An organization’s workforce plan is a huge roadmap that should set it up for success, covering several years and every aspect of the business. For many, “workforce planning” means focusing on managing costs, and deducing where the largest ticket items are on the profit and loss statement. And one of the most significant costs any organization manages is headcount. To truly plan for the future, every organization needs to take a critical look at how it approaches staffing and supporting its employees. To do this effectively, you must factor in skills–what skills your organization has, which on ..read more

To celebrate women who work in tech, we wanted to recognize the achievements of several women at Eightfold who embody what it means to be successful in this often demanding yet rewarding industry — and hopefully help inspire other women to join. We asked these nine women to share some of their experiences and highlights working in tech. From early aspirations to overcoming today’s challenges for women in STEM fields, they shared valuable insights into what they’ve achieved, what they love about working in tech, and even some future goals around working in the exciting field of AI, and some car ..read more

If your LinkedIn feed is filled with highly skilled tech connections announcing they’re unexpectedly in the job market, sporting the “open to work” filter, you’re far from alone. The tech sector is continuing its cuts, with nearly 170,000 workers laid off from tech companies in 2023 alone, according to tracking site layoffs.fyi.   The layoffs show no signs of slowing down soon. Yahoo announced that it will lay off 20 percent of its staff by the end of 2023. Microsoft plans to reduce its workforce by 5 percent and let go over 10,000 people this year. And Amazon recently announced it w ..read more

Extreme talent shortages and growing worker demands are causing organizations to rethink how they define and hire for jobs. To meet these growing challenges, 98 percent of organizations plan on moving toward becoming a skills-based organization, according to research from Deloitte. What is a skills-based organization? In short, it’s a framework for talent decisions that centers around skills. By breaking down jobs into more granular elements — including skills, strengths, and aptitudes — organizations gain a clearer, more holistic picture of both the skills a job requires and how any given emp ..read more

The U.S. labor market continues to be a major headache for business leaders. Despite the millions who left—or were forced out of the workforce during the pandemic—current job openings continue to outpace the number of unemployed individuals actively looking for work. In addition, low labor participation rates have contributed to less productivity and greater inflation, major issues plaguing the U.S. economy. Looking ahead, leading economists expect the economy to sag in the first half of this year as quarantine savings that have cushioned many households are depleted, and those who stepped out ..read more

As the technology behind natural language processing advances, chatbots and virtual assistants powered by GPT-3 and now GPT-4 are becoming increasingly prevalent in a variety of industries. While this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with computers and automate many routine tasks, it also raises questions about the future of work.  In this blog post, we will explore how ChatGPT (a specific implementation of GPT-3/4) may impact jobs, including which positions may change, morph, or disappear entirely. Additionally, we will discuss the shift toward prompt cre ..read more

From managing the highs and lows of the hiring market to advising senior leadership on how skills can support organizational goals, talent leaders need better ways to effectively and efficiently manage their workforces to meet today’s demands. But many traditional processes are ill-equipped to support HR’s need for speed, agility, and unique insights. There’s never been a greater need for a talent intelligence platform designed with AI to support modern talent needs — with a user-friendly experience to match. That’s why we’re launching a talent intelligence platform experience that is more pow ..read more

As the pace of change accelerates, so must an organization’s ability to adapt. Employees must be resilient, eager to grow, and capable of taking on in-demand roles. To build this resiliency, talent leaders need to connect the dots among people, their adjacent skills, and the organization’s evolving needs.  So what are adjacent skills, and why are they important?  Adjacent skills are abilities related to a worker’s current skill set. These skills may not be explicitly mentioned in job requirements, but they can enhance an employee’s ability to understand what they need to learn to imp ..read more

Eightfold AI insights predict a significant increase in global contingent workforce participation in 2023, positively impacting DEI goals Contingent work arrangements will bring relief to the tight labor market New solutions are needed to develop an elastic talent strategy to include contingent workers Contingent workers — freelancers, consultants, contractors, no matter what you call them — are going to become an even more essential part of everyone’s workforces around the world. This year alone, the contingent workforce is projected to grow by 53 percent worldwide, according to our latest ..read more

Since the beginning of 2022, nearly 200,000 tech workers have been laid off, which means millions of tech skills are floating around in the market.  This pattern is all too familiar for economists. Big players get spooked by economic predictions, and adjacent organizations feel the pressure and follow suit. Hiring freezes and layoffs are contagious — and have a major impact on talent strategies across the board. I recently covered how tech layoffs are impacting the labor market at large. The good news is that it’s not all doom and gloom, given that tech skills remain in high demand. Howev ..read more