From the Editor

The past few months have been quite the shock to the economic system. However fast and chaotic it’s all been, and if there is a silver lining to the madness, it now feels like most of us are moving in slow motion watching the spectacle like fireworks exploding in our hands.

Ouch. Plus, employees and candidates alike are in a funk. According to LinkedIn's latest Workforce Confidence survey, workers are feeling more pessimistic about their career growth, finances and job prospects than they have in years.

Gallup’s 2024 report showed only 23% of employees are “thriving at work,” with burnout up by 11% year over year.

Also, in our early returns of our 2025 CandE Benchmark Research, candidate resentment is at 18%, up nearly 30% from 2024 (14%).

According to this week's featured article by Laura Sherbin, employers need to listen — and act. It’s no wonder that “Candidate / Employee Survey Feedback” is usually in the top 5 activities of how HR and TA get the work of recruiting, hiring, and retention done and improved upon — and it is again in our latest CandE Pulse survey. 

Those top 5 activities from the latest Jan-Mar CandE Pulse include:

• Improving Processes (52%)

• Current Staffing (47%)

• Flexible Work Schedules – Remote / Hybrid (34%)

• Candidate / Employee Survey Feedback (34%)

• New Technologies (33%)

This week’s newsletter also includes more new recruiting and sourcing articles to help you navigate today, a new candidate experience case study, a new batch of recruiting and hiring news links, free webinars to register for, and it’s the last week for our March discount code below (good through March 30th) for our upcoming ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit April 29-30.

Let me know if you’ve got any news to share. Thank you for reading!

—Kevin Grossman, VP of Research & Editorial

Email me: Editor

Featured Article

Federal Shake-Ups, Corporate Wake-Ups: How to Rebuild Employee Trust in 2025

The time for passive listening is over. It’s time to take action.

More Recruiting & Sourcing Articles

Recruiting / HR

HR’s Silent Threat Just Got Louder—and Harder to Detect by Freesia Chen

Misconduct doesn’t escalate in silence—it grows when we’re not looking. Let’s choose to look, to listen, and most importantly, to lead.

Jan-Mar CandE Pulse Article: A Self-Fulfilling Soft Landing by Kevin Grossman

Economic darkness and despair abounds, but it does feel like there’s more market resilience shining through here and there.

Building Skills Promise: A Strategic Approach to Closing Skill Gaps by Annika Jessen and Meaghan Kelly

L&D leaders must identify employees with critical knowledge about emerging skills and facilitate expertise sharing across team boundaries.

From Israel to Ukraine to the USA: How HR Responds to Global Conflicts by Jim Stroud

Should the worst happen here at home, this is how companies should react.

The Discipline of Knowledge by Matt Lowney by Matt Lowney

Great recruiters thrive on knowledge, and that knowledge is obtained through process.

Sourcing

Don’t Just Adopt AI—Adapt Your Thinking: A New Framework for Talent Professionals by Scott Morris

Proactively staying relevant during periods of rapid change is about mindset.

Candidate Experience

2024 CandE Case Studies will be released weekly and here are the latest:

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Alliance Technical Group

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Arup

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Delaware North

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Northwell Health

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Room & Board

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Schneider Electric

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Sunrun

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – US Pharmacopeia

All the latest 2024 Global CandE Research that explores the candidate experience journey for over 230,000 candidates around the world, from pre-application to onboarding. The latest insights, best practices + more!

The 2025 CandE Benchmark Research Program Now Open

The annual CandE Benchmark Research Program helps you and your organization measure and understand your overall candidate experience ratings from pre-application to onboarding.

Employers big and small across industries are encouraged to participate. The CandE Benchmark Research Program will help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your recruiting process and your overall candidate experience with continuous candidate feedback.

Each year the CandE Benchmark Research Program recognizes those participating employers with the highest candidate experience ratings with our coveted CandE Awards.

The deadline to complete all steps is August 31. Register today to get started!

Other Recruiting, Hiring, and Business News

• US labor market holding steady, but job opportunities dwindling

• India Is on a Hiring Binge That Trump’s Tariffs Can’t Stop

• With labor market 'on ice,' job-hopping has lost its luster

• UK wage growth stabilises in January

• Consumer Confidence Falls Again. Inflation Fears Rise.

• Recession is coming before end of 2025, generally 'pessimistic' corporate CFOs say: CNBC survey

• The past 25 years have been an uphill journey for the HR function

• Hiring for promise can help close skills gaps, research indicates

• Law students mourn loss of ‘dream jobs’ after government offers disappear: ‘I was distraught’

• How Chewy activates employees to tell its brand story

• Deloitte: In 2025, HR is tasked with managing tension amid rapid change

Upcoming Webinars

Hiring with Purpose: Balancing Speed, Quality, and Candidate Experience in 2025

March 26, 2025 | 2:00 PM EDT | 1 Hour

Optimize your hiring strategy for 2025 with expert insights on balancing speed, quality, and candidate experience in a competitive market.

Workplace Violence is Escalating – Are You Screening for the Warning Signs?

March 27, 2025 | 2:00 PM EDT | 1 Hour

Protect your team from the rising threat of dangers at work.

Conferences

ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit — April 29-30, 2025 in Las Vegas, NV

Lucky You! Last Week To Get 20% Off

March is your lucky month! 🍀 The Recruiting Innovation Summit is where top talent leaders, strategists, and innovators come together to redefine the future of hiring. And now, when you bring your team of four (or two or three 🙂), you’ll unlock 20% off your total registration. Yes, that includes both in-person and virtual tickets!

Register here and use coupon code: LUCKYUS

Act Fast! This offer disappears faster than a leprechaun’s gold—secure your team’s spot before March 30th!

We'll see you there!