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Featured analysis
Q3 2026 Benefits Wrap-Up: What the Latest Data Shows on Flexibility, Mental Health, and Pay
By Andrew Mitchell, Senior Correspondent, Benefits & Total Rewards The third quarter of 2026 brought clarity to the U.S. benefits landscape. After years of experimentation during the pandemic and the post-pandemic recalibration, the data shows a workforce benefits market that has settled into a stable, evidence-based configuration. Organizations that understand what’s working — and what…
Latest analysis
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October 2026 Hiring — Q4 Deepens With AI Roles Leading Every Function
**Category:** Workforce Strategy The fourth quarter of 2026 has begun with a hiring rhythm that is markedly different from the frantic end-of-year scrambling of previous years. October data — still forming but showing early directional signals — suggests organizations are approaching Q4…
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The HR Tech Budget in 2026: Where Companies Are Investing
HR technology spending in 2026 is at a record high, with enterprises averaging $1,200 per employee per year on HR technology — up 18% from 2025. But where that money is going is revealing: while traditional HCM platforms continue to consume the…
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Workforce Planning in 2026: From Annual Exercise to Continuous Strategy
By Andrew Mitchell, Senior Correspondent, Workforce Planning Workforce planning has been through a remarkable evolution. Once an annual exercise conducted by HR strategists who produced 100-page reports that gathered dust until the next cycle, workforce planning in 2026 is a continuous, data-driven…
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Skills-Based Hiring Goes Enterprise — Fortune 500 Case Studies
By January 2026, skills-based hiring has moved from a progressive HR experiment to an enterprise strategy. What began as a diversity and inclusion initiative — using skills instead of degrees to expand the candidate pool — has evolved into a comprehensive talent…
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Employer Branding in 2026 — What Gen Z Workers Actually Want
By February 2026, Gen Z (born 1997-2002) comprised approximately 25% of the U.S. workforce — the largest generational cohort in employment history. They have been the subject of countless reports, infographics, and workplace trends pieces. Much of what has been written about…
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The AI Manager: How Companies Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Make Management Decisions in 2026
By Andrew Mitchell, Senior Correspondent, AI in HR Artificial intelligence has moved beyond analyzing people data to actively making people decisions. By November 2026, 41% of Fortune 500 companies use AI systems that participate in at least one management decision — from…
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Performance Management in 2026: The Shift From Annual Reviews to Continuous Growth Conversations
The annual performance review was dying — and in many organizations, it was already dead. By February 2026, 68% of Fortune 500 companies had replaced or significantly modified their annual review processes in favor of continuous performance management systems focused on growth,…
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End-of-Q1 2026: HR Tech Funding, M&A Consolidation, and the AI Investment Pivot
Published: March 25, 2026 By: HR Tech Weekly Staff As the first quarter of 2026 draws to a close, the HR technology sector is confronting a moment of reckoning. The massive wave of AI experimentation that defined 2024–2025 is being replaced by…
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The Benefits of the Month: Lifestyle Spending Accounts for Every Employee
By Andrew Mitchell, Senior Correspondent, Employee Wellbeing Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) have emerged as one of the most popular benefits innovations of 2026. An LSA provides employees with a fixed annual stipend that they can allocate toward a wide range of eligible…
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April 2026 Benefits Innovation: AI-Powered Plans, Wellbeing Stipends, and the New Employee Benefits Landscape
April 2026 saw benefits innovation accelerate in three key areas: AI-powered plan design, expanded wellbeing stipends, and benefits platforms that connected health data to employee wellness in real time. The year was shaping up to be a turning point for how employers…