Recruiting the right HR talent has always been important. But McKinsey’s latest HR Monitor 2025 report shines a harsh light on just how tough the landscape has become – and why businesses can’t afford to take chances when it comes to hiring the people who will shape their culture, workforce, and future.

The challenge with HR hiring today

The numbers don’t lie:

Across Europe, hiring success sits at just 46%.
18% of new hires leave during probation.
And only 56% of offers are accepted in the first place.

That means more than half of hiring efforts either stall before a candidate joins, or unravel within months. For HR roles, the impact is even bigger – because when the people responsible for your people strategy aren’t the right fit, the ripple effects are felt across the whole business.

Why recruitment goes wrong

There are three common pitfalls:

Narrow candidate pools – many businesses rely only on inbound applications. In today’s market, the best candidates are often not actively looking.
Poor alignment on expectations – unclear role definition or culture fit issues can lead to early exits.
Speed over strategy – rushing to fill the gap instead of hiring for long-term impact.

How an experienced recruitment consultant makes the difference

This is where using a specialist recruitment partner pays off. At Hunter Adams, we focus on HR roles day in, day out – from HR Advisors to Directors through to interim consultants. We know where to find the talent, and how to match it to the unique needs of each business.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Access to hidden talent – we actively headhunt beyond job boards to reach strong, experienced HR professionals who aren’t applying elsewhere.
Role clarity and fit – we work with you to sharpen the brief, ensuring candidates know exactly what success looks like and how they’ll contribute.
Better outcomes, faster – because we live and breathe HR recruitment, we cut down on wasted interviews and deliver candidates who stick.

The bigger picture

McKinsey’s report highlights another worrying finding: 36% of employees across Europe and the US are dissatisfied with their employer. With employee experience so fragile, businesses need HR leaders who can rebuild trust, drive engagement, and create a culture that retains talent.

That makes getting your HR hire right not just a nice-to-have, but mission critical.

In short

Recruiting HR roles isn’t like filling any other vacancy. It’s about finding the people who will look after your people. In a market where nearly 1 in 5 new hires don’t make it past probation, using an expert recruitment consultant isn’t a luxury – it’s a smart investment.

At Hunter Adams, we help businesses across the UK secure the HR talent they need to thrive. If you’re looking to hire your next HR leader – whether permanent or interim – we’d love to talk.

Get in touch with me at candice.thompson@hunteradams.co.uk