August 03, 2026

Presented By

Welcome back! It’s International Clown Week. We’d tell you to do something to commemorate the occasion, but your workplace is probably such a circus that every week might as well be International Clown Week. 🤡

In today’s edition:

👻 Hiring haunting

📖 DEI pl(AI)ybook

🌎 World of HR

—Paige McGlauflin, Kristen Parisi

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Ghosted

Graphic of a ghost hand taking a job application

Francis Scialabba, Photos: Getty Images

Halloween is months away, yet some candidates already feel haunted by prospective employers.

As job seekers navigate a cooling labor market where there are fewer opportunities yet competition aplenty, some report being ghosted by employers who disappear during the hiring process.

Around 45% of 1,000 workers surveyed by LiveCareer said they’ve been ghosted by an employer during the hiring process. Job seekers reported prospective employers going radio silent at every phase in the hiring process, including after initial outreach (19%) and being informed of an offer (13%), though the most common time to be ghosted was after at least one interview (22%).

Employers may ghost candidates for myriad reasons, said Jasmine Escalera, a career expert for LiveCareer. Some may be internal, such as budget changes, internal approval delays, and high application volume, while others may be external, like labor shortages and high turnover in industries such as healthcare, or compliance-related delays like in government. Even if employers aren’t intending to upset job seekers, ghosting candidates can create long-term reputation risk for a company.

For more on the risks associated with ghosting job seekers, keep reading here.—PM

Sponsored By Indeed

Shaping the way we hire

AI is changing how we define hiring, leadership, and business. And one theme keeps popping up in every area affected by AI: Humanity still matters. So, how do we keep humans at the center?

Join Indeed FutureWorks for a conversation that’s set to shape how the industry uses AI. From Sept. 2–3, Indeed CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff are coming together to discuss the future of business, hiring, and the next frontier of tech innovation.

Moderated by TIME CEO Jessica Sibley, this session will explore how hiring leaders can navigate the tech shift by leaning into what makes us human.

Tickets to the virtual event are free. Don’t miss out.

DEI

DEI 🤝 AI

A panel of four people, (two men and two women) in business attire

Dan Creighton: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau

DEI professionals have faced new challenges in 2026. Not only are their jobs continuously threatened by the Trump administrations, but many have smaller budgets. Now, with AI use seemingly ramping up in the workforce, they must also understand how to harness the technology without introducing new biases into their workflows.

Last month, inclusion leaders met at the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at New York University (NYU) School of Law to better understand how to choose and manage AI systems.

Chief among the takeaways from one panel was that while AI as a technology is underregulated in the US, equal opportunity and civil rights laws still apply.

“There is no AI fancy technology exception to our civil rights laws,” Jenny Yang, partner at Outten and Golden law firm and former EEOC commissioner, told the audience.

For more on the role of AI in DEI, keep reading here.—KP

DEI

New record

a globe with symbols of office life floating above

Morning Brew

Employment rates for immigrants across the pond are on the rise, according to a new study from the Center for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM), part of RFBerlin. While progress has been made, some challenges remain, especially as it relates to gender inequality.

The employment rate for immigrants in the European Union (EU) hit 68% in 2025, the highest level in nearly a decade. And the employment rates for those who immigrated within the EU were similar to (or better than) those of non-immigrants.Those who immigrated from non-EU countries also made gains, with their employment rate reaching 66%, up seven points from 2017.

While some countries, like Belgium, have struggled to improve their employment rates for immigrants from non-EU countries, several countries, including Malta, Czechia, and Ireland, found that those immigrants were more likely to be employed than native-born workers.

Gender appeared to be the largest driver of inequality, regardless of where the workers were from, the report found.

For more on the challenges facing immigrant employment in the EU, keep reading here.—KP

Sponsored By Indeed

Humanity at the heart of AI. As AI transforms everything from hiring to daily workflows, humanity is the key to making it all work. Join Indeed FutureWorks from Sept. 2–3 to learn how leaders can prioritize humanity as tech shifts. Get free tickets to the virtual event.

work perks

A desktop computer plugged into a green couch.

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: More than three-quarters (77%) of Gen Z employees take “micro-joy breaks” during the workday. (Inc)

Quote: “Existing labor statistics too often fail to tell us how occupations’ tasks are changing, what skills are needed, which jobs will grow and shrink and how workers move through the labor force because of AI.”—Indiana Sen. Jim Banks, on a bipartisan effort to gather data on how AI will impact the workforce (Government Technology)

Read: China has rapidly developed and deployed new AI technology, creating more stress for workers who were already struggling to find work. (the Guardian)

Keeping AI grounded: Tune in to Indeed FutureWorks from 9/2–9/3 as Indeed CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff chat about the future of hiring, incorporating humanity with tech, + more.*

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Written by Paige McGlauflin and Kristen Parisi

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