Category: Talent & Market Insights

5 Signs Your Recruitment Strategy Needs Modular RPO 

Posted on by akessler

Many organizations mistakenly believe Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solutions are only for large enterprises with ongoing, high-volume hiring needs. While full-scale RPO might seem out of reach for some organizations, a modular RPO approach offers the flexibility to address specific recruitment challenges without overhauling your entire talent acquisition infrastructure. 

Modular RPO can deliver value to organizations of any size, including small- to medium-sized enterprises or those with short-term or specialized hiring requirements. Here are five key indicators that your current recruitment strategy might benefit from a modular RPO solution. 

1. Your Internal Team Is Struggling to Keep Up with Demand  

When your organization faces sudden spikes in hiring demand—whether for seasonal recruitment, rapid expansion, or project launches—your internal team can quickly become overwhelmed. These periods of increased volume often require you to scale up recruitment efforts quickly without the luxury of permanently increasing your internal headcount. 

Maintaining quality while meeting aggressive timelines becomes nearly impossible with existing resources. Your team may resort to rushed screening processes, extended working hours, or compromised candidate experiences, all of which can lead to poor hiring decisions and damage to your employer brand. 

Modular RPO provides the surge capacity you need during these peak periods. Specialized teams can quickly ramp up to handle the increased volume or hiring for a new project while maintaining consistent quality standards. Once the hiring surge or project is complete, you can scale back the support without the ongoing costs and complications of permanent staff additions. 

This approach is particularly valuable for organizations with predictable seasonal patterns, such as retail companies preparing for holiday seasons, or those opening new facilities that require rapid team building. 

2. You’re Managing Specialized Skill Requirements with Different Candidate Experiences 

When you need to hire for roles requiring niche expertise or hard-to-find skills, your internal team may lack the specialized knowledge, professional networks or sourcing strategies needed to identify and attract the right candidates. The talent pool may be limited, candidates may be passive and not actively job searching, or the role may require specific credentials that are difficult to assess without industry expertise. 

Different specialized roles also demand vastly different candidate experiences. A software engineer’s journey differs significantly from a marketing manager’s or a specialized researcher’s expectations. Each requires tailored communication, specific assessment methods, and industry-appropriate processes that your recruitment team may struggle to deliver consistently. 

Case Study: Infrastructure Company Ecologist Role 

An infrastructure company struggled to fill a newly created ecologist role due to low brand recognition in the environmental sector and poor response to the job ads. The company’s internal recruitment team lacked the specialized knowledge and networks needed to proactively approach environmental professionals. 

PeopleScout’s Talent Sourcing solution provided specialized headhunting, screening, and shortlisting services, allowing the client to retain their usual interview and offer management processes. We led a targeted search across industry governing bodies, environmental societies and networking groups, reviewing over 700 profiles. We proactively reached out to passive candidates to inform them of the role and gauge their interest, dispelling misperceptions about the transport industry at the same time. 

The result was a shortlist of two qualified candidates, resulting in a successful hire within 11 weeks—a significant improvement over the client’s previous unsuccessful attempts. 

👉 Read the full case study. 

3. You Need to Scale Rapidly in New Markets or Unfamiliar Territory 

When entering new markets, launching new product lines, or expanding into unfamiliar territories, your organization faces unique recruitment challenges that require rapid scaling capabilities. You may lack local market knowledge, employer brand recognition, or understanding of regional compensation and cultural expectations, all while needing to build teams quickly to capitalize on new opportunities. 

Modular RPO solutions, like PeopleScout’s Talent Mapping or Organizational Culture & EVP Diagnostic, can support recruiting in new geographic markets by helping you understanding local talent pools, competition, regulatory requirements, and how to adapt your employer brand for cultural nuances. Without this expertise, you risk extended time-to-fill, higher costs, and poor candidate experiences that can damage your reputation in the new market before you’ve even established yourself. 

Case Study: Consumer Goods Brand Transition 

A consumer goods brand splitting into two companies needed to optimize their talent acquisition strategy to support the transition and future growth. The challenge involved not just managing the launch of the two companies but also improving their ability to compete for talent in competitive rural markets. 

PeopleScout’s Talent Diagnostic solution team assessed their entire talent lifecycle, including conducting over 20 stakeholder interviews. The diagnostic focused on improving access to high-quality candidates in competitive rural markets, and provided recommendations for process streamlining and technology optimization to create consistent candidate experiences and diverse talent pools. 

The client praised the expertise, partnership and flexibility during this critical transition period. Based on the diagnostic recommendations, they engaged PeopleScout for a full-cycle RPO implementation, demonstrating how modular solutions can evolve into broader partnerships when they deliver value. 

👉 Read the full case study. 

4. Time-to-Fill Metrics Are Consistently Missing the Mark 

If your average time-to-fill has stretched beyond industry benchmarks and continues to climb, it’s often a symptom of deeper resource constraints. Your internal recruitment team may be overwhelmed with current demands, but a full RPO solution seems excessive or costly for your organization’s size or hiring volume. This is a common scenario where modular RPO provides the perfect middle ground when adding permanent headcount may not be possible. 

Modular RPO allows you to augment your internal team’s capacity in specific areas where you’re experiencing the greatest strain. From initial candidate sourcing to onboarding, you can add specialized support without the commitment and cost of full-service RPO.  

This approach is particularly valuable for mid-sized organizations that have outgrown basic recruitment methods but aren’t ready for enterprise-level solutions. It provides access to advanced recruitment technologies, methodologies, and expertise that would be cost-prohibitive to develop internally. 

5. When Drop Offs and Early Turnover Has Increased  

If you’re experiencing high drop-off rates during the hiring process and increased early turnover among new hires, it’s a clear sign that specific parts of your recruitment process are consistently underperforming or creating bottlenecks. High drop-off rates may stem from poor candidate communication, lengthy or confusing application processes or misaligned expectations. Early turnover often results from inadequate candidate assessment methods, poor cultural fit evaluation or lack of communication to keep new hires warm before their start date.  

Leading modular RPO providers can conduct process diagnostics or EVP diagnostics to identify specific areas where candidates are dropping out and implement targeted solutions. Some providers also offer technology diagnostics which can identify areas to improve your recruitment tech stack to find efficiencies. 

By addressing these process gaps, you can improve overall recruitment efficiency and effectiveness without disrupting the parts of your process that are working well. This surgical approach often delivers better ROI than attempting to fix everything at once. 

Are You Ready for Modular RPO? 

Modular RPO isn’t about replacing your internal recruitment function—it’s about strategically augmenting it to address specific challenges and gaps. The beauty of modular RPO lies in its flexibility and scalability. So, how do you know if you’re ready for a modular RPO solution? 

Signs You’re Ready for Modular RPO 

  • You’re looking to scale recruitment efforts without increasing permanent talent acquisition headcount
  • Your recruitment process is underperforming, and you need a targeted and/or short-term solution 
  • You need specialized expertise for specific roles or markets 
  • You want to maintain control over certain aspects of hiring while improving others 
  • You want to test RPO services before committing to a full solution 

The goal is to create a hybrid approach that combines the strengths of your internal team with specialized external expertise. By partnering with modular RPO providers for specific challenges, you maintain control over your overall hiring strategy while accessing the tools, technologies, and expertise needed to compete effectively in today’s talent market. 

You can start with a focused pilot program targeting your most pressing recruitment challenge. As you see results and build confidence in the partnership, you can expand the scope to address additional needs or role types. 

In an environment where the right hire can make or break business initiatives, organizations that strategically leverage modular RPO gain a significant competitive advantage. If any of these signs resonate with your current situation, it may be time to explore how modular RPO can transform your recruitment outcomes. 

PeopleScout Jobs Report Analysis – June 2025

Posted on by lloftus

U.S. employers added 147,000 jobs in June, surpassing expectations of 110,000 and slightly above May’s upwardly revised total of 144,000. The unemployment rate declined to 4.1%, its lowest since February, despite a drop in labor force participation to 62.3%—the lowest since late 2022. Government employment led job gains, and healthcare and social assistance remained strong. Manufacturing lost jobs for the second consecutive month, while most other sectors were largely flat. Average hourly earnings rose 3.7% year-over-year, suggesting moderate wage growth.  

The Numbers 

  • 147,000: U.S. employers added 147,000 jobs in June. 
  • 4.2%: The unemployment rate dropped slightly to 4.1%. 
  • 3.9%: Wages rose 3.7% over the past year.  

The Good 

June’s headline job growth exceeded forecasts, signaling continued labor market resilience despite economic headwinds. The unemployment rate’s decline to 4.1% is a positive signal, reflecting strong demand for workers in certain sectors. Government hiring, particularly in education and local services, played a significant role, alongside consistent growth in healthcare and social assistance. Wages continued to rise at a steady pace, with a 3.7% year-over-year increase suggesting ongoing competition for talent in key areas. Upward revisions to April and May data further underscore the stability of recent hiring trends. 

The Bad 

Beneath the surface, signs of cooling are apparent. Private sector hiring slowed sharply to 74,000 jobs in June, down from 137,000 in May, marking the weakest pace in eight months. Manufacturing employment declined by 7,000 jobs for the second month in a row, highlighting persistent challenges in that sector. The labor force participation rate fell to 62.3%, its lowest since late 2022, reflecting an increase in the number of individuals not actively seeking work. The number of long-term unemployed also edged higher, suggesting lingering frictions in the labor market. Additionally, gains in state and local government employment—particularly in education—may be influenced by seasonal or temporary factors, raising questions about their durability. 

The Unknown 

While June’s job growth exceeded expectations, uncertainties remain around the broader economic outlook. The concentration of gains in public sector and healthcare roles suggests that private-sector momentum may be weakening. Ongoing trade dynamics, geopolitical tensions and shifting business investment patterns continue to create an unpredictable environment for employers. The decline in labor force participation raises questions about worker availability and longer-term labor supply trends. As the Federal Reserve weighs its policy options, June’s mixed signals likely support a continued “wait-and-see” approach rather than immediate action on interest rates. 

Conclusion 

The June 2025 jobs report highlights a labor market that remains resilient at the headline level but shows emerging signs of softening underneath. Strong gains in government and healthcare hiring supported overall growth, while private-sector job creation slowed considerably. A falling unemployment rate alongside lower labor force participation underscores complex dynamics at play. As organizations navigate this evolving environment, maintaining workforce agility and focusing on targeted talent strategies will be crucial to sustaining business performance in the face of ongoing economic uncertainty. 

Is Skills-Based Hiring Really the Next Big Thing?

Posted on by akessler

In the recruitment space, skills-based hiring is on the tip of talent acquisition leaders’ tongues. Is it worthy of all the ink spilled or just the flavour of the month?

The internet is buzzing with headlines framing skills-based hiring as a revolutionary step forward—a clean break from “outdated” methods like focusing on academic qualifications. But as usual, we want to take a more critical look.

Let’s step away from the hype to examine the real pros and cons of skills-based hiring. More importantly, let’s figure out how skills-based hiring can work for you.

Skills-Based Hiring: Is it Really New?

There are three common myths being perpetuated by many of the articles about skills-based hiring:

Myth 1: Educational qualifications have been the main barrier to good hiring decisions.

The argument goes that recruiting teams rely too heavily on degrees and don’t think enough about skills—and if they just focused on skills instead, all their hiring issues would be solved.

This misrepresents how most employers actually make hiring decisions. While education requirements do exist in job descriptions, they’re rarely the primary factor in final hiring choices. Most recruiters already consider multiple factors including experience, cultural fit and demonstrated abilities. Skills-based hiring has its positives and certainly feels more inclusive than rigid degree requirements, but it’s not the revolutionary shift from degree-obsessed hiring that many articles suggest.

Myth 2: Everyone talking about skills is talking about the same thing.

One reason the history of skills-based hiring is hard to track is the absence of a clear, consistent definition of what constitutes a “skill.” In the context of skills-based hiring, a skill could be a competency, strength or motivation—anything that enables a person to do the job well. That landscape is far more nuanced and complex than most articles let on.

The reality is that defining skills is a lengthy process and requires careful consideration of context. But most writers on this subject don’t bother to grapple with this complexity. Instead, they gloss over any real explanation of what skills are, feeding the perception that skills are so simple and universally understood that we don’t need definitions. This creates the illusion that organizations should be able to easily incorporate skills-based approaches without doing the hard work of actually defining what they mean by “skills” in their specific context.

Myth 3: Skills-based hiring and talent management is a new idea, and the bandwagon is leaving the station.

Headlines will have you believe that skills-based hiring is “the next big thing” and a silver bullet that will solve all your workforce woes. However, this doesn’t really reflect most hiring processes.

Even if you’re not actively thinking about skills-based hiring, it’s likely that it is embedded—at least partly—into your hiring process already. Today, recruiters rarely just think in terms of hiring somebody because their qualifications line up to the “essential” section of the job description.

So, skills-based hiring isn’t a new idea. The term might be, but not the practice.

These myths lead us to feel that the noise around skills-based hiring is misleading. It suggests that skills-based hiring is driving the recruitment industry right now, when in reality, very few are moving forward with it in an overt, intentional way.

Getting Started with Skills-Based Hiring When Time and Budgets Aren’t Huge

If you do want to embrace skills-based hiring, here are some practical steps:

1. Start with an Audit

If you’re keen to implement skills-based hiring, first of all, feel reassured that it’s likely already part of your approach, even if you don’t call it that. Start by establishing where you are along the skills-based continuum.

Diagnostics come into their own here. Assess your hiring processes in a structured way, identifying gaps, strengths and opportunities for improvement. It can be beneficial to bring in an external partner like the PeopleScout Assessment Design team, to provide robust, evidence-based, unbiased feedback to maximise impact.

2. Defining Your Skills

Then it comes down to defining skills—for now and the future. These can’t be vague; they need to be carefully defined so that they can be accurately applied. You’ll build these from research, both internally and by looking externally. If you want to have an organisation-wide approach, you’ll need to consider skills relevant for leadership and entry level roles and across departments. Engage your department heads and hiring managers to map these.

3. Look at Your Non-Skills Criteria

You don’t have to remove looking at academic qualifications from your hiring process entirely. However, if there are instances where you’re using an academic qualification as a stand-in for a skill—say, a humanities degree as a signifier of good written communication skills—you can probably move away from it and start focusing more explicitly on the skill itself.

Skills-based hiring can open doors for many candidates—and expand your talent pool. Perhaps your ideal candidate did not go to university, but their written communication skills are more than adequate for the role.

4. Kick Off a Pilot

Even without a big budget to fund an overhaul of your recruitment processes, it’s still possible to make a start. To make it manageable, begin with a small, pilot process. Your audit can help you identify the best starting point—perhaps it’s a particular department or role type.

Once you’ve started, you’ll want to closely monitor it to ensure that the benefits are genuine. Try not to feel pressured into investing too much time, money and resources into skills-based hiring because it is a hot topic. Make changes bit by bit, turn to evidence, and stay reflective.

The Bottom Line

Don’t get overcome by buzzwords. In all likelihood, skills-based hiring has been a part of your process for a while now. If you want to concentrate more on skills-based hiring, start small, remain sceptical of the hype, get external insight, be evidence-based and keep evolving your approach.

PeopleScout Jobs Report Analysis – May 2025

Posted on by lloftus

U.S. employers added 139,000 jobs in May, slightly above expectations but continuing a gradual cooling trend. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, near historic lows. Healthcare and social assistance drove nearly half of last month’s gains, adding 78,000 jobs, while leisure and hospitality contributed 48,000. Other sectors were largely flat, while others saw reductions—manufacturing and government cut 8,000 and 22,000 jobs respectively. Wage growth remained solid, with average hourly earnings up 3.9% year-over-year. However, labor force participation among prime-age workers edged down to 83.4%, signaling potential softening in labor supply. March and April job gains were revised down by a combined 95,000, tempering earlier momentum. Despite persistent policy uncertainty and shifting trade dynamics, the labor market continues to show resilience.

The Numbers 

  • 139,000: U.S. employers added 139,000 jobs in May. 
  • 4.2%: The unemployment rate remained at 4.2%. 
  • 3.9%: Wages rose 3.9% over the past year.  

The Good 

U.S. employers added 139,000 jobs in May, modestly surpassing expectations and reflecting continued resilience in the labor market. Healthcare and social assistance led the way, adding 78,000 new jobs, while leisure and hospitality added 48,000—both sectors outpacing their recent averages. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, maintaining historically low levels. Wage growth remained solid, with average hourly earnings rising 3.9% year-over-year, suggesting ongoing demand for workers. Despite macroeconomic uncertainty, these steady gains point to businesses’ sustained need for talent to meet demand, even as growth moderates compared to prior years. 

The Bad 

Beneath the headline numbers, signs of softening emerged. Job creation was heavily concentrated in a few sectors, while industries like manufacturing shed 8,000 jobs and overall federal government employment declined by 22,000 positions. Labor force participation among prime-age workers (25–54) dipped to 83.4%, reversing some of the gains seen earlier this year and indicating possible hesitancy among workers. Revisions to March and April’s job numbers lowered previous estimates by a combined 95,000, tempering perceptions of earlier strength. Broader measures of employment, including the employment-to-population ratio and alternative unemployment metrics, also showed signs of weakening. 

The Unknown 

While May’s job growth exceeded forecasts, questions remain about the durability of the labor market’s momentum. The concentration of gains in healthcare—driven in part by demographic trends rather than broad-based economic expansion—raises concerns about the underlying strength of demand across industries. Trade uncertainties and shifting global economic conditions continue to weigh on business sentiment, causing uncertainty around future hiring plans. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve faces the challenge of balancing inflation risks with signs of a gradually cooling labor market as it approaches its next policy meeting. 

Conclusion 

The May 2025 jobs report reflects a labor market that continues to show resilience, but with clear signals of deceleration beneath the surface. Solid wage growth and consistent hiring in key sectors provide reasons for cautious optimism. Yet, downward revisions to previous months’ job gains, imbalances across industries and the decline in labor force participation suggest growing headwinds. As organizations navigate an evolving economic landscape, strategic workforce planning and flexible talent strategies will be critical to sustaining momentum in an increasingly complex environment. 

The Truth About Gen AI & Job Seekers: 3 Insights from Our Latest Research 

Posted on by akessler

The intersection of generative AI (Gen AI) and job seeking has garnered significant attention, with numerous tools available to help candidates with résumés, CVs, cover letters and interview preparation. Media coverage suggests widespread adoption, but actual prevalence isn’t that clear. 

To move beyond the hype and establish a clearer picture of the use of Gen AI across the broad population of job seekers, PeopleScout commissioned YouGov to conduct a comprehensive survey of 1,000 members of the UK public who had changed jobs within the previous 12 months. Our new research report, The AI-Enabled Applicant: How Candidates Are Really Using Gen AI in Recruitment, aims to provide clarity on real usage patterns and to better understand the potential implications for recruitment—especially amongst concerns that candidates might use these technologies to misrepresent their skills and experiences. 

This article is the first in a series exploring the data and grappling with the implications of Gen AI use amongst candidates. Read on for three key findings from our report. 

1. Gen AI Usage Amongst Candidates Isn’t as Prevalent as You Might Think 

While media narratives often portray Gen AI usage as nearly universal among job seekers, our research indicates a more measured reality. Our study reveals that fewer than one in five people (18%) who changed jobs in the UK in the last year used Gen AI at any point in their job search.   

This is considerably lower than media reports have suggested, and it’s lower than we were expecting given Gen AI tools have been freely available since November 2022. This calls for a reality check on the hype.  

It’s easy to see how employers could see media content—alongside indicators of Gen AI use in their own candidate pools—and overestimate the frequency of Gen AI-enhanced applications. However, at this point the evidence suggests that the vast majority of job seekers from the general population are not using Gen AI to assist their job search or applications.   

2. Interviews Seem Safe…For Now 

Just 9% of those using Gen AI at any point in the recruitment process used it to support their pre-recorded interviews. This was unexpectedly low, given the number using it to help with résumés, CVs and applications. It may be that its value in helping to prepare and practice for interviews is less well understood or harder to achieve. For example, Gen AI tools may need more sophisticated prompting to get high quality support for interview preparation.   

For candidates who used Gen AI at some point and who had a live virtual interview as part of their selection process, only 8% used Gen AI to help with this but, significantly, almost half of this group disclosed that they had used it for live support during the interview. Live interviews were previously a protected space from Gen AI use, and although this is reported by just handful of job seekers, it clearly suggests that real-time assistance during live virtual interviews is happening—and we would assume this is likely to increase.    

It isn’t evident from our survey exactly what type of live Gen AI assistance candidates were using, but newer Gen AI capabilities of ‘listening’ and responding in real time with a conversational style could allow candidates to deliver inauthentic answers without detection. This is something employers are likely to want to keep under observation and consider acting on, redesigning interview questions to make it harder to use Gen AI for deceptive purposes. Despite this, our survey indicates that this kind of potentially disruptive use is low amongst job changers and not a major cause for alarm at this point.   

3. No One’s Talking About It 

Perhaps most revealing for employers is that of those applicants who used Gen AI, only 38% would be willing to disclose their use to employers. The remaining 62% either wouldn’t disclose or are uncertain about whether they would—a concerning reality check for employers attempting to protect the integrity of their recruitment process.  

It begs the question—could this behaviour be driven by employers? According to our survey, employers rarely mention Gen AI usage in their communications with candidates. Only 5% of all job changers said their future employers spoke to them about Gen AI during the recruitment process. And for the few who did hear about it during recruitment,, 35% were told not to use it.   

The number of employers failing to communicate about AI in recruiting may contribute to candidates’ reluctance to discuss their Gen AI usage with employers due to an assumption that employers’ silence on the matter indicates that Gen AI use is inappropriate or unacceptable, and to reveal use of it would negatively impact their chances of getting an offer. 

Gen AI Opportunities & Risks 

Navigating this complex landscape effectively often requires specialized expertise and support. Working with a talent partner with deep assessment expertise can provide crucial advantages in maintaining recruitment integrity while achieving business objectives.  

As leading providers of talent assessment solutions, PeopleScout’s Assessment Design & Delivery team offers a Gen AI Opportunity & Risk Assessment Audit to provide organizations with a comprehensive review of their recruitment processes, identifying both vulnerabilities and opportunities related to generative AI throughout the candidate journey. This independent audit, grounded in psychological expertise, stress-tests each assessment element within your specific recruitment context to determine how Gen AI might impact selection accuracy and diversity outcomes. The resulting evidence-based recommendations allow employers to strategically focus resources on critical vulnerability points while potentially leveraging beneficial AI uses, enabling informed decisions about whether to accept, prevent or adapt to candidates’ use of Gen AI tools based on your organizational values and objectives. 

For more Gen AI insights, download the full The AI-Enabled Applicant: How Candidates Are Really Using Gen AI in Recruitment report. 

You may also be interested in: 

The AI-Enabled Applicant: How Candidates Are Really Using Gen AI in Recruitment

Posted on by akessler

The AI-Enabled Applicant

How Candidates Are Really Using Gen AI in Recruitment

Is generative AI (Gen AI) disrupting your recruitment process? Our exclusive research with YouGov unveils what’s actually happening right now—and the results might surprise you.

While headlines scream about AI taking over job applications, our fresh data shows the nuanced reality of how candidates in the UK are really using these tools in 2025.

In this comprehensive report, you’ll discover:

  • The true adoption rate of Gen AI by job seekers (spoiler: it’s not what most experts predicted)
  • Which specific recruiting touchpoints are most vulnerable to Gen AI impact
  • Unexpected findings about candidate attitudes toward disclosing Gen AI usage
  • Actionable strategies to protect assessment integrity without fighting technology

Don’t Base Critical Hiring Decisions on Outdated Information

As some organizations implement extreme measures like blanket AI bans, others are finding smarter, more sustainable approaches that embrace innovation while maintaining recruitment quality. Download the report now to get ahead of this rapidly evolving challenge and transform potential threats into competitive advantages for your recruitment strategy.

PeopleScout Jobs Report Analysis – April 2025

Posted on by lloftus

U.S. employers added 177,000 jobs in April, surpassing expectations. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2% as the labor force expanded by over half a million people. Healthcare once again led the way with 51,000 new jobs, followed by transportation and warehousing (+29,000), financial activities (+14,000) and social assistance (+8,000). Wage growth slowed to just 0.2% month-over-month, with average hourly earnings up 3.8% year-over-year. Downward revisions were made to February and March figures— a combined 58,000 jobs—smoothing last month’s surge. Despite persistent economic uncertainty and downward pressure from new tariffs, labor force participation among prime-age workers rose to 83.6%, offering a bright spot in an otherwise mixed report.

The Numbers 

  • 177,000: U.S. employers added 177,000 jobs in March. 
  • 4.2%: The unemployment rate remained at 4.2%. 
  • 3.8%: Wages rose 3.8% over the past year.  

The Good 

U.S. employers added 177,000 jobs in April, outpacing expectations and extending the streak of monthly job gains to 52 consecutive months. Healthcare continued its role as a primary growth driver, adding 51,000 jobs, while transportation and warehousing surprised with 29,000 new positions—well above its 12-month average of 12,000. The labor force expanded by more than 500,000 people, and the prime-age labor force participation rate rose to 83.6%—its highest level since July 2023 and a sign of renewed worker confidence. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2%, holding at a historically healthy level. 

The Bad 

Wage growth continued to decelerate in April, with average hourly earnings rising just 0.2% month-over-month and 3.8% year-over-year, missing economist projections. Long-term unemployment also ticked up, with 23.5% of unemployed workers out of work for 27 weeks or more—matching pandemic-era highs. Downward revisions to February and March payrolls cut a combined 58,000 jobs from earlier estimates, tempering the perceived strength of recent months. Federal government employment declined by 9,000 amid continued agency reductions, and sectors such as manufacturing, retail, construction and professional services saw little or no job growth, suggesting uneven recovery across the economy. 

The Unknown 

While April’s headline job number was solid, questions remain about how sustainable this pace is in the face of growing macroeconomic headwinds. The unusual surge in transportation and warehousing jobs (+29,000) has been attributed to pre-tariff purchasing activity, but the sustainability of this trend remains unclear. The muted wage growth could reflect employer caution or shifts in hiring toward lower-wage roles. The balancing act between inflationary concerns and recession risks leaves the Fed in a challenging position as it navigates competing economic priorities. It remains unclear how labor market dynamics will evolve heading into the summer. 

Conclusion 

The April 2025 jobs report presents a labor market that remains resilient despite mounting headwinds. Strong headline job growth and a rise in prime-age labor force participation are encouraging, but cooling wage gains, long-term unemployment and downward revisions to previous months’ gains point to a more cautious hiring environment. As broader economic uncertainties persist, the coming months will be crucial in determining whether April’s performance represents sustainable momentum or merely a temporary bright spot before more challenging conditions emerge. 

Beyond Intuition: Data-Driven Employer Branding for the Modern Talent Landscape 

Posted on by akessler

With the research today’s candidates do before applying, a strong employer brand is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Your employer brand directly impacts your ability to attract and retain top talent, yet for many talent acquisition leaders, demonstrating the value of employer branding remains challenging.  

How do you quantify something that often feels intangible? How do you translate employer brand sentiment into metrics that resonate with stakeholders outside HR? 

The Employer Branding Paradox 

Despite 80% of HR leaders believing employer branding significantly impacts their recruiting efforts, only 8% report having a dedicated budget for these initiatives. This disconnect highlights a fundamental challenge: without concrete metrics and benchmarks, employer branding can be relegated to a “nice-to-have” rather than recognized as the strategic driver of recruitment success that it truly is. 

The reality is that today’s candidates approach job searches with consumer-like behavior. They research, compare and evaluate potential employers with unprecedented thoroughness.  

Your employer brand is front and center whether you’re actively managing it or not. 

From Gut Feel to Data-Driven Strategy 

For too long, employer branding has relied on subjective assessments and anecdotal evidence. Leaders might know intuitively that their brand needs improvement, but without comparative data, it’s difficult to: 

  • Identify specific areas requiring attention 
  • Prioritize investments for maximum impact
  • Demonstrate ROI to key stakeholders 
  • Track progress over time 
  • Understand how you stack up against competitors 

This is precisely why we’ve developed the Outthink Index—a proprietary benchmarking tool designed to transform employer branding strategy from an art to a science. 

Introducing the Outthink Index by PeopleScout 

The Outthink Index by PeopleScout provides comprehensive analysis across nine critical components of employer branding: 

  1. Search: Are your job openings easy to find in digital spaces? 
  2. Social Reach: What’s the breadth of your social media footprint? Are you achieving significant reach through interactions and engagement across audiences? 
  3. Social Authority: How much of the conversation does your brand own compared to competitors? How influential is your voice in the talent marketplace? 
  4. Social Impact: How effectively does your content engage your audience? Are you interacting with your talent audience on social media or just posting? 
  5. Values & Proposition: How clearly articulated and differentiated is your EVP? Are your values clear, authentic and evidenced? 
  6. Employee Experience: Can candidates get a clear understanding of what life is like within your organization?  
  7. Content: How compelling and relevant is your employer brand content? How authentically does it showcase your organization and your employees? 
  8. User Experience: How seamless and intuitive is your career site and application process?   
  9. Candidate Experience: How transparent, consistent and innovative is your recruitment process? 

Built by our in-house talent advisory experts and leveraging data from hundreds of employer brands, the Outthink Index delivers actionable insights with just a few clicks. 

Translating Insights to Action 

One of the most valuable aspects of the Outthink Index is its comparative nature. While self-assessment can identify obvious gaps, true optimization comes from understanding how you measure against both industry benchmarks and specific competitors. 

The real power of data-driven employer branding isn’t just in the metrics—it’s in what you do with them. The Outthink Index is designed to facilitate more productive conversations with stakeholders by providing concrete evidence of: 

  • Current employer brand strengths and weaknesses 
  • Competitive positioning within your industry 
  • Specific improvement opportunities with the highest potential ROI 
  • Progress tracking over time 

The Outthink Index helps companies to transcend gut instincts and harness concrete insights to maximize their employer brand. It provides organizations with precise visibility into how their brand measures up against competitors, highlights specific enhancement opportunities, and ultimately strengthens their capacity to attract and retain exceptional talent. 

Armed with these insights, talent leaders can make more strategic decisions about where to invest resources, how to refine messaging and which touchpoints in the candidate journey need the most attention.  

The Future of Employer Branding is Data-Driven 

Employer branding isn’t a one-time project but an ongoing strategic initiative. The Outthink Index provides both a snapshot of current performance and a framework for optimizing and measuring progress over time. By establishing clear benchmarks today, organizations can track the impact of their employer branding initiatives, demonstrate concrete ROI and continuously refine their approach. 

As the competition for talent continues to intensify, organizations that take a data-driven approach to employer branding will gain a significant advantage. The Outthink Index by PeopleScout equips talent leaders with the tools they need to transform employer branding from an intangible concept to a measurable business driver. 

Want to see how your employer brand stacks up? Explore the Outthink Index or contact us to receive your custom report. 

PeopleScout Jobs Report Analysis – March 2025

Posted on by lloftus

U.S. employers added 228,000 jobs in March, a sharp increase from February’s revised 117,000 and well above the 140,000 forecast. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 4.2% as more people entered the labor force, which grew by 232,000. Healthcare and social assistance led the way, accounting for nearly a third of all new jobs. Transportation and warehousing also saw gains, while federal hiring declined amid government workforce cuts. Previous months’ figures were revised downward, with January and February gains reduced by a combined 48,000 jobs. Wage growth moderated and the labor force participation rate edged up to 62.5%, though participation among prime-age workers fell to 83.3%. Despite growing uncertainty around trade policy, the strong job gains point to continued resilience in the labor market.

The Numbers 

  • 228,000: U.S. employers added 228,000 jobs in March. 
  • 4.2%: The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2%. 
  • 3.8%: Wages rose 3.8% over the past year.  

The Good 


March brought a strong rebound in job growth, with U.S. employers adding 228,000 jobs—far exceeding expectations and marking a significant acceleration from February’s downwardly revised 117,000. Education and health services led the gains with 77,000 new jobs, continuing its dominant role in labor market expansion. Transportation and warehousing also contributed to job creation, as did professional and business services. The labor force grew by 232,000, a sign that more people are reentering the job market. Overall participation ticked up to 62.5%, and broader indicators of employment remain historically strong despite recent volatility. 

The Bad 


Despite the strong headline numbers, there are concerning signals beneath the surface. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2% from 4.1%, and while this largely reflects more people entering the workforce, other indicators point to potential weakness. Wage growth showed signs of cooling, and participation among prime-age workers (25–54) declined to 83.3%, continuing a gradual slide from last year’s high of 83.9%. Prior months’ gains were revised downward, with January and February figures reduced by a combined 48,000 jobs. Federal hiring declined amid broader workforce reductions, though many of these cuts are not yet fully reflected in official data. 

The Unknown 


March’s report raises important questions about the labor market’s trajectory in the coming months. Businesses remain cautious as the impact of recent policy changes, particularly new trade policies, remains to be seen. The contrast between this month’s strong job gains and various indicators of underlying weakness creates a complex picture for policymakers. The Federal Reserve will likely monitor these mixed signals closely as it weighs the timing of potential rate adjustments. Additionally, the divergence between official payroll numbers and various sentiment surveys suggests potential volatility ahead. 

Conclusion 


The March 2025 jobs report presents a labor market at a potential inflection point—surprisingly strong job creation demonstrates remarkable resilience, but signs of underlying weakness cannot be ignored. The coming months will be crucial in determining whether March’s performance represents sustained momentum or a temporary bright spot before policy-driven changes take effect. As the second quarter begins, the labor market remains stable, but forward momentum will depend on how both employers and policymakers respond to growing headwinds.