Welcome to “The Most Interesting Recruiting Stories of the Week,” a weekly post that features talent acquisition insights and information from around the web to kick off your weekend. Here’s what’s of interest this week:
Texas Governor Tells State Agencies to Stop Considering Diversity in Hiring
The Texas Tribune reports that “Abbott’s chief of staff Gardner Pate told agency leaders that using diversity, equity and inclusion policies in hiring violates federal and state employment laws, and hiring cannot be based on factors ‘other than merit.’”
Upwork Will Now Support Full-Time Hiring
“Work marketplace Upwork is set to support full-time hiring between its client companies and job seekers, a complete revamp from the company’s current operations,” Fast Company reports. “Upwork’s philososphy has long been to connect companies with independent workers who can perform specific tasks done or freelance for a set time period. Now, the company hopes it can refresh the full-time job search model and bring more clients and workers to the platform.”
Is the Tight Labor Market Due to Fewer Workers — or Fewer Hours Worked?
“The labor market remains incredibly tight in the U.S. which usually means fewer people are working,” according to Harvard Business Review. “In this case, though, it’s mostly that workers are choosing to work fewer hours. Specifically, higher-earning men have chosen to cut back their hours worked perhaps because the pandemic made them reassess their priorities. That could signal a wider trend toward better work-life balance as more and more workers adjust their work lives to make a similar decision.”
Employers Rescinding Job Offer Must Document or Risk Bias Claims
“Businesses mulling whether to revoke employment offers in response to inflation and rumblings of a looming recession may have to tread carefully to avoid running into severe legal and reputational consequences,” according to Bloomberg Law.
UPS Helps Disabled Workers Find Jobs
From the Louisville Courier Journal: “…574 individuals with disabilities have been trained to work at UPS. The company has hired and placed 88% of these individuals over the last decade.” Read this article to learn about the organization’s program to address its talent needs by focusing on skills.
Women Are Driving the Labor Market’s Post-Pandemic Recovery
“Labor force participation among women between the prime working ages of 25 and 54 has virtually made a full recovery, according to government data released last week,” according to NBC News. “At 76.9%, the share of women in that age group who were working or actively looking for work in January was essentially back to its pre-pandemic level of 77%.”
Recruiting During Uncertainty: How to Meet Students Where They Are
“The early 2023 job market is a story of mixed signals,” begins this Harvard Business School piece. “Scrolling their LinkedIn newsfeed, students are seeing a sea of layoffs. Yet at the same time the unemployment rate has hit a 53-year low. Some companies are proactively seeking more candidates to help build their growing businesses. Others are scaling back or pausing hiring for an indefinite amount of time.”
Remembering the Reference Call
“Fast, automated hiring may eliminate certain steps from the traditional recruiting process. But that’s not necessarily a good thing,” HireLogic Chief Marketing Officer Rich Mendis told HR Dive. “Take, for instance, the reference call. ‘It’s pretty important, especially these days,’ Mendis said. ‘It’s a good practice to do your due diligence.’”
Hiring Managers Reveal Their Biases Against Nonbinary Gender Pronouns
“More than 80% of nonbinary people say that identifying as such would hurt their job search,” according to ERE.net. “And indeed, they have reason to be concerned, according to new findings by Business.com. The study found that individuals with resumes containing “they/them” pronouns were less likely to receive interviews.”