Top Stories & Industry Insights For Staffing Leaders This Week
Get an inside scoop on what's happening in the staffing and recruiting world with this roundup of the top news stories, industry trends, and blog posts from around the web from this week.
A total reward program is a comprehensive offering by organizations to their employees consisting of compensation, benefits, wellbeing programs, career development opportunities, and recognition initiatives. It doesn’t just entail traditional salary structures, but additional elements that contribute to employee well-being, job satisfaction, and personal growth and development. A successful total rewards program will make employees feel valued, supported, and motivated, ultimately leading to a strong and positive company culture.
“We see that temp volumes have been trending positively in … the US. What’s interesting, while the temp business is softly growing, the perm business is very soft, -8%. That says something, probably, around companies being a bit more positive. When you see some little bit of improvement and you bring in 10 people, you don’t dare yet to recruit permanently. So that’s where we’ve got to be cautious about what we say. “We believe that there is a bit of momentum. We remain cautious, but this momentum is encouraging. We’ve seen job order volumes increasing in Akkodis US. We’re not calling it a recovery, but we see a little bit of a positive trend.”
Various survey results similarly suggest that women face pay discrimination; a SHRM report from March 2024 showed that more than 70% of HR professionals agreed that women face discrimination in the labor market. People managers are often left out of pay equity discussions, the report noted, and receive little training in pay equity or in making business-related pay decisions. Additionally, about two-thirds of women professionals surveyed by Glassdoor in 2024 said they don’t believe they are being paid fairly for their work.
White- and blue-collar workers continue to experience a split labor market. Corporate America is reducing its workforce, while the manufacturing and operations industries, for example, are contending with a tight talent pool. As a result, 74% of the over 40,000 global employers surveyed by ManpowerGroup in October reported having a skilled talent shortage. “Certain skill sets, certain industries, you see some deep need for talent,” said Rajesh Namboothiry, SVP at Manpower North America. “The talent shortage has still not gone away. We’re still living in a world where talent is short. Demand exceeds supply.”
Nearly six in 10 job seekers feel that less than a quarter of their applications are reviewed by actual recruiters, according to a new report from MyPerfectResume. More than three in 10 believe less than 10% of their applications are human-reviewed, and only 19% think over half of their applications reach human eyes. The report, the result of a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. job seekers, highlights how this worry of applications falling into an “ATS black hole” is shaping candidate behavior.
Brin was quoted by The New York Times, which saw his message to employees working on Gemini, Google's lineup of AI models and apps. "I recommend being in the office at least every weekday," the Google cofounder said in the memo, where he added that "60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity." Brin did note that working more than 60 hours a week can lead to burnout, as he also called out employees who have been putting in the bare minimum. "A number of folks work less than 60 hours and a small number put in the bare minimum to get by," he said as quoted by The New York Times."
53% of women in the workplace feel more stressed today than they were 12 months ago, according to Forbes, with one-third taking time off to manage their mental health challenges. As a result, 40% of women are looking for new roles, with burnout being one of the leading causes. The burden of taking on unpaid duties, such as caregiving roles in the home, are a major cause of this disparity, with women being 50% more likely perform unpaid caregiving than men, according to OECD. Looking after employee wellbeing is not just an HR issue - it directly impacts a business’s bottom line, too.
The government has confirmed it will table an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill to double the maximum protective award from 90 to 180 days’ pay where an employer fails to comply with collective redundancy obligations, for example, in fire and rehire situations. In its response to a consultation on strengthening the remedies against abuse of rules on collective redundancy and fire and rehire, the government said it had decided to take a “balanced approach”. One consultation question asked whether the protective award should be increased. Most respondents (61%) said it should not.
The way you begin your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Many people jump straight into work without preparing their minds and bodies for the demands ahead. A mindful morning routine can help create sustained energy rather than a quick burst that fades by midday. For those who rely on technology to work efficiently, having access to solar battery storage in the UK can be a game-changer. Whether you’re working remotely, running a business, or simply trying to stay productive during power disruptions, a reliable energy source ensures that your devices keep running smoothly.
This week's industry insights are brought to you by the team at the KTRIAN. Weekly digest for staffing leaders to gain a better understanding of the economic trends influencing their business, as well as the human capital issues affecting staffing and recruiting to make more informed decisions.
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KTRIAN Solutions is an offshore recruitment process outsourcing solutions provider for staffing firms based in the U.S. and EU region offering a spectrum of services - full life cycle recruitment, sourcing and screening, MSP/VMS support, and executive search.?