclaim the Conversation About Recruitment in 2025?

If you’ve been quiet, I understand. There are many factors at play, many beyond your control. My first six months of 2025 are a prime example of that! But re-engaging now gives us the chance to shape what hiring and recruiting become next.

This doesn’t require grand declarations.

It could be as simple as:

Sharing a sourcing tip.
Calling out AI’s limitations.
Highlighting a recent win.
Asking your network: “What’s your biggest challenge this week?”

Recruiting is more than a transactional function—it’s a vital human connection point for job seekers navigating a rapidly changing and often impersonal market.

WE MUST BE THE ONES TELLING THAT STORY. OUR STORY.

Let’s Talk, Recruiters!

No, Seriously.

We Need To Start Talking!

Have you noticed the recruiting community going quiet?

What’s kept you silent or motivated you to speak out? I’d love to hear your perspective—and I know others in our community and field of work do too.

Sources & Further Reading You May Have Missed:

Rachel Kitty Cupples

recruitingSHEro Solutions