November 02, 2026

Presented By

It’s November! We hope you had a fright-filled (and candy-filled) Halloween, though the truly terrifying (read: untangling holiday lights, and your 2027 workforce plans) are still ahead.

In today’s edition:

🤖 The cost of AI slop

✂️ One outcome, two options

🌎 World of HR

—Paige McGlauflin, Mikaela Cohen, Kristen Parisi

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

AI slop applications

Getty Images

Would it surprise you to learn your talent acquisition (TA) team spends more than one day a week sifting through AI slop applications?

Many job seekers are increasingly using AI tools in an attempt to get their foot in the door with employers. It’s affecting recruiters’ workloads: 74% of TA leaders believe that at least one-quarter of applications contain AI-generated or AI-assisted content, according to a new report from AI-powered TA platform Recruitics based on a survey of more than 150 TA leaders at companies with 5,000 or more employees.

That’s created a rise in poor-quality (and sometimes false) applications: 77% of TA leaders surveyed reported an increase in applications overstating candidates’ skills; 52% reported candidates using AI during live interviews; and 40% saw an increase in fraudulent or identity fraud applications.

These knockoff applications cost TA teams a lot of their time: 70% of respondents said recruiters spend six or more hours weekly screening candidates who turn out to be unqualified, duplicates, or misrepresenting themselves. On average, TA teams are spending 9 hours weekly sifting through such applications, the report estimated.

For more on how TA teams can take back their time, keep reading here.—PM

Sponsored By Deel

Get the go-ahead to go global

The best talent is sometimes an ocean away. Your job? To convince leadership to let you hire internationally.

Deel created a guide to walk you through the process of global hiring—including tips on how to get your leadership on board. Grab the Strategic Planning Guide for Global Recruitment and Hiring for:

a way to compare the costs of hiring locally vs. globally, from recruiting to onboarding
a breakdown of how a wider talent pool can shorten time to hire for specialized roles
market data and peer benchmarks so you can create a proposal based on real numbers

With this framework from Deel’s guide, you won’t need to draw up a whole new game plan for every new market or role.

Make your case for finding talent worldwide.

HR STRATEGY

Paying employees to leave

A cartoon of a large hand separating employees with boxes from an office desk.

Getty Images

Tech workers are no stranger to the unfortunate reality of layoffs. Amazon has laid off 59,560 employees since March 2020, more than any other tech giant, followed by Intel with 43,167; Meta with 35,700; and Microsoft with 35,355, according to the layoff database Layoffs.fyi.

Microsoft has also made headlines for another headcount-cutting strategy: voluntary buyouts. This week, it offered its largest-ever voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees, or one-quarter of its workforce, the Wall Street Journal reported. In April, Microsoft offered its first-ever voluntary buyouts to 8,600 employees, CNBC reported.

“Companies, with reputations to protect, are looking at incentives for employees to exit instead of doing mass layoffs,” John Frehse, global head of labor strategy at consulting firm Ankura, told HR Brew. “It’s expensive, but it’s the kinder way to reduce headcount.”

But any reduction in force can damage workforce stability and employee morale, Joe Mull, employee commitment expert and author of Employalty, told HR Brew.

For more on the risks associated with buyout offers, keep reading here.—MC

HR STRATEGY

See yourself out

a globe with symbols of office life floating above

Morning Brew

The Dutch government employs a record 160,000 workers, but that number is set to drop as the result of new plans to pivot to AI.

Where in the world? Dutch officials said the government has become too complicated and over-regulated, so it will simplify operations and cut regulations and advisory bodies by 2035 in favor of AI-led efficiencies.

In doing so, the country will cut 25,000 jobs, saving it roughly 3.5 billion euros ($3.9 US dollars) by 2035, and costing some agencies an estimated 60% of their workforce, according to Bloomberg. The Netherlands will announce a rollout plan in early 2027, but officials expect technology to increase productivity by 20%.

Satellite view. As some governments introduce AI to mitigate costs, many US companies are doing the same, with more than 112,000 mentioning AI in layoff announcements so far this year, the Guardian reported. Goldman Sachs analysts estimate that the US economy is losing 10,000 jobs a month, and 9% of workers could be “temporarily displaced” as the economy transitions to AI.

For more on how employers around the world are embracing AI, keep reading here.—KP

Sponsored By Marsh Agency

Need some inspo? Our latest article on LA Times Media Group CHRO Nancy Antoniou is full of inspirational vibes. You’ll learn how she worked her way through the organization and used her experiences to build meaningful, people-centered HR policy. Give it a read.

Level up your career with these resources from our sponsors!

Language matters: What the latest NLRB ruling on offensive language means for employers

Learn how one CHRO blends compassion with real policy (real examples included)

How much are workers *actually* using AI tech?

E-Verify expansion? Check out these proposed requirements for federal grants

You want AI-fluent employees, but are you rewarding them? Here’s how you can change that.

work perks

A desktop computer plugged into a green couch.

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Employee engagement has been declining since 2020 to 29%, a 15-year low. (Gallup)

Quote: “We’re using AI to remove unnecessary friction for candidates and our teams so they can connect faster. Technology can help manage the repetitive coordination behind hiring, while our people stay focused on the conversations and decisions that build great teams.”—Amy Thompson, CPO at Gap, on Bridgette, a new AI-enabled career tool the company is using to help it recruit 200,000 seasonal workers (RetailDive)

Read: Anthropic is rolling out a new way for employers to compare workers’ Claude use with their productivity and output. (Mashable)

A world of talent: Getting your leadership on board with global hiring doesn’t have to be hard. Not when Deel’s guide shows you how to create a solid proposal for hiring international talent. Get your copy.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

Share the Brew

Share the Brew, watch your referral count climb, and unlock brag-worthy swag.

Your friends get smarter. You get rewarded. Win-win.

Your referral count: 0

Click to Share

Or copy & paste your referral link to others:
hr-brew.com/r/?kid=9196cb13

Written by Paige McGlauflin, Mikaela Cohen, and Kristen Parisi

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

Get smarter in just 5 minutes

Business News: Morning Brew
Tech & AI News: Tech Brew
Markets News: Brew Markets
Real Estate News: The Playbook
Money & Career: Bossy

Take The Brew to work

Interested in podcasts?

Check out People Person on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

ADVERTISE//CAREERS//SHOP//FAQ

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here.
View our privacy policy here.

Copyright © 2026 Morning Brew Inc. All rights reserved.
22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011

☕️ No time to lose