The HR Research Institute (HRRI) has launched the 2026 State of Frontline and Volume Hiring Advisory Board, a panel of recruitment and talent experts that will guide an upcoming research study and virtual event. The board's formation addresses the growing need for strategic insights as organizations grapple with hiring large numbers of frontline workers in sectors like retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and customer service. This initiative is particularly significant as businesses across these industries face persistent challenges in attracting and retaining essential workers, creating operational vulnerabilities and impacting service quality.
The advisory board will focus on several key areas to shape the research and the free online event scheduled for March 19, 2026. These include evaluating the effectiveness of large-scale recruitment strategies, addressing current challenges in frontline hiring, and leveraging technology, automation, and AI to boost hiring efficiency. The panel will also explore ways to enhance frontline employee engagement and retention, identify metrics for measuring high-volume hiring success, and plan for the future evolution of volume recruitment. The integration of advanced technologies like AI represents a potential paradigm shift, offering tools to streamline application processes, match candidates more effectively, and predict retention risks, which could fundamentally alter how organizations approach mass hiring.
"We’re excited to bring together leading experts to address these unique hiring challenges," said Debbie McGrath, CEO of HR.com. "Their insights will equip HR professionals with strategies to meet today’s urgent workforce needs and plan for the talent demands of the future." The board includes thought leaders such as Clair Bush of AMP Strategies, Daniel Goyeneche of Affiliated Monitoring, Orlando Haynes of The Mosaic Company, Martin Mathe of Narau, and Rhonda Merchant of Invited. The diverse expertise of these members, spanning strategy, technology, and specific industries, ensures the research will consider multiple facets of the frontline hiring ecosystem, from initial attraction to long-term career development.
This initiative builds on the HR Research Institute's ongoing work, including its previous report, HR.com's State of Seasonal, Hourly and Volume Hiring 2025. The institute, which serves over 2 million HR professionals, publishes hundreds of reports across various HR topics. The upcoming virtual event will offer free access to expert sessions, providing strategies and solutions for professionals managing large workforces. The research findings aim to help organizations make more informed strategic decisions in a competitive labor market where frontline roles are often difficult to fill and retain. The implications are far-reaching, as effective volume hiring strategies directly influence organizational resilience, customer satisfaction, and the ability to scale operations in response to market demands. By providing evidence-based frameworks and shared best practices, this project could help standardize and elevate hiring practices industry-wide, potentially reducing turnover costs and improving the quality of the candidate experience. For more information on the institute's broader work, professionals can visit https://www.hr.com/en/research-institute/.
