One rigorous study says junior hiring collapsed at AI-adopting firms. Another says AI-heavy companies are growing entry-level headcount faster than anyone. Both are right — and the difference is a choice.
Salary budgets are settling at 3.4–3.5% for a third straight year, and employers are walking away from across-the-board raises — just as new transparency rules make every pay decision harder to hide.
Wage growth has slowed to 2.4% and quits are at a decade low, but new Payscale data shows pay compression is still real — and counteroffers aren't fixing it.
HR Leader Research
State of the Workforce Report
of HR leaders say AI has already changed at least one core HR process in their organization, up from 41% the year prior.
Benefits Benchmark
Employee Benefits Trends Survey
Average annual increase in per-employee benefits spending at companies that maintained engagement scores above 70th percentile.
Talent Report
Hiring & Retention Pulse
Median time-to-hire has increased to 34 days as companies add AI screening, structured interviews, and skills assessments to pipelines.
