What is 'quiet hiring' and why is it trending in the workplace?

After quiet quitting, "quiet hiring" is the new workplace buzzword that employees and employers need to be aware of.

Quiet hiring is when an organisation leverages current employees' capabilities to acquire new skills without recruiting new full-time staff. It was ranked among the “top nine work trends for 2023” by technological research and consulting firm Gartner.

According to Emily Rose McRae, who leads the Future of Work research team in Gartner's human resources practice, quiet hiring allows employers to keep a steady headcount by focusing instead on nurturing and promoting in-house talent. This strategy can also give current employees the chance to upskill and experiment with new tasks.

“The reality for the next year is - whether or not we go into a recession - everyone’s a little nervous. In a lot of cases, organisations are not necessarily doing a hiring freeze, or layoffs, but maybe slowing down a little bit on their hiring,” McRae told CNBC.

Quiet hiring has actually been practiced for a very long time, it is nothing new. However, the current economic crisis and threats of recession may explain the emergence of this new workplace buzzword, Cary Cooper, an organisational psychology professor at The University of Manchester and a member of the Academy of Management, told Fortune.

As companies face financial hardship and resort to mass layoffs, many are turning to quiet hiring to fill skill gaps and save resources.

According to Gartner, this focus on mobilising internal talent to address organisational needs can be a win-win for both the company and the employees. If done correctly, it can fulfil employees’ career aspirations and boost their loyalty while keeping payroll costs under control.

However, the pitfalls of