DEI

Afua Atta-Mensah

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed in January social justice leader and former public defender Afua Atta-Mensah as the city’s chief equity officer and racial justice commissioner.

New York City’s government has 72 agencies and over 360,000 employees, making its workforce larger than many city populations. (Orlando is home to almost 334,000 residents; Pittsburgh has about 307,000). Atta-Mensah has just five employees on her team, but is responsible for all equity efforts

Atta-Mensah recently sat down with HR Brew to discuss her role, Mayor Mamdani’s commitment to DEI, and how New York City’s plans for workforce equity could serve as a catalyst for other municipalities.

For more on NYC’s efforts to bolster diversity and equity in its workforce, keep reading here.—KP

      

Sponsored By Workday

Between rising turnover, recruiting bottlenecks, and stalled internal mobility, TA teams have their work cut out for them.

This infographic from Workday HiredScore AI reveals data that validates these hurdles: 69% of organizations struggle to fill full-time roles due to talent shortages and competition, while HR staff spends up to 57% of their time on administrative tasks.

Fortunately, HiredScore AI helps teams adapt with a little something called AI-powered talent orchestration. This approach connects systems, data, and stakeholders end-to-end so decisions can be made faster, with more clarity.

So far, AI-powered talent orchestration has helped companies increase recruiter capacity by 54%+ and cut hiring manager review time by 35%.

Learn more in the infographic.

tech

AI is helping talent acquisition (TA) move from a fulfillment function into a strategic talent engine, focusing more on the health and future of the talent pool and directly impacting business goals, according to new research from the Josh Bersin Company and talent acquisition firm AMS.

A new report, Navigating the Talent Acquisition Revolution, released last week, found that leading employers are rethinking what to expect of TA teams in an AI-enabled future. Those with integrated AI systems and strong governance are beginning to ask recruiters to provide insights into improving talent density inside orgs.

The AI-enabled recruiter is more concerned about the candidate experience, if the experience and outcomes are meeting the business’s standards, what interventions are needed to address issues or improve the system, and if the underlying technology is delivering on the expected outcomes. Recruiters safeguard the AI system to make sure the AI is delivering “every single step of the way.”

For more on how AI is helping evolve talent acquisition work, keep reading here.—AD

      

Sponsored By Software Advice

Let the guide guide you. What are transparent pricing, responsive customer support, and easy-to-use interfaces? Three reasons why Software Advice put together their 2026 Payroll Software Comparison Guide. They know what you’re looking for, and they want to help you decide which tool best fits your needs: BambooHR, Paycor, or Rippling. Get the free guide.

tech

Auris/Getty Images

Though peak AI hype may have cooled, financial services leaders still expect the technology to reshape their workforce, according to a survey by PwC. Around eight in 10 respondents predicted their organizations’ headcount would get at least 20% smaller in the next five years due to AI. At the same time, they placed a high value on AI acumen: 86% said that for many new hires, AI training is “more valuable than an MBA.”

PwC’s 2026 Financial Services Workforce AI Survey, conducted in May, polled 1,004 employees at director level or higher at financial services firms bringing in at least $500 million in revenue. Respondents were equally distributed across industry sectors, including asset and wealth management, banking and capital markets, insurance, and private equity.

The survey painted a picture of a smaller financial services workforce where AI skills are prized.

For more on how AI is reshaping the workforce, keep reading on CFO Brew.—CV

      

Sponsored By Paraform

Are you prepared for hiring surges? Paraform gives your team extra recruiting capacity exactly when you need it. Specialized recruiters and custom agents work alongside your team to deliver vetted, qualified candidates and support every step of the hiring process. Learn more.

work perks

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Some 49% of workers have recently changed jobs or plan to within the next six months, citing higher pay, remote work, and job flexibility as the top reasons for hitting the job market. (FlexJobs)

Quote: “The handwriting was on the wall, so it wasn’t a shock…But it was sad for the more than 200 employees who would be out of work, and it was devastating to the town.”—Rick Veinotte, a long-time employee of a paper mill in a rural central Maine town which has struggled following the mill’s closure a decade ago (the New York Times)

Read: PTO in August? In this economy? Accenture has allowed staffers to roll over their unused vacation into the next fiscal year, which starts September 1, as it aims to land more sales through the end of this month. (Bloomberg)

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

events

Morning Brew Inc.

Lisa Woods, VP of Physical and Emotional Wellbeing at Walmart, knows what it takes to balance cost and care at serious scale. She’ll join The Total Rewards Equation on Sept. 17 in New York. Register now.

People Person Podcast

On this episode of People Person, host and Morning Brew Inc. SVP and Head of People Operations Kate Noel speaks with Sara Kelly, EVP and chief partner officer at Starbucks. Sara shares her unique journey to leading people ops at Starbucks, the principals that have guided her career, and the programs around education, parental leave, and retention that have kept Starbucks employees growing within the company.

Jobs

More focus, less fluff. CollabWORK filters out the noise and delivers jobs that actually match what HR Brew readers are looking for. Click here to see the full board of curated roles.