Virginia Enacts Paid Family and Medical Leave Program to Apply to Most Private Employers
Virginia enacted a state‑administered paid family and medical leave (PFML) program that will cover most private employers. The Virginia Employment Commission must launch the insurance trust fund by January 1 2028, with payroll contributions starting April 1 2028 and benefits payable beginning December 1 2028. Eligible workers can receive up to 12 weeks of leave at 80 % of their average weekly wage, subject to a statutory maximum. Employers with more than 10 employees must share contributions, while smaller firms split costs 50/50 with employees.
Pension Scheme Bill to Receive Royal Assent
The Pension Schemes Bill cleared its final parliamentary hurdle on 29 April and is set to receive Royal Assent. The legislation introduces a Value‑For‑Money framework, mandates clearer default retirement options, and enables the creation of multi‑employer “megafunds”. It also consolidates local‑government...
Nominations Open for HR’s Rising Stars
HR Executive has opened nominations for its 2026 HR’s Rising Stars competition, inviting submissions until July 6. The contest now separates candidates by organization size—above or below 1,000 employees—and requires nominees to demonstrate impact with data. A streamlined online portal replaces...
Collective Agreement: FBM Canada GSD
The Labourers’ International Union of North America Local 1059 ratified a three‑year collective agreement for FBM Canada GSD, effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2029. The contract introduces a 90‑day probation period, expands paid holidays, and sets vacation tiers up to four weeks...
Understanding Candidate Fraud: Beyond the Hype
The piece reveals that exaggerated resumes and false credentials are commonplace, with recruiters regularly encountering misleading information. It argues that AI‑driven screening tools often amplify verification challenges rather than solve them. The article also critiques vendors who inflate candidate‑fraud statistics...
7 Stories About the State of DEI at the Federal Level
President Donald Trump’s second administration has intensified its anti‑DEI agenda, issuing executive orders that target diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across federal agencies and contractors. The Department of Justice, together with the EEOC, released two guidance memos in 2025 warning...
What's Up with AI and HR Tech Litigation?
Recent lawsuits are spotlighting the legal exposure of AI‑driven hiring platforms. In Mobley v. Workday, the plaintiff argues that Workday’s automated resume‑sorting tool acted as a Title VII agent, potentially making the vendor liable for age and race bias. Kistler v....
Matthew Friedson Joins Alliant Insurance Services’ Mid-Atlantic Benefits Team
Alliant Insurance Services has appointed Matthew Friedson as First Vice President of its Employee Benefits Group, based in Bethesda, Maryland. Friedson brings nearly two decades of experience in executive benefits, advanced life‑insurance planning, and business succession strategies to serve a...
Monument Valley Boss Says It Was ‘Too Romantic’ About Giving Staff ‘Long-Term Job Security’, Thinks Contractors Are the Future
Ustwo Games, the studio behind Monument Valley, is rethinking its staffing model as development budgets of $9‑13 million and 3‑4‑year cycles strain small studios. CEO María Sayans noted the team has shrunk from about 40 to under 30 full‑time staff, labeling...
Healthy Workers Are Ditching Company Insurance to Save $1,000 a Month
Rising health‑care premiums are prompting healthy, young workers to abandon employer‑sponsored insurance in favor of cheaper alternatives. A Buffalo nurse and her family saved $970 per month by joining a medical‑cost‑sharing cooperative and enrolling their children in a state child‑health...
Global Engineering Consultancy Scales Hiring Volume by 40% and Boosts Applications by 46% with ICIMS AI Talent Explorer and Automation
KEO International Consultants partnered with iCIMS to overhaul its recruiting stack, adding iCIMS ATS, career sites, offer management, onboarding, and AI Talent Explorer. The AI‑driven automation enabled the firm to handle a 40% year‑over‑year increase in hiring volume and a...
Canadian Review of Labor Laws Linked to Hoped-For Longshore Peace, US Diversification
The Canadian government, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, announced a formal review of its World War II‑era labor relations law, the first such effort in decades. The review aims to curb seaport disruptions after a 13‑day work stoppage in 2023...
Private Equity Investment Fuels Major Overhaul of Grant Thornton’s Associate Scheme
Grant Thornton has unveiled a brand‑new associate programme for its 2027 graduate cohort, funded by a private‑equity investment from Cinven. The overhaul introduces six pillars—reward, experience, exposure, quality, diversity and accelerated partnership—to attract and develop talent. Simultaneously, the firm aims...
Skills Gap Grows as Companies Push Ahead With AI and Automation
A new Skill Dynamics 2026 report finds more than 90% of organizations face at least one critical skills gap, with AI and automation topping the list. While 83% of leaders feel prepared for AI, the talent shortfall is already hurting...
Total Compensation Not Currently Helping Engagement Much, McLean Says
McLean & Co.’s latest employee‑engagement report finds overall engagement stable but highlights weak underlying drivers. Total compensation scores dropped to 52 percent, the lowest among engagement factors, and career‑advancement scored only 58.3 percent. Stress rose for 40 percent of workers, while collaboration remained stagnant at...
Interim C-Suite Leaders in High Demand as Companies Pursue Change Efforts
Executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles reports a surge in demand for interim C‑suite leaders, with overall requests up 151% since 2021 and human‑capital expertise requests jumping 129% in the last year. CFOs account for more than half of these engagements,...
7 Best HR Consulting Services To Consider In 2026
The article ranks the seven top HR consulting providers for 2026, highlighting G&A Partners, Insperity, Sequoia Advisory, DianaHR, Lever Talent, Recruiter.hr and Lumity. It draws on G2’s Winter 2026 Grid Report and AI‑assisted review analysis, noting that 67% of organizations worldwide...
Trisha Daho: What Firms Are Missing on Talent | MOVE Like This
Trisha Daho, a former Big Four partner now serving as a fractional chief people officer, joins Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk on the MOVE Like This podcast to dissect talent, leadership, and growth challenges in accounting firms. She argues many firms are...
Checkr Launches Profiles, Giving People a Verified Identity That Travels With Them
Checkr unveiled Checkr Profiles, a portable identity solution that lets individuals create and share verified credentials across marketplaces and hiring platforms. The service aims to counter rising AI‑generated resumes and synthetic‑identity fraud, which 60% of managers say threaten hiring integrity....
The Angel in the Marble
Leadership often mirrors Michelangelo’s carving process: the talent already exists, and the leader’s role is to free it. The article argues that many managers add tasks and restructure without a clear vision, obscuring employees’ innate strengths. By asking “what’s already...
America's Auto CEOs Saw Record Pay In 2025. These Were The Top Earners
American automakers’ CEOs recorded unprecedented compensation in 2025, highlighted by Elon Musk’s estimated $8.8 billion stock‑based package at Tesla. Rivian’s RJ Scaringe followed with $402.6 million, while GM’s Mary Barra, Ford’s Jim Farley and Stellantis’s Antonio Filosa earned $29.9 million, $27.5 million and $6.3 million respectively. Despite...
How Disintermediation Is Being Managed in Rx Models
Employers are moving away from traditional, single‑vendor pharmacy benefit managers, with transparent PBM adoption climbing to 31% in 2025 from 12% in 2024. This disintermediation creates multi‑vendor configurations that split claims, rebates, specialty management, and clinical navigation across separate partners....
Rad AI Appoints Chief Operating Officer and First Chief Clinical Officer, Strengthening Operational and Clinical Strategy
Rad AI announced the promotion of David Leonard to chief operating officer and the appointment of Dr. Elizabeth Bergey as its first chief clinical officer. Leonard, formerly head of operations, strategy and investor relations, will oversee global operations and drive...
Supermarkets Face Critical Equal Pay Questions This Week
Tesco and Morrisons are heading to employment tribunals this week over longstanding equal‑pay claims that allege women store staff are paid less than male warehouse colleagues. The hearings will force each retailer to present a “material factor defence” explaining any...
Premier Guarantees Taiwan's Minimum Wage to Exceed NT$30,000 Next Year
Taiwan's Premier Cho Jung‑tai pledged that the monthly minimum wage will rise above NT$30,000 (about US$950) next year, continuing a decade‑long streak of wage hikes. The current minimum stands at NT$29,500 per month and NT$196 per hour, set by the...
On the Move: Penn State Health Names Royer PR Chief
Penn State Health announced the appointment of Dara Royer as senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer, effective June 29. Royer arrives from Syracuse University after senior roles at Mercy Corps and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. At the...
Authenticity at Work – From Buzzword to Behaviour
Authenticity has become a buzzword that many companies display on walls but rarely live out. Claire Brumby argues that HR is uniquely positioned to turn the concept into daily behavior by building psychological safety and reshaping performance systems. She stresses...
Subscription Model: How AI Is Reshaping Corporate Education
AI is reshaping corporate education by replacing fixed programs with subscription‑based ecosystems that deliver continuous, modular learning. AI‑powered platforms map skills to business outcomes, adapt learning pathways, and orchestrate micro‑credentials, raising learning efficiency by roughly 57 %. Private cohort networks add...
European Studios Increased Freelance Spending 63% in 2025 as Hiring Shifts Toward Contract Work
European game studios boosted freelance spending by 63% in 2025, outpacing the 55% global rise. Contractor headcount grew 24% in Europe and 21% worldwide, while one‑to‑three‑month contracts rose 33‑44%, reflecting a shift to modular production. Average monthly freelance earnings climbed...
AI Is Reshaping Entry-Level Hiring. Where Will New Grads Go?
Entry‑level hiring is being reshaped by AI, prompting many firms to cut junior roles. LinkedIn’s 2026 Grad Guide identifies AI engineer, marketing coordinator, recruitment assistant, legal specialist and HR operations specialist as the fastest‑growing positions for new graduates. The report...
AI Is Reshaping Entry-Level Hiring. Where Will New Grads Go?
AI-driven automation is eliminating a sizable share of entry‑level positions, prompting a sharp decline in traditional graduate hiring pipelines. Surveys indicate that about 30 percent of routine tasks can now be performed by AI, forcing employers to prioritize candidates with data‑analysis,...
Elon’s New Pay Packet
Elon Musk’s newest compensation plan at SpaceX ties a massive equity award to a Mars colonization milestone. If SpaceX reaches a $7.5 trillion market cap and establishes a one‑million‑person colony on Mars, Musk would receive 200 million super‑voting shares valued at roughly...
Who Controls Your Employer Brand in the Age of AI Search?
Organizations continue pouring money into dedicated employer‑brand sites and polished job descriptions, yet candidates increasingly encounter company information through AI‑driven search tools rather than traditional career pages. A new "2026 State of AI Search" report shows that generative assistants are...
Who Controls Your Employer Brand in the Age of AI Search?
Employers are losing control of their employer brand as AI assistants replace Google as the first point of candidate research. An AirOps study shows only 15% of AI‑driven brand mentions come from owned content, while 85% originate from external sites....
UK Recruitment Systems Are “Driving Talent Away,” New Data Shows
New Omni RMS data shows almost half of UK job seekers find application processes difficult, with 49% deterred by lengthy forms and 46% frustrated by poor communication. The study links these pain points to talent loss, noting 49% of candidates...
EU Pay Transparency Directive: The Countdown Is On
The EU Pay Transparency Directive, aimed at closing the gender pay gap, takes effect on June 7, obligating companies operating in the EU to disclose salary ranges, pay‑progression criteria, and to respond to employee requests for gender‑based pay comparisons. Multinationals must...
What Gen Z Really Wants: Rethinking Commitment
Generation Z, born 1995‑2006, is reshaping workplace expectations by demanding purpose, flexibility, and well‑being alongside financial security. Deloitte’s 2025 survey shows meaningful work now ranks with pay as a top career driver. As true digital natives, they bring AI‑savvy skills...
Recruitics Launches AdaptiveApply™ Featuring ID.me to Bring Verified Identity to the Top of the Hiring Funnel
Recruitics unveiled AdaptiveApply™, an AI‑powered candidate experience platform that integrates ID.me’s digital identity verification directly into the job application flow. By embedding verification at the top of the hiring funnel, the solution aims to cut fraudulent, bot‑generated and synthetic applications...
Nine Out of 10 Companies Missed Hiring Goals in 2025. Here’s What Went Wrong
New research reveals that nine out of ten companies missed their 2025 hiring goals, with one‑third falling short by a wide margin. The shortfall was not due to a lack of candidates but stemmed from internal operational failures. Issues such...
TGIF: Friday Is the New Litmus Test for Hybrid Work
Envoy's new report, based on four years of anonymized workplace data, shows Friday in‑office attendance has fallen to a national average of about 10%, far below the Tuesday‑Thursday core days. Attendance varies by industry, size and geography—retail/CPG and tech dip...
Companies that Invest in Women Outperform Competition
New research from the Milken Institute’s Employer Action Exchange shows that companies offering integrated benefits, policies, and supportive cultures for women see markedly higher growth. The study, covering 11 years of data, links such programs to a 12‑percentage‑point outperformance versus...
72% of Workers Say Their Company Is Thriving – But Nearly Half Say Work Was Better in the Past
Workhuman’s new Humans at Work Barometer surveyed over 6,000 employees in 10 countries and found a paradox: 72% of workers view their companies as thriving, yet 48% say work was better in the past and 41% feel their contributions go...
Kuala Lumpur Led Formal Sector Wages in Dec 2025, Exceeding National Median of RM3,167
Malaysia's formal sector saw median monthly wages rise 4% year‑on‑year to RM3,167 (≈ $697) in December 2025, while total formal employment expanded 3.6% to 7.08 million workers. Male workers earned slightly more than females (RM3,167 vs. RM3,120). Kuala Lumpur posted the highest state...
Treasury Accelerate: The Confidence-Boosting Initiative for Future Treasury Talent
Treasury Accelerate, a joint initiative by J.P. Morgan Payments and Treasury Today Group, creates a curated community for early‑career treasury professionals. The program delivers panel sessions, workshops on TMS, digital currencies, and automation, and mentorship from seasoned treasurers. Octopus Energy’s...
How NFU Mutual Introduced an Impactful Electric Vehicle Benefits Scheme
Insurance provider NFU Mutual introduced an electric‑vehicle salary‑sacrifice scheme in partnership with Tusker, extending its benefits portfolio beyond traditional company cars. The program leverages tax and National Insurance savings to lower employee costs, delivering roughly £80,845 (about $102,000) in savings...
The 3% Club | Why HR Leaders Almost Never Make It to CEO
A new Future CEO report finds that just 3% of current CEOs rose from HR roles, matching technology as the lowest‑represented function. By contrast, operations (35%), commercial and sales (32%), and finance (19%) dominate the pipeline. The study also shows...
Facilities Hiring Is Broken. Here Is How Leaders Can Fix It
Facilities leaders are grappling with a deepening skilled‑trades shortage as buildings become more complex. Traditional hiring cycles, often spanning weeks, let top candidates accept other offers, while vague job ads fail to attract talent. The article urges faster, clearer recruitment,...
Employee Feedback: 7 Opportunities to Ask for Information
The article outlines seven routine manager activities that can double as channels for gathering employee feedback, from onboarding and department meetings to performance reviews and offboarding. By embedding a single, targeted question into these existing touchpoints, managers can capture actionable...
Dex Lands $5.3M to Grow Its AI-Driven Talent Matching Platform
London‑based Dex, an AI‑driven recruitment platform for software engineers, closed a $5.3 million seed round led by Notion Capital with participation from Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun programme and other investors. The funding brings Dex’s total capital to $8.4 million and will be used...
South Africa's Changing Compliance Landscape Calls for Smarter HR Dashboards
South Africa’s evolving compliance regime is forcing organisations to replace static HR reports with dynamic, insight‑driven dashboards. New mandates under the Companies Amendment Act, King V and PoPIA require real‑time visibility into remuneration, pay‑gap metrics and data‑privacy controls. By embedding legislative...