CSP Engagement Report July '26

Good afternoon,

Just like that, we have reached the halfway point of 2026.

The midpoint of the year always presents a valuable opportunity to pause long enough to reflect on where we have been, evaluate where we are, and refocus on where we are going.

Through the first six months of the year, the employment market has remained active but measured. Organizations are continuing to invest in talent, although decisions are being made with greater intention, increased diligence, and a sharper focus on long-term impact.

Candidates, meanwhile, remain thoughtful about their next move and increasingly focused on finding the right opportunity, not simply the next one. We also recognize that many talented professionals have found themselves in unexpected transitions, and that securing their next role is taking longer and proving more difficult than they anticipated. To those navigating that uncertainty: remain persistent, continue leaning on your network, and trust that the right opportunity will come, even if the path takes longer than expected.

As we enter the second half of 2026, the organizations best positioned for success will be those that can balance patience with urgency, remain adaptable, and act decisively when the right talent becomes available.

As we move through the remainder of summer, I hope you find time to balance the grind of work with some well-earned time away; to recharge, reset, and prepare for the opportunities ahead.

And before we know it, we will arrive at my favorite day on the professional calendar: the Tuesday after Labor Day. There is something about that day that signals it is time to get back to business, refocus, and finish the year strong!!

Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer!

— JB

Always happy to connect, feel free to jump on my calendar at any time.

Quotes & The Stories Behind Them

"You have to saddle your own horse, and ride." -- Ned Walton

I will try not to get too sentimental about this quote or, more importantly, the person behind it.

Ned Walton has been one of the most influential people in my life. Period.

So, when I invited him to be the guest speaker at our 2026 Kickoff Meeting in January, he did not disappoint. I had never heard this quote from him before, but it immediately made the board, and it is one I have reflected on often throughout the year.

“You have to saddle your own horse, and ride.”

There are really two lessons in this quote.

The first is responsibility.

Before you can go anywhere, you have to saddle your own horse. You have to prepare yourself for what lies ahead. You have to learn the skills, do the work, make the decisions, and accept the consequences. Other people may offer advice, encouragement, or opportunity, but at some point, you have to own it.

It is easy to wait for someone else to saddle the horse for us. We wait for a boss to recognize our potential, a mentor to show us the way, a partner to give us confidence, or circumstances to become more favorable. We tell ourselves we are ready, but then wait for someone else to get us moving.

This quote rejects that way of thinking.

The second lesson may be even more important: you still have to ride.

Preparation can become its own hiding place. We can spend years planning, researching, talking, and waiting until we feel completely ready. Saddling the horse feels productive, but it is not the journey. Eventually, you have to put your foot in the stirrup, pull yourself up, and move forward.

Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is certain. And no one else can take the ride for you.

When you think about everything life throws at us…personally, professionally, emotionally, and mentally, the message is simple: take responsibility for where you are, prepare yourself for where you want to go, and then go.

Own it and ride.

Cheers, Nedley!

The Work.

The first half of 2026 was not defined by a lack of opportunity, nor was it a period of broad-based hiring momentum. It was a measured and uneven market.

The unemployment rate remained relatively stable, closing June at 4.2%, while employers added just 57,000 jobs during the month. April and May employment gains were also revised downward by a combined 74,000 jobs, reinforcing that the pace of hiring was more modest than initially reported. Meanwhile, average hourly earnings increased 3.5% year over year, suggesting that organizations remained willing to invest in talent even as they became more disciplined about when and where they hired.

The disconnect between available positions and completed hires was also notable. Employers reported approximately 7.6 million open positions in May, compared with only 5.2 million hires. The opportunity was there, but positions were not necessarily being filled quickly. That gap reflects what we continued to hear from employers: more stakeholders involved in the process, additional rounds of interviews, greater scrutiny surrounding each hire, and a stronger emphasis on finding the right long-term fit.

For candidates, the numbers reveal a more challenging side of the market. Approximately 7.1 million Americans were unemployed in June, including 1.9 million who had been out of work for 27 weeks or longer. Long-term unemployment increased by 286,000 people over the prior year and accounted for more than 27% of all unemployed individuals. Those figures help explain why many talented professionals, particularly those who found themselves in an unexpected transition, experienced a search that lasted longer and proved more difficult than anticipated.

At the same time, employees with choices remained cautious. Voluntary quits held at approximately 3.1 million, suggesting that fewer people were willing to leave a stable position without considerable confidence in what came next.

Taken together, the numbers support what we experienced throughout the first half of the year: organizations continued to hire, but with greater intention, longer decision-making processes, and less tolerance for a perceived mismatch. Candidates were equally thoughtful about their next move, while those actively searching often needed greater persistence and patience. It was an active market—but unquestionably a measured one.

Another area of continued growth has been the fractional services space. Through Chesapeake HR Solutions™, we have seen organizations increasingly turn to fractional HR support for experienced leadership and expertise. We are also seeing this trend extend beyond HR. While CSP does not directly provide fractional services in areas such as Accounting & Finance or Business Development, several of our strategic partners operating in those spaces have experienced similar growth. Organizations are becoming more creative and flexible in how they access senior-level talent, using fractional leaders to address immediate needs, guide critical initiatives, and build the foundation for future growth.

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Featured Searches

The following engagements represent trusted partnerships with clients who have asked us to align closely with their leadership teams on critical hires. These searches reflect strategic commitments where we are deeply embedded and fully accountable for delivering a successful experience for all parties.