Staffing, Recruiting & HR Tech

Andover, Mass. – – September 18, 2026 -- ALKU, a specialized staffing firm, has launched ALKU Intelligence, a dedicated division offering end-to-end AI, data engineering, and advanced analytics delivery with an average time-to-value of under 90 days for enterprise clients.

Acquisition of rockITdata forms the backbone of the new division

The launch follows ALKU's acquisition of rockITdata earlier in September, formally folding the firm's AI and data engineering practice into the ALKU brand. Chris Ferrara, who joined ALKU through the deal, now leads ALKU Intelligence as Chief AI Officer.

Lexington, Mass. – September 16, 2026 -- Relate, an AI relationship intelligence platform, has named Kristy McCann Flynn as Co-Founder, adding a 25-year HR technology operator to its leadership team as the company scales its customer base and product roadmap.

McCann Flynn brings a $15 million fundraising track record from prior venture

McCann Flynn previously co-founded and served as CEO of SkillCycle, where she raised more than $15 million and guided the company to multiple years of Inc 5000 growth recognition. Her prior senior HR and transformation roles span Pearson, Constant Contact, MoneyLion, Richemont, and Western Asset Management.

Pittsburgh – September 16, 2026 -- Lawyers score just 30% on resilience compared with 50% for the general public, a gap that has held steady since 1994, according to 30 years of data from Talogy's Caliper Profile assessment cited in a new American Bar Association book.

New ABA book credits 4.5 million Caliper assessments for resilience findings

Thin-Skinned: Why Lawyers Are So Low in Resilience and the New Science That Can Help, authored by legal psychology experts Dr. Larry Richard and Dr. D'Arcy Lyness, draws on a database of 4.5 million Caliper Profile assessments compiled by talent management firm Talogy. The book finds that nine out of 10 lawyers score in the bottom half of the resilience scale.

New York – September 15, 2026 -- Ormsby Park LLC has named Glenn Zweig as Partner, adding a specialist in CFO and senior executive placements for growth-stage and middle-market technology companies to its retained search practice.

Zweig brings a track record spanning private equity, venture capital and Fortune-level advisory work

Zweig joins from Artico, a boutique technology executive search firm, where he served as Senior Partner leading CFO and other C-suite searches. Before Artico, he was a leadership advisor at Egon Zehnder, where he was a core member of the firm's Financial Officers, Technology, and Private Equity Practice Groups and helped expand its CFO placement work across private equity- and venture-backed software and fintech companies.

New York – September 15, 2026 -- PerceivIQ, a decision intelligence platform for workforce and economic development organizations, has partnered with Revelio Labs to give civic organizations access to labor market data spanning 1.1 billion professional profiles, 5 billion job postings and 30 million companies across 195 countries.

The deal marks Revelio Labs' formal entry into the civic market at scale, positioning PerceivIQ as an authorized reseller of Revelio workforce data for Workforce Development Boards, Economic Development Organizations, Regional Chambers, Trade Associations and community colleges.

EMEA – September 13, 2026 -- Applications per hire in EMEA have doubled over the past five years, yet recruiters in the region have kept Time to Hire steady at 37-43 days since 2021, according to Ashby's EMEA Recruiter Productivity report.

Technical hiring shows the widest regional application gap

Business roles in EMEA draw a volume of applications comparable to the Americas, at 170 per hire versus 229 in AMER. Technical roles diverge sharply, with AMER positions receiving 610 applications per hire against just 254 in EMEA. The sharpest rise in application volume occurred between 2022 and 2023.

Amanda Johnson, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at DeepL, said inbound volume has doubled since she joined the AI company in 2024. She attributed part of the surge to candidates shifting from traditional SaaS firms toward AI companies, while noting rising competition from new AI entrants in London.

LONDON – September 13, 2026 -- Ashby, an all-in-one recruiting platform, launched WhatsApp messaging for candidate communication at its Ashby One London conference, adding a second chat channel alongside its existing SMS texting tools.

WhatsApp joins SMS as a candidate outreach channel inside Ashby profiles

The feature lets recruiting teams send and receive messages directly from a candidate's profile, using pre-approved templates for tasks such as interview scheduling and availability requests. WhatsApp is also available as a delivery option for automated interview reminders and booking confirmations, alongside SMS and email. Replies are stored in the same conversation thread as the rest of a candidate's activity in Ashby, giving recruiters a single record of outreach.

Shanghai – September 13, 2026 -- Youlife Group Inc. (NASDAQ: YOUL) will have its Chief Strategy Officer, Tianshi (Stanley) Yang, deliver a live corporate presentation on Wednesday, September 9 at 11:00 a.m. ET through the Skyline Signature Series webinar platform.

Youlife executive to address investors via live virtual forum

The presentation, hosted by Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC, will be followed by a live Q&A session in which management will respond directly to questions submitted by attendees. Registration for the free virtual event is open to financial professionals and prospective shareholders.

Houston – September 13, 2026 -- DISA Global Solutions will host more than 1,000 HR, safety, and compliance professionals at its 9th Annual HR Screening, Safety, & Strategy Conference on September 13, 2026, at the Marriott Marquis Houston, up from roughly 400 attendees at the event's 2018 debut.

Conference agenda expands to 24 sessions covering AI-driven background checks

The 2027 program includes 24 educational sessions led by more than 24 industry presenters, with topics ranging from a panel on AI and automation in screening to a data-focused review of drug testing methodologies, including marijuana testing updates. Announced speakers include attorneys Pam Devata, Joe Beachboard, and Faye Caldwell, alongside compliance and transportation specialists Jo McGuire, Brenna Lyles, Ciera Parks, and Juan Moya.

Phoenix – September 13, 2026 -- University of Phoenix will join Jobs for the Future (JFF), VOA Northern Rockies, Ochsner Health and Skillmore in a webinar on September 13, 2026, examining how employers can deploy AI-powered skills intelligence to map workforce capabilities and build internal mobility pathways.

Nearly 40% of core job skills will shift by 2030, WEF data shows

The webinar, titled "Making Skills Work: How Employers are Helping Workers Navigate Growth, Mobility, and Change," runs from 12:00pm ET to 9:00am PT. Organizers cite the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, which projects that nearly 40% of workers' core skills will change by 2030, as the driver behind employer demand for skills-intelligence tools.