Recruitment Blog

The future of business development in recruitment: What comes next?

Melinda Jennings is JobAdder's Content Marketing Manager. With over 13 years of industry experience, she has a passion for creating compelling and informative content.

Recruitment business development is at a crossroads.

When surveyed for our Recruitment Benchmarking Report, 63% of agencies told us they plan to invest more in BD this year. But by the same token, only 5% were completely happy with their current strategy.

That’s not just a gap, that’s a huge opportunity to grow.

As markets shift, technology advances, and client expectations change, agencies must rethink how they approach that growth. The future of business development is going to look very different from what we’ve seen in the past.

Let’s look at the top trends shaping that future and how your agency can stay ahead.

1. Tech will empower, not replace, human connection

Digital tools have become central to recruitment, and business development is no exception. CRMs, ATS systems, automation tools, and AI are making outreach faster, easier, and more data-driven.

So it might be surprising to learn that when we asked recruiters what actually works for BD in our Recruitment Benchmarking Report, phone calls came out on top.

Overall, 41% said phone calls are the most effective BD tool; nearly double the effectiveness of LinkedIn (21%).

That doesn’t mean tech should be abandoned, though. It just means that the future isn’t either/or.

The agencies succeeding now (and into 2026) are the ones combining smart automation with authentic, human conversations. They’re working smarter while staying personal.

2. Gaps in BD strategies will separate leaders from those left behind

Our Recruitment Benchmarking Report found that while investment in BD is high, clarity is lacking. When asked how they form their BD strategies:

30% simply said “investment in business development.”
Far less cited structured efforts like tech adoption (23%), market expansion (23%), or service diversification (22%).

This signals a growing divide. Some agencies are building thoughtful, adaptive BD strategies. Others are spending without a clear plan.

If you want to stay in the lead, define your BD approach around:

Clear market positioning.
Specific growth channels.
Data-backed tactics (i.e. not just “do more BD”).

3. Candidate intelligence will become your competitive edge

Your candidates are more than just placements. They’re actually your most underused source of business development insight.

By asking the right questions during interviews, you can uncover:

Who’s hiring (and not doing so well).
Which companies candidates are drawn to (and avoiding).
Roles that are hot (and which are failing to land talent).

In a market where 51% of agencies track success by placements, this upstream intelligence can help you be first in the race to land a lead, or solve hiring issues your competitors don’t even see coming.