The labor market is pulling a magic trick. Output looks fine. Payrolls wobble. Wages stay sticky. Layoffs hit even as revenues set records. Depending on which chart you squint at, it is either the late cycle yawn before the next upswing or a slow bleed disguised as stability.
Meanwhile hiring signals have flipped. Degrees are drifting down the priority list. AI literacy and human skills are bidding up pay. Managers are rediscovering management. And talent pipelines are migrating to new channels just as cross-border mobility hits fresh friction. In short: the rules changed. Your EVP needs to catch up.
Helping HR, talent acquisition, employer branding, and company culture professionals find careers worth smiling about.
This week we cut through four threads: the jobs mirage, the skills premium, the manager reset and the pipeline reboot. Each has a direct, practical consequence for employer brand and talent strategy. Let’s get to it.
This Week’s Paper Cut's
