CAHRS Top 10 October 2026
- Campus & Early Career HR
Recruiting in the age of AI
CAHRS
A recent CAHRS discussion with HR leaders from participating companies, including Procter & Gamble and Medtronic, explored how organizations are adapting recruiting practices while maintaining human judgment in final hiring decisions. Students continue to value job stability, positive workplace culture, growth opportunities, strong managers, meaningful work, and opportunities for in-person connection. At the same time, employers see growing importance in developing artificial intelligence (AI) fluency while reinforcing foundational skills such as professional communication and productivity tools.
- Using AI More
It Doesn’t Reassure Workers; Managers Do
Gallup
rly one in five workers say their job is somewhat or very likely to be eliminated by AI, and frequent AI users are more than twice as likely to express serious displacement concerns. That anxiety has organizational consequences, with employees reporting lower engagement, higher burnout, and greater likelihood of looking for another job when fears increase. AI adoption therefore requires attention to manager communication, employee support, and clarity about how technology will reshape roles.
- American Express’s ‘Courageous and Transformational Leader’
CAHRS Member Monique Herena Named HR Executive of the Year
Human Resource Executive
American Express Chief Colleague Experience Officer Monique Herena has been named HR Executive's 2026 HR Executive of the Year, recognizing her work syncing HR strategy with business strategy and rebuilding the colleague experience to mirror Amex's mobile-first customer experience. Since joining the company in 2019, Herena has redefined the HR function as the "Colleague Experience Group," with sprawling wins spanning learning, benefits, and internal mobility. Amex CEO Steve Squeri credited her as a "courageous and transformational change leader" who has pushed the 176-year-old company to innovate while respecting its legacy Herena will be honored during HR Tech 2026 in Las Vegas this October.
- The Labor Force is Shrinking
Three Practices to Help Employers Adapt to Talent Shortages
HR Brew
A shrinking United States labor force is increasing pressure on employers to rethink how they identify and develop talent. The civilian labor force fell from 171.5 million in December to 169.7 million in August, while demographic trends point to continued constraints on labor supply. Indeed’s chief economist argues that employers can widen talent pools by focusing on transferable skills rather than prior job titles, placing less weight on degrees and traditional credentials, and investing in upskilling and reskilling.
Interested in how organizations can build talent from within? This HR Leader article featuring CAHRS partner Workday highlights the growing role of workplace learning in developing skills for changing roles and business needs.
5. Between Borders
Global Mobility Strategies for Employees in Immigration Limbo
KPMG
Visa delays, regulatory changes, and processing backlogs are creating workforce challenges for organizations managing employees across borders. KPMG describes how immigration disruption can affect business continuity, talent deployment, workforce planning, payroll, tax obligations, and employee support. Global mobility increasingly requires coordination among HR, mobility, legal, tax, payroll, and business leaders rather than being treated solely as an immigration compliance issue. Prolonged uncertainty can also affect employee experience, productivity, and retention, making workforce resilience and employee support central considerations when organizations manage internationally mobile talent.
6. The Future of Work
Four Shifts Shaping It
Gartner
Gartner projects that 30% of employees laid off because of AI replacement will need to be rehired by 2029, often at significantly higher cost. The research argues that organizations need greater visibility into how jobs, skills, and work patterns change as AI becomes embedded in operations. Gartner identifies AI-enabled skills management and workstyle analytics among the capabilities organizations will use to understand their workforces and prepare for changing talent requirements. It also emphasizes measuring workforce capabilities beyond traditional job structures as roles become more fluid and employees increasingly work across functional boundaries.
AI is changing more than individual jobs—it is changing the architecture of work itself. CAHRS members: Join other partners and Cornell faculty on October 22 for the CAHRS Fall Partner Meeting to explore these issues, share experiences and discuss what the future of work means for HR leaders.
7. Job and Skill Trends
Why Human Connections are Once Again a Hiring Advantage in the age of AI
World Economic Forum
AI is making job applications easier to produce but harder for employers to differentiate, increasing the value of referrals and other signals of candidate quality. The article also highlights growing challenges for early career talent as entry level roles become more demanding and employers raise expectations for skills and experience. These shifts are changing how organizations identify and evaluate talent at the beginning of the pipeline.
8. Future Work Disruptions
Study Shows Business Leaders Underestimate Them
HR Dive
Organizations may be underestimating the workforce impact of major business transformations. Before their most recent change initiative, 39% of leaders expected moderate or major disruption, while 51% reported experiencing that level of disruption once the change was underway. HR has an important role in anticipating the people impact of transformation, preparing employees for change, and maintaining organizational performance through disruption. The findings highlight the need to incorporate workforce readiness into business transformation planning rather than addressing employee impacts after implementation begins.
ILR School Associate Professor JR Keller continues theme in this Q&A related to whether AI will replace HR.
9. 2027 Pay
US Employers Stick With Moderate Increases
Marsh
U.S. employers plan to hold 2027 compensation increases steady, according to the July 2026 Mercer QuickPulse US Compensation Planning Survey. Respondents project average base salary merit increases of 3.2% and total salary increases of 3.5%, including merit, promotions, cost-of-living, and other adjustments, roughly in line with the actual increases employers reported in 2024, 2025, and 2026. The survey also captures how quickly AI is entering compensation work.
10. Partner Benchmarking
Collective Bargaining and Positive Employee Relations
CAHRS
Three CAHRS companies shared best practices on collective bargaining preparation, negotiation strategies, and positive employee relations (PER). Companies generally begin bargaining preparation well in advance, using tools such as Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed (RACI) frameworks, proposal trackers, action plans, and cross-functional steering committees to clarify objectives, responsibilities, and decision-making authority. The partner companies emphasize leadership training, site assessments, employee engagement, risk monitoring, and ongoing communication, with some using formal frameworks and metrics to hold leaders accountable.
Looking beyond collective bargaining, this recent ILR School study examines how employee ownership may shape employee satisfaction and workplace experiences—an interesting complement to the report’s focus on positive employee relations.