“Quiet Hiring” Is 2023 New Buzzword, But Not A New Phenomenon

The first week of 2023 has already birthed a new workplace trend that may sound familiar. 

Quiet hiring, the distant cousin of quiet quitting, has emerged as the new hot trend that describes a phenomenon that, frankly, has always existed. 

Quiet hiring refers to companies who reskill or upskill their workforce to fill in vacant positions without bringing on new, full-time employees. However, this can come in various forms. 

For instance, some companies may turn to hiring contractors to get specific tasks completed, but most of the time, it means that current staff are temporarily moved to another position. This helps businesses find for alternative ways to fill in labor gaps without increasing costs.  

“The reality for the next year is — whether or not we go into a recession — everyone’s a little nervous,” said Emily Rose McRae, leader of Gartner’s future of work research team. “In a lot of cases, organizations are not necessarily doing a hiring freeze, or layoffs, but maybe slowing down a little bit on their hiring.”  

Quiet hiring in particular focuses on an immediate need to fill in a vacant role for crucial tasks.  

McRae uses the example of Australian airline Qantas asking its executives to fill in as baggage handlers during last year’s labor shortage.   

While beneficial for leaders to have a deeper understanding of business operations, those in lower-tier roles could feel slighted, as their jobs could come across as replaceable.