Survey: Only 9% of retail workers 'always' find suitable job match
Frontline hiring is urgent – but roadblocks remain for both applicants and companies.
Almost two-thirds (62%) of frontline hiring managers say quality of candidates is their biggest challenge, ahead of turnover (30%), no-shows (27%) and not enough applicants (24%), according to the iCIMS 2025 State of Frontline Hiring Report. One-third of frontline hiring managers report candidate drop-off at the interview (32%), followed by scheduling (20%), onboarding (18%) and application (14%).
On the worker side, 60% said they have started but not finished an application, citing that forms are too lengthy or time-consuming (50%), uncertainty about qualifications (35%) and lack of pay transparency (31%). Almost seven-in-10 (69%) frontline workers say employers always or sometimes ignore what candidates want in the hiring experience. Only 17% of frontline workers say they “always” come across jobs that meet their needs.
In retail specifically, only 9% of workers say they always find a suitable job match, the lowest across industries. Despite high urgency from retail hiring managers (90%) and low no-show (12%), iCIMS found that poor communication drives 22% of candidate drop-off, and more than half (51%) want the job's pay posted.
The hospitality sector struggles in a different way, with 68% of candidates abandoning applications and 26% skipping interviews. Hospitality hiring managers say the biggest issue is applicant quality (57%), but candidates want responsiveness (42%) and supportive teams (44%).
“Frontline teams are the face of the customer experience, but too often they are stalled by outdated hiring processes,” said Trent Cotton, head of talent acquisition insights at iCIMS. “This costs organizations critical talent at a time when speed and AI-powered technology are essential. Our report challenges talent leaders to rethink frontline hiring with urgency and strategy so they can fill critical roles faster and keep business moving.”
[READ MORE: Indeed: Retail job postings down 9% year over year]
Additional insights from the survey include the following:
- With highest urgency to hire (96%), healthcare still loses candidates most at the interview stage (33%). The survey also shows 52% of healthcare workers have abandoned applications and 70% say pay is their top priority.
- Manufacturing hiring managers’ sharpest challenge is candidate quality (75%), but drop-off peaks late at interviews (27%) and onboarding (24%). Candidates prioritize pay (69%), benefits (45%), reliable hours (34%) and advancement (27%).
iCIMS surveyed 1,000 U.S. hourly frontline workers and 1,000 frontline hiring managers across healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing and retail for its report.
