U.S. Workforce. AI Use. Job Offers. What's Up and Down This Week?

Every week has its ups and downs. Over the past few days, for example, we’ve been talking about how the threat of a workforce shortage for U.S. companies is on the rise—how does a need of 4.3 million workers sound?—while the number of options for job seekers getting offers is dwindling. Of course, the need to find and hire the Right People never ever goes down.

Welcome to the latest edition of ECLARO’s Five on Friday…

Up: Threat of Talent Shortage Among U.S. Businesses

The U.S. labor force, according to the Committee for Economic Development, is in danger of falling well below the numbers needed to support U.S. businesses over the long-term. Data shows that some 4.6 million workers will need to be added to the workforce by 2033, but with an aging population and the effects of the pandemic on the workforce still being felt, the challenge to find top talent is not getting easier.

“Finding top talent to help U.S. businesses not only meet their needs but actually scale, that’s an issue that’s going to have an impact on organizations of any size, across every industry,” says ECLARO Co-Founder Tom Sheridan. “Our ECAPTIVE clients are already seeing the power of outsourcing to the Philippines to not only address the talent shortage in certain areas, but to augment their onshore teams with world-class offshore talent while boosting the bottom line.”

Down: Number of Job Seekers Getting Multiple Job Offers

Just two years ago, 72% of job seekers in the first quarter of the year were reporting that they were receiving more than one job offer. Last year, that number dropped to 51%. But here in 2025, according to a Gartner poll, just 44% of job seekers are receiving multiple offers.

“The labor market has been showing some indication of softening somewhat,” says ECLARO Co-Founder Paul Sheridan, “and fewer multiple offers as well as more people sticking with that initial acceptance could very well be reflections of that softening.”

Up: Use of AI in the Workplace

AI. AI. If you feel as if you’re seeing those two letters pop up in practically every article, email and conversation you’re having, you’re not alone. AI is everywhere, and its usage is notably on the rise in the workplace.

“We still hear some people expressing a fear of embracing AI in their jobs, but regardless of your position, role or level of experience, AI will be a game-changer for you and your career,” Paul Sheridan says. “And don’t have the mentality that AI is here to replace your job. It’s another tool in your toolbox. The Gallup poll showed that only 15% of employees believed that it was very or even somewhat likely that automation, robots or AI would eliminate their job within the next five years. That number hasn’t changed in two years, which you could see as a sign that people are developing better understandings of how to incorporate AI in their everyday tasks.”

The percentage of U.S. employees who say they have frequently used AI in their role—meaning a few times or more every week—has jumped from 11% to 19% over the past two years, according to Gallup, while daily use has doubled over the past year, from 4% to 8%. White-collar workers reported the biggest increase—from 15% to 27% over the past year—while technology (50%), professional services (34%) and finance (32%) had the highest percentage of frequent AI users.

Down: Number of Job Seekers Backing Out After Accepting an Offer

In addition to reports that fewer job seekers are getting multiple job offers, fewer candidates are backing out after accepting job offers in the first quarter of the year, the Gallp poll found. Just over a third of candidates, 35%, said they backed out of an offer, while 48% of candidates claimed to have done so did so in 2024.

“Logic would seem to dictate that if fewer people are getting multiple offers, then there are fewer reasons to pull out of accepting that single offer. You didn’t have the option to go back to another employer and negotiate while knowing that you had a safe place to land,” says Tom Sheridan. “That said, we recommend to job seekers that once you commit to accepting a role, you honor that commitment—as long as there are no extenuating circumstances, of course.”

Up: The Power of the Right People

We said it up top here, we said it in the ECLARO hallways probably more times than you can count (and that’s only today). Say it with us: the Right People are the Answer.

You may be a job candidate who’s searching for the Right People to work with as you make a career more. You may be a business owner looking for the Right People to help take you to the next level. Every day, each of us recognizes just how important it is to find the Right People, and how having the right partner in that search can make all the difference.