Metaview raises $60m as “agentic recruiting” becomes a funded category
via Metaview
Metaview raised a $60m Series C led by Insight Partners, taking total funding to $110m and cementing agentic recruiting as a funded category.
Layoffs fall again — but the seasonal hiring surge is missing
via Challenger, Gray & Christmas
September layoffs fell to a three-year low, but planned hiring hit the weakest September since 2011, with AI cited in a fifth of the year's job cuts.
UK employers lag the world on AI in hiring — candidates stay wary
via Onrec
Morgan McKinley's 2026 Global AI Report finds 55% of UK employers have not adopted AI in hiring, against 36% globally, while 28% of UK candidates say they would be less likely to apply where AI screens applications.
REC warns widened right-to-work rules will slow hiring and reward the safest candidate
via Recruitment and Employment Confederation
The REC warns that widened right-to-work duties, in force from 1 October, extend illegal-working liability along labour supply chains and risk making recruitment slower and more risk-averse.
UK hiring confidence edges up but stays negative ahead of the Budget
via Staffing Industry Analysts
REC's JobsOutlook survey of 704 UK employers shows hiring confidence improving six points to net -8% but still negative ahead of the 28 October Budget.
Brightmine: UK pay awards stuck at 3% as real-terms pay cuts return
via Personnel Today
Brightmine's 2027 pay forecast puts the median UK pay award at 3% for the year ahead, below all measures of inflation, with affordability and employer NI cited as the main downward pressures.
€10bn staffing group relaunches as Vertage, betting on AI agents alongside human talent
HeadFirst Global has rebranded as Vertage, uniting 11 businesses under a single platform that matches specialist human talent and AI agents to defined work outcomes rather than headcount.
One in four recent UK graduates would skip university — and AI is shrinking the graduate job market
A Careerminds UK survey of 1,000 recent graduates finds 22.5% would not attend university given the choice again, with lack of jobs the top reason for regret and AI cited as a factor reducing graduate opportunities.
AIHR report: HR capability demand is shifting faster than functions can adapt
via AIHR
AIHR's HR Trends 2027 report finds demand for HR capabilities is shifting toward transformation skills while administrative roles decline, with only 30% of HR teams having clear AI use cases despite 65% buy-in.
Bullhorn survey: 92% of candidates rate AI voice interviews as good as or better than human
via Bullhorn
Bullhorn's 2026 GRID Talent Trends Report, based on a survey of nearly 2,300 professionals, finds 92% of candidates interviewed by an AI voice agent rated the experience as good as or better than a live interview, with 93% of those with a positive AI experience willing to work with that staffing firm again.
CIPD: 91% of employers upskilling as candidate quality falls and attraction gets harder
via CIPD
The CIPD's Resourcing and Talent Planning Report 2026, based on a YouGov poll of 1,014 UK HR professionals, finds 91% of employers are upskilling or considering it, driven by a labour market where 58% report more unsuitable candidates and 53% have struggled to attract candidates for senior and skilled roles.
Form CC-305 retires: federal contractors must reset disability self-ID as Section 503 rule takes effect
via Center for Workplace Compliance
The OFCCP's Section 503 final rule took effect 21 September 2026, discontinuing Form CC-305 and ending federal contractors' duty to solicit disability self-identification; the Center for Workplace Compliance has issued a sample post-offer replacement form.
Job seekers ask court to certify class action against Workday's AI screening tools
via Reuters
Plaintiffs in Mobley v. Workday have asked a federal judge to certify a class action over alleged disparate impact in Workday's AI screening tools, with a certification hearing set for March 2027.
Spott raises $21M Series A to build an AI-native ATS for recruitment agencies
via Tech.eu
Leuven-based Spott, an AI-native ATS and CRM for recruitment agencies, has raised $21M in Series A funding led by Balderton Capital to fund international expansion and agentic AI features.
Harver acquires Symphony Talent, merging assessment science with recruitment marketing
via Harver
Harver, a predictive talent assessment platform, has acquired Symphony Talent, a recruitment marketing and employer brand specialist, creating a combined talent intelligence platform serving 1,500+ clients globally.
DWP review finds AI can curb disability bias in hiring — but not increase disabled hiring
via Department for Work and Pensions
A DWP-commissioned review found high-quality evidence that AI can mitigate disability bias in hiring decisions, but no evidence that it increases the actual recruitment of disabled people.
EU AI Office's first inspection wave puts HR screening tools under direct scrutiny
via Ops Intel
The European AI Office has confirmed that HR screening tools are in the first wave of compliance inspections under the EU AI Act, alongside banking and healthcare AI systems. Note: sourced from a compliance consultancy report; the EU's own announcement of the inspections could not be located.
Nearly half of professionals distrust AI in hiring, ACCA global survey finds
via ACCA
ACCA's Global Talent Trends Survey of 11,000 professionals found 48% distrust AI in hiring, with board-level leaders the most sceptical at 54%.
UK Parliament committee calls for wide-ranging AI Bill covering recruitment and hiring
via UK Parliament Joint Committee on Human Rights
The Joint Committee on Human Rights published a 100-page report on 14 September 2026 arguing that current UK laws are ill-equipped to address AI risks to human rights, and calling for a new AI Bill with a statutory oversight body, tougher obligations on high-risk systems, and outright bans on some uses including inappropriate biometric profiling.
California's 'No Robo Bosses Act' and AI layoff notice bill land on Newsom's desk
via Ogletree Deakins
The California legislature concluded its 2025-2026 session on 1 September 2026 and sent Governor Newsom a batch of employment bills, including SB 947 (No Robo Bosses Act) barring sole reliance on automated decision systems for discipline or termination, and SB 951 requiring WARN Act notices to flag AI-driven technological displacement. Newsom has until 30 September 2026 to sign or veto.
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Each edition is researched and written for TA professionals navigating the intersection of talent and technology.