🧑‍💼 46% of CHROs rank leadership development as their top 2026 priority

Hey HR Pros!

According to SHRM’s latest research, 46% of CHROs rank leadership and manager development as their top priority for the year, outpacing AI, comp strategy, and even retention. It’s about giving today’s managers the tools to lead through uncertainty, reshape culture, and keep teams engaged in a fast-changing world.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 📉 Online apps dropped 10+ points but still drove 60% of offers in 2025

• 📈 92% of companies plan to hire in 2026, but 55% expect layoffs

• 🧑‍💼 46% of CHROs rank leadership development as their top 2026 priority

• 📝 Words over numbers: What makes performance reviews feel fair

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 📰 Latest in HR News

• US could lose 10.4 million jobs to AI and automation

• Oracle struggles to attract workers to Nashville ‘world HQ’

• Front-line supervisors are often promoted without leadership skills, Gallup says

• UPS warehouse closures signal additional workforce cuts in 2026

📉 Online apps dropped 10+ points but still drove 60% of offers in 2025

Online applications—yes, the ones everyone thinks are obsolete—still dominate the hiring funnel. Even as AI floods recruiters’ inboxes with polished resumes and sharp cover letters, most interviews and job offers still begin with a simple click: Apply Now.

But make no mistake—2025 marked a shift, and HR professionals should take note. Recruiters are getting scrappier, referrals are quietly outperforming, and sector-specific behaviors are reshaping how candidates enter the pipeline.

Key Insights for HR Pros

• 📉 Online apps dropped 10+ points but still drove 60% of offers in 2025
  Online applications accounted for 66% of interviews and 60% of offers—still the top source, despite a sharp dip.

• 💼 Recruiter-sourced hires jumped 72% in two years
  Recruiter-led sourcing rose from 8.6% in 2023 to 14.8% in 2025—filling the gap left by falling online application rates.

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Referrals 35% more effective than online applications
  Candidates referred by employees were 35% more likely to get job offers than those who applied online—despite making up just 10.2% of hires.

• 🏗️ Tech, manufacturing, and construction leaned least on online apps
  Industries like IT and manufacturing relied more on referrals and recruiter outreach than nonprofit, education, or government sectors.

read the full 777-word article here

📈 92% of companies plan to hire in 2026, but 55% expect layoffs

Research Survey by Resume.org

It's a paradox HR leaders know wel

l: aggressive hiring plans and looming layoffs can, and often do exist in the same breath.

As companies brace for 2026, many are making room for growth while trimming what no longer serves their evolving models.

Key Insights for HR Leaders

• 📈 92% of companies plan to hire in 2026, but 55% expect layoffs
  Most firms will hire and fire simultaneously—focusing hiring on transformation roles and cutting in legacy or high-cost areas.

• 🧠 Problem-solving, adaptability, and communication beat AI skills
  While 31% value AI fluency, 54% rank problem-solving highest, followed by learning agility (44%) and communication (43%).

• 🤖 59% of companies use AI as cover for financial-driven layoffs
  Nearly 6 in 10 leaders admit citing AI instead of budget issues to make layoffs seem strategic to investors and staff.

• 📉 Only 9% say AI fully replaced roles, despite layoffs blamed on it
  For most companies, AI isn’t eliminating jobs—it’s reducing the need for new hires or being used as a PR tool.

read the full 768-word article here

You Are Invited To: When Immigration Meets Employment

HR LOLs

🧑‍💼 46% of CHROs rank leadership development as their top 2026 priority

SHRM’s latest research shows that in 2026, organizations will need more than AI adoption and cost controls—they’ll need resilient leadership and an employee experience that actually delivers.

Key Insights on 2026 Workforce Trends & Priorities by SHRM:

• 📈 72% of HR leaders say worker expectations are rising fast
  Employees are demanding more from employers—forcing organizations to evolve quickly or risk losing talent and engagement.

• 🧑‍💼 46% of CHROs rank leadership development as their top 2026 priority
  For the second year in a row, leadership training outranks all other concerns—including AI, compensation, and retention.

• 🤖 92% of CHROs expect deeper AI integration—but only as an enabler
  AI is reshaping work, but it’s not replacing people. Instead, 84% of CHROs are focusing on upskilling for AI-readiness.

• 📉 Ineffective leadership is a retention risk—51% likely to quit
  Among workers who feel their workplace isn’t meeting their needs, over half say they’re at least somewhat likely to leave.

read the full 834-word article here

📝 Words over numbers: What makes performance reviews feel fair

Performance reviews are meant to guide growth, not fuel frustration. But new research from Cornell University suggests that how we frame feedback matters more than we might think.

Key Insights for HR Pros

• 🧾 Narrative-only reviews rated most fair across 1,600 participants
  Employees preferred detailed written feedback over ratings—even when numbers were paired with comments.

• 📉 Numbers—even average ones—lowered perceptions of fairness
  Mid-range scores made employees feel worse, especially without clear context on how to improve.

• 🧠 Numbers shift focus from development to judgment
  Adding scores, even with narratives, led employees to view feedback as evaluative rather than growth-oriented.

• ⚖️ Narratives improve fairness but complicate compensation decisions
  Researchers caution that removing ratings entirely could hinder decisions around bonuses and promotions.

read the full 472-word article here