AI had a huge impact on recruitment in 2024, and it’ll likely continue to disrupt hiring in big ways this year.

The staffing industry, which supplies temporary workers to employers, is expected to feel this acutely, a new report from research and advisory firm Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) hypothesizes. Advancements in the technology could lead to new use cases—and even the emergence—of AI agents in recruitment, but they could potentially create an increasingly tricky legal landscape as well.

While SIA’s research is tailored to temporary staffing firms, employers and their in-house recruiters may find it relevant to their own day-to-day work, as AI continues to impact the recruitment industry broadly.

New use cases. One trend highlighted by SIA’s research is the emergence of new AI use cases, including automated candidate sourcing, candidate chatbots, and improved match-making capabilities.

Keep reading here.—PM

If the books on your current reading list aren’t giving you the drama you need, this month’s jobs report might come in handy. The report, released Friday, caused a stir as job gains fell below expectations and a revision complicated matters. Luckily, we’re here to help you read between the lines. Let’s take a closer look.

Diving into the data. Employers added just 143,000 jobs in January, falling short of economists’ expectations. The slowdown was not too surprising, Rajesh Namboothiry, SVP at Manpower US, told HR Brew, as employers posted fewer job openings in December, foretelling a pull back on hiring plans. But the slower job gains aren’t necessarily a reason to panic, especially as other metrics show some signs of a stabilizing labor market.

About that revision… Each February, the BLS posts revisions to its job gains data from the past year, and updates how labor force data is weighted based on new population estimates from the Census Bureau. The changes can make the January jobs report somewhat confusing to parse. This year, in particular, updated methodology from the Census Bureau, intended to better capture population growth from immigration, could cause certain metrics in the January report to look bigger, while revised job growth could look much smaller.

Zoom out. While the big-picture data shows some strength, how recruiters will approach hiring in the months ahead will vary widely depending on the sector.

Keep reading here.—PM

A new year often brings with it personal and professional changes. The latter is true for several HR leaders, who are joining new companies or earning promotions.

Estée Lauder. The cosmetics giant named Michael Bowes as its first CPO, effective Apr. 1, replacing Michael O’Hare, who served as CHRO for 13 years. The news was announced around the same time the company revealed restructuring-related layoffs affecting up to 7,000 employees, the Wall Street Journal reported. Bowes joined Estée Lauder in 2015 and initially managed global talent acquisition after decades of experience at high-end brands, including Coach, Cole Haan, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Hachette Book Group. Carrie Bloxson was promoted in December to CHRO at the Hachette Book Group, where she is responsible for recruitment and retention, company culture, and training. She joined the company in 2021 as chief diversity officer, winning multiple awards for her DE&I efforts. Bloxson previously worked in marketing at non-profit groups and other publishers.

Keep reading here.—KP

Get ready to hire the future and retain the best! Join us on Feb. 20 for HR Brew’s event, where we’re unlocking the secrets to recruitment, retention, and all things HR. From techie tactics to mentorship magic, we’ve got the tricks to keep your talent game strong.