Exclusive Research
New research from Harri and HR.com on talent acquisition, decentralized hiring, and the gap between corporate intent and frontline reality.
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Free · Instant access · 2026 research
HR & operations leaders surveyed
Industries represented
Talent acquisition models analyzed
First-of-its-kind study on decentralized hiring
What the data revealed
45%
of hospitality organizations are hiring completely decentralized
— the highest rate of any industry surveyed
Nearly 3× the centralized rate within the same sector. Hiring managers are running the show, often without infrastructure, training, or dedicated support.
% fully decentralized hiring by industry
47%
of hospitality respondents name quality of hire as their #1 priority
— more than any other industry in the study
Yet the decentralized structure most operators rely on makes it the hardest metric to consistently deliver. The aspiration and the infrastructure are in direct conflict.
Hospitality
47%
Quality of hire = #1
All industries
30%
Quality of hire = #1
5×
more likely to be indifferent to their TA software
— frontline managers vs. corporate HR teams
They're using tools they didn't choose and weren't trained on. Technology doesn't fail at the point of purchase — it fails at the point of adoption.
Decentralized
Frontline managers
11.3%
Centralized
Corporate HR
6.7%
Indifferent to their TA software
The gap between what HR sees from headquarters and what managers experience on the floor is one of the most important findings in the research.
Free to download. Includes all 7 findings, data tables, and expert analysis from Harri and HR.com.
Instant access · 2026 research