RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Francis Scialabba

Maybe the labor market isn’t in crisis after all. Employers reported robust job growth in October, while unemployment edged down and labor force participation increased again, the newest jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday. To put a cherry on top, job gains for the prior two months were much rosier than originally reported. Whether that growth is sustainable, however, is another question, experts caution.

Diving into the data. Employers added 165,000 jobs in October, nearly triple the 59,000 gains forecast by economists. The unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.1%, while the labor force participation rate rose again to 61.9%.

Along with the extra 321,000 workers quitting their jobs in August, as reported in the JOLTS data earlier this week, Friday’s jobs growth signals that workers are more confident about the job market, Nicole Bachaud, a labor economist at ZipRecruiter, told HR Brew. How long this job growth will sustain remains to be seen, however. The Federal Reserve is expected to hike interest rates next month, Bachaud noted, and employers could have prioritized hiring in earlier months, before rate increases spike operations costs for businesses again.

Zoom out. As they prepare for the months and year ahead, HR and TA teams should ensure they have a proactive talent strategy, Bachaud said.

For more on how HR should approach talent strategy in light of the latest jobs data, keep reading here.—PM

      

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TECH

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In the future that Arsham Ghahramani predicts, job seekers applying to large-scale enterprise companies might never speak to a recruiter…or any human for that matter. That’s because Ghahramani is designing agentic recruiting solutions that could help solve for a number of pain points in the hiring process.

Ghahramani founded and runs the AI interviewing software platform Ribbon. This month Dayforce closed on a deal to acquire the recruiting startup and add its signature conversational AI voice and video interviews to the Dayforce suite, Ghahramani confirmed with HR Brew.

Ribbon’s AI interviewer conducts two-way conversations with candidates any time, any place. HR Brew previously reported the tech is especially focused on high-turnover industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, food service, and retail, and allows candidates to showcase their skills and experiences with the recruitment team during hours that fit into their life and schedule. Applicants don’t need to find time between 9am and 5pm to be considered.

“If you give the option for people to interview at any time of day, they’ll take it up, and you can get them a job faster,” Ghahramani told HR Brew last week as the ink was still wet on the deal. “It just so turns out that on the company side—the employer side—they also hire people more efficiently.”

For more on the deal against the backdrop of the HR tech landscape, keep reading here.—AD

      

COMPLIANCE

Morning Brew

Spain just became the first European country to enshrine menopause protections in the workplace, Euro News reported.

Where in the world? As of December 1, women in Spain who are diagnosed with a secondary menopause disorder that limits their ability to work will have the right to tailored medical leave, as long as they can provide their employer with a doctor’s order that deems the condition “impairing” (i.e. severe hot flashes that can prevent work from being completed).

Satellite view. Rhode Island became the first state in the US to guarantee menopause protections in 2025, when it mandated that employers must provide reasonable accommodations to people experiencing menopause symptoms. Since then, Illinois, Washington, and California have enshrined similar rules, and more than half of states have introduced menopause-specific protections.

However, not everyone believes that early menopause legislation rules are practical.

For more on menopause workplace protections around the world, keep reading here.—KP

      

Sponsored By Betterment

State by state. Many states now require private employers without retirement plans to either enroll workers in state programs or offer their own. This guide from Betterment breaks down retirement plan mandates state by state. Deadlines vary and penalties change often—here’s what you need to know.

Disclaimer: Paid non-client. Views may not be representative. See G2 reviews. Learn more.

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Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Nearly one-fifth (19%) of US employers say fake or fraudulent job applicants are a top challenge when recruiting employees online. (iHire)

Quote: “Would it [be] better for employee morale to first hear from mgmt about future employee benefit changes and layoffs, instead of hearing about these from the media?”—a Disney employee during a company town hall, questioning leadership about upcoming cost-cutting measures (Business Insider)

Read: Government, transportation, and union workers in France are among those protesting low wages and high prices. (CBS News)

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