So-called boomerang employees, who leave a company and later return to their previous workplace, are again in the spotlight in the U.S. job market. As the hiring market cools, companies are also looking to former employees whose performance and ability to adapt to the organisation have already been proven.

Business Insider reported on Sept. 8 that global HR and payroll platform Deel saw its number of rehiring cases more than double between 2024 and 2026. In a tally by employment data firm Revelio Labs, boomerang employees' share of new hires in the United States rose to 3.4 percent at end-2025 from 3.1 percent at end-2023.

The biggest advantage of returning to a former workplace is speed of adjustment. Because they know the work and organisational culture and already have internal networks, they may be more likely to deliver results faster than newly hired employees. Deel, where more than 7,000 people work fully remotely, received 1.3 million applications last year and expects that number to reach 2 million this year, but still views employees who performed well and left on good terms as attractive candidates.

Not everyone has an open door to return. Alex Bouaziz (알렉스 부아지즈), Deel's chief executive officer, explained that employees who left within a few months or moved straight to a rival may find it difficult to be rehired, and that the company rehired mainly top performers. It also means employees fired for poor performance are unlikely to return.

Fred Voccola (프레드 보콜라), chairman and CEO of AI-based work software company Simpro Group, also said he did not prefer people who repeatedly change jobs frequently, but could rehire employees who left while maintaining a good relationship. He said returning after gaining new skills and experience at another company could help the company over the long term.

Ahmed Mousa (아흐메드 무사), who worked at Deel for about 5 years, moved to a startup that offered higher pay and returned about 4 months later. About 48 hours after telling the CEO he wanted to come back, he discussed terms with a recruiter. Companies can secure proven talent again, while employees can return to an organisation that already knows them in a difficult job market, underpinning the spread of boomerang hiring.