As 2026 enters its final stretch, now is the time for businesses to evaluate their workforce, prepare for year-end demands, and start building a hiring strategy for 2027.
Finding skilled, dependable employees remains one of the most important factors in keeping a business productive and positioned for growth. Changing workforce expectations, increased competition for qualified candidates, evolving technology, and shifting business needs mean employers can no longer afford to wait until a position becomes urgent to start recruiting.
At L.K. Jordan & Associates, we help employers take a proactive approach to staffing and recruiting. Whether you need temporary employees to manage an increase in workload, temp-to-hire candidates to build your team, or experienced professionals for critical direct hire positions, our recruiting teams can help you finish 2026 strong and enter 2027 prepared.
Here are several ways employers can strengthen their workforce strategy heading into the new year.
1. Start Planning Your 2027 Workforce Now
The end of the year is an ideal time to evaluate your current workforce and identify potential hiring needs for 2027.
Consider upcoming growth, anticipated turnover, new projects, seasonal demands, retirements, expansions, and positions that have historically been difficult to fill. Identifying these needs early gives your organization more time to recruit strategically rather than reacting when a position suddenly becomes urgent.
L.K. Jordan works closely with employers to understand their business goals, workforce challenges, and hiring priorities so we can develop staffing solutions that support both immediate and long-term needs.
2. Build a Stronger Talent Pipeline
Posting a job and waiting for applications may not always produce the qualified candidates your organization needs. Building a strong talent pipeline requires consistent recruiting, networking, referrals, targeted outreach, and access to both active and passive candidates.
Our recruiters use multiple sourcing strategies and established professional networks to connect employers with qualified candidates across a wide range of industries and skill levels.
By beginning the recruiting process before positions become critical, businesses can create a stronger pipeline and reduce the pressure associated with last-minute hiring.
3. Consider a More Flexible Staffing Strategy
Your workforce does not have to rely entirely on permanent employees. Temporary and temp-to-hire staffing can provide businesses with greater flexibility as workloads, projects, and staffing requirements change.
Temporary staffing can help companies manage seasonal increases, employee absences, special projects, production demands, and unexpected vacancies without immediately adding permanent headcount.
Temp-to-hire staffing provides another option, allowing both the employer and employee an opportunity to evaluate the fit before transitioning into permanent employment.
L.K. Jordan offers temporary, temp-to-hire, direct hire, executive search, payroll, and on-site staffing solutions, allowing employers to choose the workforce model that makes the most sense for their organization.
4. Stay Competitive With Compensation
Competitive compensation continues to play an important role in attracting qualified candidates.
Before entering 2027, employers should review salaries and hourly wages for key positions and determine whether their compensation remains competitive within their industry and geographic market.
Pay is not the only factor candidates consider. Benefits, workplace culture, career development opportunities, scheduling, flexibility, leadership, and the overall employee experience can all influence whether a candidate accepts an offer or stays with an organization.
Understanding what candidates value can help employers create stronger offers and improve employee retention.
5. Focus on Skills and Experience
Employers can potentially expand their candidate pool by evaluating which qualifications are truly necessary for success in a position.
Instead of relying exclusively on degrees, job titles, or a specific number of years of experience, skills-based hiring focuses on what a candidate can actually do.
Transferable skills, technical abilities, industry experience, certifications, problem-solving abilities, and demonstrated performance may identify strong candidates who could otherwise be overlooked.
Our recruiters work to understand the skills and experience required for each position so we can identify candidates who align with both the role and the organization.
6. Prepare for Hard-to-Fill Positions Before They Become Urgent
Some positions consistently take longer to fill than others. Waiting until these roles become vacant can leave employers scrambling to maintain productivity.
If your organization has positions that are historically difficult to recruit for, start the conversation early.
L.K. Jordan recruits across a broad range of industries and disciplines, including:
- Accounting and Finance
- Administrative and Office Support
- Engineering
- Healthcare
- Information Technology
- Legal
- Light Industrial and Skilled Trades
- Logistics and Warehouse
- Oil and Gas
- Professional and Executive-Level Positions
- Construction
- Technical Roles
Developing a recruiting strategy now can help create a stronger pool of candidates when hiring needs arise in 2027.
7. Make Retention Part of Your 2027 Strategy
Recruiting new employees is only part of building a successful workforce. Retaining strong employees is equally important.
As you plan for 2027, evaluate what is working within your organization and where improvements could be made. Communication, recognition, professional development, competitive compensation, strong leadership, and opportunities for advancement can all contribute to the employee experience.
A strong retention strategy can help businesses protect institutional knowledge, maintain productivity, reduce turnover-related costs, and build stronger teams.
Partner With L.K. Jordan for Your 2027 Hiring Needs
The workforce decisions businesses make today can have a significant impact on their ability to achieve their goals in 2027.
For more than 36 years, L.K. Jordan & Associates has helped employers connect with qualified talent and develop workforce solutions tailored to their needs. As a women-owned, family-owned staffing and recruiting firm, we combine extensive recruiting experience with personalized service and an understanding of the markets and industries we serve.
With offices in Austin, Corpus Christi, Houston, and San Antonio, L.K. Jordan provides staffing and recruiting solutions throughout Texas, along with professional direct hire recruiting capabilities nationwide.
Whether you need one employee, an entire team, temporary support, temp-to-hire talent, or an experienced professional for a critical direct hire position, our team is ready to help.
Don’t wait until January to start planning for 2027. Finish 2026 strong, build your talent pipeline now, and enter the new year with a workforce strategy designed to support your goals.
Contact L.K. Jordan & Associates today to learn how our staffing and recruiting experts can help your organization prepare for a successful 2027.