The Agenda:
Who is hiring?
Top HR and work-related articles
Tips for CV making, job search, interviews, and career progression
Industries trends
Leadership
Recruitment news
Freelancing news
Vocational guidance
Mindfulness
Psychological insert
Top stories from my clients
Blog recap
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Who is hiring?
Hiring hasn't stopped; it's become pickier, more local, and more about specific skills. People waiting for the whole market to open up ("auto-reply" mode) will keep waiting. People who figure out where the actual openings are will move faster.
Globally, unemployment is staying flat at around 4.9%. That might sound like good news, but it's hiding some real problems: job quality isn't improving, inequality is still high, and the job market is exposed to more risk from the economy, demographics, and new technology. About 408 million people worldwide want work but can't find it, and youth unemployment is at 12.4%, with around 260 million young people not working, studying, or in training.
The situation also looks very different depending on where you are. In wealthier countries, an ageing population means fewer new workers are entering the market, which is keeping unemployment stable even though few new jobs are being created. In poorer countries, the workforce is growing fast, but productivity isn't keeping up, so more jobs are being created, but many of them are low-quality. Even within one country, things can vary a lot: in Canada, unemployment in Ontario was around 7.6% in late 2025, while in Quebec it was only 5.4%.
Job postings are also down. At the start of 2026, job postings dropped compared to the year before, but this doesn't mean fewer people are actually employed. It's mostly companies correcting after posting too many jobs between 2022 and 2025. Overall, 2026 looks like a slow, cautious year: modest growth, some skill shortages, and companies competing more on flexibility and fair pay than on hiring volume.
AI is the biggest factor changing things. 4 in 10 employers plan to cut jobs that AI can now do, but 9 in 10 still plan to hire this year. It's not that hiring is stopping; it's that the type of jobs is changing. Entry-level coding jobs have dropped 20-35% worldwide in the past year, while jobs in AI oversight and AI ethics are growing fast - roles that barely existed a few years ago.
Top 10 Multinationals Hiring Right Now:
Accenture
Amazon
IBM
Capgemini
Cognizant
JPMorgan Chase
Oracle
EY
Siemens
Nestlé
Top HR and work-related articles
Gartner’s 2026 CHRO Priorities research, based on a survey of over four hundred CHROs across many industries and regions, lays out four strategic priorities for HR leaders this year.
The first is using AI to transform HR itself, which means building a clear AI strategy and rethinking how the HR function operates, since that’s expected to have the biggest impact on productivity gains. The second is preparing for a workplace where humans and AI work side by side, which requires flexible talent planning that can adapt as the balance between human and machine work shifts. The third priority is helping leaders treat change as a normal, ongoing part of work rather than something occasional and disruptive, since organisations that do this see much higher rates of successful adoption. The fourth is fighting what Gartner calls “culture atrophy” by embedding the organization’s values into everyday work, which can meaningfully boost employee performance.
Behind these priorities are bigger shifts reshaping HR: growing uncertainty about HR’s own future role as AI takes on more tasks, AI increasingly being seen as a real substitute for human talent in some areas, companies trying to balance growth with efficiency, and a changing employment relationship where workers are being asked to give more while expecting less in return. In response, HR teams are adjusting their operating models, building more flexible workforce plans, and redefining what’s expected of leaders and culture to keep organisations resilient.
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A new Gallup survey of 102 CHROs, part of its Global CHRO Roundtable, found that half of them lack confidence that managers in their organisations can actually guide employees in using AI at work. In response, many are investing in support: 57% said they’re offering AI training specifically for people managers, and 62% are setting up “centres of excellence” and internal AI champions to help drive effective adoption. Gallup notes that AI adoption doesn’t automatically improve workplace culture on its own; it depends heavily on whether managers are equipped with clear communication, resources, and support.
This lines up with other recent findings. A July ManpowerGroup report found only 3% of surveyed leaders, CHROs included, were seen as “highly prepared” to direct AI adoption, and a separate Indeed/YouGov survey found 43% of managers themselves felt poorly or completely unequipped to lead AI transformation. The stakes are real: Mercer has warned that when leaders don’t communicate well about AI tools, it creates a “vacuum” that leaves employees anxious about the technology and what it means for their jobs. Mercer’s advice is for leaders to be upfront about uncertainty, and for HR teams to invest in manager training, AI literacy, and psychological safety that encourages employees to experiment with AI rather than fear it.
The Gallup data suggests some HR leaders are already leaning this way: over three-quarters are encouraging peer learning and experimentation with AI, and nearly half are offering role-specific AI training or certifications. Fewer, though, have gone as far as building AI skills into formal job expectations or performance goals. The broader message reinforced at this year’s SHRM conference was that HR needs to lead with empathy and keep investing in human skills even as the technology itself keeps advancing.
https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/trends/top-priorities-for-hr-leaders
https://www.hrdive.com/news/chros-split-on-whether-managers-can-lead-through-ai-driven-change/828244/
Tips for CV-making, job search, interviews, and career progression
Coursera’s roundup of 16 resume tips for 2026 covers formatting, work experience, education, and skills.
On formatting, the advice is to keep things simple and scannable since hiring managers only glance at a resume for a few seconds: clear sections, bold job titles, and readable fonts like Times New Roman work better than flashy designs. The resume also needs to survive an applicant tracking system (ATS), so it should stick to a simple layout, use common fonts, be submitted as a Word doc or PDF, and include keywords pulled from the job description without overstuffing them. Adding a short professional summary or objective helps recruiters quickly grasp your background and goals, and using a professional email address (ideally some variation of your own name) matters more than people think. A references section is no longer necessary; that space is better used to expand on relevant experience, since employers will ask for references directly if they want them.
On work experience, jobs should be listed…
