Hello HR Pros,

HR is at a turning point—AI isn’t taking over, but it’s transforming how work gets done. From automation replacing the bottom 20-80% of tasks to AI-driven hiring gaining trust, the workplace is evolving at lightning speed. Meanwhile, potential policy shifts in a second Trump term could impact employee benefits in ways HR leaders can’t afford to ignore.

Are you ready to navigate these changes? Let’s dive into the latest trends shaping the future of HR.

📰 Upcoming in This Issue

• 🤖 AI won't replace the entire profession, but it's replacing the bottom 20-80%

• 🔍 What Trump 2.0 Could Mean for Employee Benefits—And the Clues in Project 2025

• 🤖 HR Leaders Are Embracing AI Hiring—And Candidates Are Catching Up

• 📊 Rethinking Recruiting Metrics: Why Hiring Points Matter More Than Hires per Recruiter

📣 Trending HR News

• Meta execs get 200% bonuses after massive job cuts (Mashable)

• Citibank scraps diversity goals, ‘DEI’ term under Trump pressure (Bloomberg)

• Federal workers left confused as Musk doubles down on threat (BBC)

• This company is giving workers a $10k raise to return to the office (CNBC)

🤖 AI won't replace the entire profession, but it's replacing the bottom 20-80%

I came across this interesting tweet this week. AI isn't taking over entire professions, but it is redefining roles, automating the bottom 20-80% of tasks across industries like marketing, coding, law, and even HR. Small, agile teams are now outpacing corporate giants, leveraging AI to scale productivity. From AI-powered ad makers to automated accounting and legal support, the future of work is here. Is your team ready to adapt

The key takeaway? AI won't replace professionals, but those who use AI will replace those who don't.

🔍 What Trump 2.0 Could Mean for Employee Benefits—And the Clues in Project 2025

As a second Trump administration takes shape, HR leaders are looking for policy signals. One potential roadmap? Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation report outlining proposed changes to employee benefits. It suggests rolling back ACA nondiscrimination protections, revising the No Surprises Act, capping employer tax deductions, and restricting ESG investing in retirement plans.

While not official policy, the report—written by former Trump officials—offers insight into possible priorities. Employers should stay alert.

Key Takeaways

• ACA Changes Could Roll Back Protections ⚖️ – Project 2025 proposes reversing rules that protect gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy under ACA nondiscrimination provisions.

• No Surprises Act Dispute Process at Risk 🚑 – The proposal pushes to eliminate the existing dispute resolution system in favor of a “truth-in-advertising” model.

• Employer Tax Deductions May Shrink 💰 – Companies could face a $12,000 cap per employee for deductible benefits, excluding retirement contributions but limiting HSA deductions.

• ESG Investing Faces More Restrictions 📉 – The DOL may crack down on ESG-focused investments in ERISA retirement plans and impose stricter oversight of investments in China.

Read the full 859-word article here

🤖 HR Leaders Are Embracing AI Hiring—And Candidates Are Catching Up

AI is no longer an experiment in hiring—it’s the new standard. HireVue’s 2025 Global Guide to AI in Hiring reveals that AI adoption among HR leaders jumped from 58% in 2024 to 72% in 2025. More importantly, trust is growing: 51% of HR professionals now have confidence in AI-driven hiring, up from 37% last year.

Candidates are also warming up to AI, with many believing it could reduce hiring bias. But challenges remain—misinformation, job security concerns, and ethics debates continue to shape the conversation. HR leaders are urged to prioritize transparency, ensuring AI supports decisions rather than replaces them.

Key Takeaways

• AI Adoption Is Accelerating 🚀 – AI-driven hiring surged to 72% in 2025, marking a shift from experimentation to full-scale implementation across HR teams.

• HR Productivity Is Climbing 📈 – AI automation increased HR efficiency by 63%, reducing manual tasks (55%) and improving overall business operations (52%).

• Candidates See AI as a Fairness Tool ⚖️ – 57% believe AI can reduce racial bias in hiring, up 6% from last year, but transparency is key.

• Skepticism Still Exists 🛑 – Concerns remain over misinformation (51%), job replacement fears (51%), and security risks (47%), emphasizing the need for ethical AI use.

Read the full 1,034-word report here

📊 Rethinking Recruiting Metrics: Why Hiring Points Matter More Than Hires per Recruiter

Traditional recruiting metrics are failing HR leaders. Hires per recruiter overlooks role complexity, hiring difficulty, and team-wide contributions. In his latest article, Will Ducey introduces Hiring Points—a weighted system that accounts for factors like job level, market demand, and talent availability. By tracking Spend per Hiring Point, recruiting leaders can measure efficiency more accurately, ensuring smarter resource allocation.

As hiring environments fluctuate—shifting from 2022’s hypergrowth to 2025’s cost-conscious landscape—this data-driven approach offers a clearer view of recruiting performance.

Key Takeaways

• Hires per Recruiter Is a Flawed Metric ❌ – It fails to account for hiring difficulty, making it unreliable. For example, hiring an L3 vs. L1 role requires vastly different efforts.

• Hiring Points Offer a Smarter Alternative 🎯 – Assigning weighted values to hires based on complexity provides a more accurate measure of recruiter productivity and team performance.

• Spend per Hiring Point Drives Efficiency 💰 – Instead of tracking cost per hire, dividing total recruiting spend by hiring points offers a clearer view of ROI and budget impact.

• The Expense Index Puts Costs in Context 📈 – With the U.S. money supply (M2) up 80% over the last decade, tracking expenses relative to inflation ensures realistic efficiency benchmarks.

Read the full 2,187-word article here

The bottomline

The future of HR isn’t about resisting change—it’s about harnessing it. AI is streamlining hiring, redefining productivity, and reshaping HR roles. At the same time, potential policy shifts demand a proactive approach from HR leaders. As we navigate this evolving landscape, one thing is clear: those who adapt will lead, and those who hesitate may fall behind.

How is your team preparing for what’s next? Let’s keep the conversation going.