The 2026 HR landscape is being shaped by three converging forces: rapid AI adoption, rising expectations for employee well-being, and a complex regulatory environment across states and countries. This report highlights how organizations are shifting toward skills-based workforce planning, redefining

ADP has acquired Pequity, a 2019-founded compensation management platform, in a move to enhance its global HR and payroll capabilities. Pequity’s AI-powered tools combine spreadsheet familiarity with enterprise-grade automation, offering budgeting, scenario planning, and pay analytics for complex

In a major recent development, Mercor has announced a USD 350 million Series C round, led by Felicis with participation from Benchmark, General Catalyst and Robinhood Ventures—bringing the company’s valuation to approximately USD 10 billion. The firm—founded just three years ago—operates at

Workday has unveiled its new Custom AI Model Library for the Workday Contract Intelligence Agent, powered by Evisort. With over 120 pre-built AI models, this release enhances Workday’s enterprise AI capabilities by enabling automatic contract analysis across HR, Finance, Legal, and IT. The library

Magic, a New York-based startup, has emerged from stealth with its flagship product, Loyalist, an AI-powered CRM platform aimed at the hospitality industry. The company has raised a $10 million seed round led by Lerer Hippeau and other participants, to scale its offering beyond restaurants into hote

iHire , a leading industry-specific employment platform, has launched a new interview scheduling tool embedded in its ATS (Applicant Tracking System). Employers with a Job Slot subscription can now sync their calendars (Outlook, Google, Windows 365, Apple) and invite candidates to choose interview

In a major step toward transforming workforce operations, Teambridge today launched Teambridge AI, a first-of-its-kind outcome-oriented platform built specifically for contingent and hourly workforces. While most AI efforts have focused on desk-based roles, this new system tackles the complexity, sc

Workday has officially completed its acquisition of Paradox, a leading AI-powered candidate experience platform. By integrating Paradox with HiredScore and Workday Recruiting, Workday now offers a unified, end-to-end talent acquisition suite designed to accelerate hiring, improve recruiter efficienc

Employee Navigator announced the acquisition of Velocity Benefits’ AI-powered plan building software and unveiled two major AI initiatives ahead of open enrollment. The Velocity tool will be integrated and listed in the Employee Navigator Marketplace on October 1, 2025, with Velocity supporting br

The Josh Bersin Company has released new research, in collaboration with AMS, revealing how AI is revolutionizing talent acquisition (TA). The $850 billion global recruiting market is undergoing a seismic shift from manual, fragmented recruiting processes to data-driven, AI-powered models that deliv