Week in review: Where ADA and PTO meet

We’re rounding up last week’s stories and news, including EEOC suing over conciliatory agreements and the problematic pace of AI integration.

By Kathryn Moody • Oct. 23, 2026

CIOs unprepared for agentic workforce shift

Just 4% of tech leaders have plans in place to retool roles for an agentic-human workforce, a Gartner survey found.

By Roberto Torres • Oct. 23, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Top trends in talent acquisition

AI is rapidly reshaping talent acquisition, workplace experts say.

By HR Dive staff

Job seekers say they’re still being ghosted — even as they’re trying harder to get noticed

Nearly one-third of applicants said they were rejected without ever being contacted by either a human or an artificial intelligence agent, per a new report.

By Lara Ewen • Oct. 23, 2026

Some hiring managers may be waiting until after the election to recruit

Decision-makers identified changes in government policies as one of the biggest hiring challenges for 2026.

By Kathryn Moody • Oct. 21, 2026

Nearly half of employers say AI will make college degrees more important

Employers expressed more confidence in the higher education sector than the general public, according to a new Gallup and the Lumina Foundation poll.

By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 20, 2026

Large employers are hiring part-time workers over seasonal ones, Indeed data shows

The shift indicates potential optimism about future staffing needs, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab said.

By Lara Ewen • Oct. 20, 2026

Employees say they have to leave their companies to advance their careers

Organizations are “searching the external market for individuals with skills and experience that they may already have,” one SHL executive said.

By Kathryn Moody • Oct. 20, 2026

Leading ‘light’ may be the key to engaging Gen Z — and everyone else

“Gen Z is not more disengaged than the rest of us,” leadership development expert Dan Rust told HR Dive. “I think they’re just worse at hiding it.”

By Emilie Shumway • Oct. 19, 2026

Recruiters find people faster with AI — but confidence in candidates hasn’t followed

More than 2 in 3 recruiters told TestGorilla they spend an hour or more manually checking a candidate’s credentials.

By Kathryn Moody • Oct. 16, 2026

AI is the root of recruiters’ biggest stressors, survey says

Current technology isn’t keeping up with the needs of HR professionals, according to Employ.

By Lara Ewen • Oct. 16, 2026

Employee benefits seem to satisfy workers, but gaps persist

While workers have reported higher well-being since 2019, WTW found financial concerns are straining workers’ access to medical care.

By Caroline Colvin • Oct. 15, 2026

CEOs want ‘enterprise CHROs’ who can talk strategy and skills, report finds

As AI transforms work, enterprise CHROs in high-performing companies are partnering with senior tech leaders, according to Heidrick & Struggles.

By Laurel Kalser • Oct. 15, 2026

Leaders say they are worried about their ability to handle change

Companies are facing a workplace confidence problem as technology develops rapidly, new research shows.

By Lara Ewen • Oct. 15, 2026

Mailbag: How can HR keep track of employees’ credentials?

Artificial intelligence could have multiple potential applications in this space, according to HR industry veteran Josh Bersin.

By Ryan Golden • Oct. 14, 2026

Robots can handle a third of physical jobs — but not yet cost-effectively, Anthropic says

About 300,000 jobs are exposed today; 2.8 million could be at risk in seven years, says an analysis by the AI company.

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 14, 2026

Cost of living blocks career growth, employees say

Workers often pay out of pocket for some training — but most would spend no more than $2,500 to prepare for a new career, Penn Foster found.

By Ryan Golden • Oct. 14, 2026

HR leaders may be able to use AI to improve employee wellness

Nearly half of workers have been reluctant to use artificial intelligence, but a study from Gartner found the technology may be useful in identifying burnout.

By Lara Ewen • Oct. 14, 2026

‘Capability anxiety’ may be pulling companies down

Only 30% of the more than 500 employers surveyed by WTW said they’ve established processes for identifying and tracking worker skills.

By Kathryn Moody • Oct. 13, 2026

HR leaders feel positive about their outlook, but can’t back it up with numbers

A 2026 report from Betterworks shows a quantitative disconnect between HR’s optimism and demonstrated proof of concept for outcomes, suggesting HR should buckle down on data.

By Caroline Colvin • Oct. 13, 2026

Noncompete agreements may not do what they’re supposed to do

A recent study found that including this restriction in a contract not only makes it difficult to hire workers, it also does not prevent information leaks.

By Lara Ewen • Oct. 13, 2026

Company’s male-only job openings lead to $500K settlement with EEOC

The commission has repeatedly challenged hiring policies that exclude applicants because of their sex and employers that retaliate against HR professionals for hiring women.

By Ryan Golden • Oct. 12, 2026

Week in review: EEOC sues employment agency for alleged H-1B worker preference

We’re rounding up last week’s stories, including the effect of manager availability on worker retention.

By Kathryn Moody • Oct. 12, 2026

Women fall through the cracks at work, especially on boards, report says

Continued analysis of gender representation on corporate boards corroborates previous findings on the clock winding back for women at work.

By Caroline Colvin • Oct. 12, 2026

Why skills belong at the center of HR’s learning strategy

How HR can use skills data to prove learning programs are working and worth the budget.

Oct. 12, 2026

Many young working parents may struggle to find high-quality jobs

These parents are at an age when career development and economic mobility can have a critical impact on their future prospects, per a study.

By Lara Ewen • Oct. 9, 2026