The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented hiring freezes, job losses, or furloughs in 2020. While the outlook on hiring remains somewhat unsteady, there are reasons for optimism, according to Paul McDonald, the senior executive director at staffing firm Robert Half.

In this episode, McDonald discusses the roles and certifications that are in demand, how remote work’s rapid rise has affected organizations’ approach to recruiting and hiring, and why the broad unemployment rate is not one that McDonald pays attention to the most. McDonald is the guest on the Journal of Accountancy podcast for the first of a two-part conversation. The second part, focusing on company culture and retention concerns, will be posted in early 2021.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• The types of jobs that continue to be in high demand in the United States.
• How organizations are rethinking geographic obstacles to hiring.
• Why McDonald says that a preliminary discussion about salary is not a negotiation.
• The specific unemployment statistic that McDonald tracks.
• The ways organizations are adapting their pursuit of talent.