From the Editor

America is on the verge of a mental health crisis, writes Jim Stroud this week. I'd argue it’s not even on the verge; it’s in a full-blown paralyzing panic attack. And this continuing crisis has a negative impact on the workplace that includes increased healthcare costs, higher turnover rates, poor employee and candidate experiences, and more.

Employers like EY are helping their employees by providing a range of mental health resources, including access to therapists and counseling services. The company’s Healthy Minds program aims to support employees in managing their mental well-being and seeking help when needed. Read the article for more examples.

This week’s newsletter also features a piece by Geoff Trotier and Sarah Hamill titled Decoding the Executive Order on Gender Identity: Key Insights for Private Employers. Ron Thomas shares how Employee Experience is Your New Competitive Advantage—Are You Ready. Jake Zerbe compares AI with ChatGPT vs DeepSeek – which is a better sourcing tool? Jim writes another piece titled The Pros and Cons of Hiring Undocumented Workers. And I share the next case study in our 2024 CandE Benchmark Research Case Study series — CandE Winner Room & Board.

There are also lots of new recruiting and hiring news links below — plus, current research, free webinars to register for, and a new discount code below (good through March 1st) for our upcoming ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit April 29-30. And speaking of mental health — we’ve added morning yoga and mindfulness sessions to our conference!

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

Therapy at Work: The HR Case for In-House Therapists

With America facing a mental health crisis, companies are turning to in-house therapists to support employees—discover how this workplace trend could transform corporate culture.

More Recruiting and Sourcing Articles

Recruiting

Decoding the Executive Order on Gender Identity: Key Insights for Private Employers by Geoff Trotier and Sarah Hamill

While the executive order on gender identity signals a shift in the federal government’s policies, it has not altered the broader legal framework for private employers.

Employee Experience is Your New Competitive Advantage—Are You Ready by Ron Thomas

The message is clear: Organizations that invest in their people today will be leaders tomorrow.

Sourcing

ChatGPT vs DeepSeek – which is a better sourcing tool? by Jake Zerbe

Recruiters and talent acquisition professionals should continue testing AI solutions and adapting their workflows to leverage the best available technology.

The Pros and Cons of Hiring Undocumented Workers by Jim Stroud

How Illegal Immigration Impacts Employers, Workers, and the American Job Market

Candidate Experience

Candidate Experience Will Be in a Free Fall in 2025 by Kevin Grossman

For all the other candidates who don’t get hired, the ultimate outcome is a positive and fair experience. But this year, they’re not going to get it – candidate experience will be in a free fall. So, how many employers will help slow it down?

The 2024 Global CandE Research Report is here! Download today as well as all our other latest research.

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

What Sets CandE Winners Apart is a special global report that highlights CandE Winner differentiators — those employers that participated in our annual research and have the highest candidate experience ratings overall.

The 2024 Business Impact of Candidate Experience research brief highlights the business impact of candidate experience and is based on the 2024 CandE benchmark research of over 240,000 global candidate responses.

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

• 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

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.

Register today!

Other Recruiting, Hiring, and Business News

• The AI Revolution in Recruitment: 10 Emerging Roles Reshaping Talent Acquisition

• Australia jobless rate rises in January even as employment booms

• AI Transforms the Labor Market, But Not Just by Replacing Jobs

• Dissatisfaction among gen Z staff is ‘ticking timebomb’ for NHS

• Elon Musk’s A.I.-Fuelled War on Human Agency

• U.S. Economic Growth Falls Back Below Average

• Women now make up 43% of Britain's top boardrooms, report says

• How to Improve Candidate Experience in Tech Recruitment

• As Defense preps for mass firings, Hegseth says a hiring freeze and more firings are coming

• “The balance is shifting” – internal brand work on the rise

• Apple investors defy Trump and vote to keep diversity policies

Upcoming Webinars

Doing More with Less: Streamlining Talent Acquisition for Overstretched HR Teams

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

Streamline your hiring: discover how integrated workflows and AI-driven tools can transform talent acquisition for greater efficiency, compliance, and candidate engagement.

Efficiency, Automation, and Engagement: Optimizing Candidate Experience

March 12, 2025 | 3:00 PM EDT | 1 Hour

Streamline your hiring: discover how integrated workflows and AI-driven tools can transform talent acquisition for greater efficiency, compliance, and candidate engagement.

Conferences

ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit

April 29-30, 2025 in Las Vegas, NV

Friends and Family discount — receive a free virtual ticket or one 20% off in-person ticket! Use discount code: EREFAM

It's an interesting time for our industry right now, and with the current state of affairs who knows what this year will bring. We want to equip our talent acquisition community with the knowledge and tools to help level-up and future-proof careers.

So we decided to extend our "Friends & Family" discount to you and your teams! Register by March 1st to get 20% off your in-person or digital pass to ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit. The more colleagues you send, the more you'll save!

Use discount code: EREFAM

We'll see you there!