Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Joveo Unveils First Agentic Recruiting Platform at RecFest USA 2026
Joveo is unveiling what it calls the first agentic recruiting platform at RecFest USA 2026 in Nashville this week. The platform connects the full hiring funnel — from job distribution through candidate engagement, screening, assessment, and offer — using autonomous AI agents that act without constant human instruction. Unlike traditional recruiting software that waits for recruiters to initiate each step, Joveo’s agentic system continuously monitors pipeline health and takes corrective actions automatically. The announcement comes as agentic AI shifts from hype to product reality across the recruiting technology landscape, with multiple vendors racing to claim the full-funnel AI label.
Sources: GlobeNewswire
Survey: 93% of Job Seekers Say They’re AI-Ready. Hiring Managers Disagree.
A new Express Employment Professionals and Harris Poll survey reveals a significant perception gap in AI readiness. Ninety-three percent of job seekers believe they possess the AI skills employers want — but hiring managers tell a different story. Forty-one percent of hiring decision-makers say candidates need advanced or expert AI capabilities, while only 35 percent of job seekers believe companies are looking for that level. Nine in 10 hiring managers already look for at least basic AI skills when evaluating candidates, and 54 percent call AI proficiency very important or absolutely essential. The survey covered 1,006 U.S. hiring decision-makers and 1,000 job seekers.
Paychex Adds Agentic AI to WISE Hire, Targeting SMB Recruiting Automation
Paychex has expanded its WISE Hire recruiting platform with agentic AI capabilities designed for small and mid-sized businesses. The new functionality deploys AI agents that autonomously handle candidate screening, interview scheduling, and follow-up communication — reducing recruiter workload while accelerating time-to-hire. WISE Hire’s agentic layer integrates with Paychex’s existing HR, payroll, and onboarding infrastructure, positioning it as an end-to-end hiring solution rather than a standalone ATS. The launch follows a wave of agentic AI investments across HR tech vendors and reflects growing SMB demand for recruiting automation that doesn’t require large dedicated talent acquisition teams to operate effectively.
Sources: GlobeNewswire
Bullhorn GRID Report: 92% of Candidates Rate AI Voice Interviews Equal to or Better Than Human
Bullhorn’s 2026 GRID Talent Trends Report marks a turning point in candidate attitudes toward AI-driven assessment. Ninety-two percent of candidates say AI voice interviews are equal to or better than human-conducted interviews — a striking shift from the skepticism of prior years. The annual report, which tracks trends across the staffing and recruiting industry, found that candidates increasingly value AI voice tools for their consistency, reduced bias, and 24/7 availability. For staffing firms and corporate recruiters, the data suggests resistance to AI screening tools from the candidate side is rapidly diminishing, clearing a significant adoption barrier.
Sources: GlobeNewswire / Bullhorn
IBM CHRO Study: 60% of Workers Fear AI Is Eroding Their Skills as Critical Thinking Becomes Job One
IBM’s Institute for Business Value, in partnership with Oxford Economics, surveyed 1,500 CHROs and 8,800 employees across 21 countries. Sixty percent of employees worry AI is eroding their skills; among those, three in four say erosion has already begun. CHROs rank critical thinking (57 percent) and human judgment (48 percent) as their workforce’s most vital capabilities. Yet 71 percent of CHROs name ability to supervise and override AI outputs as the single most essential skill going forward. A notable governance gap: 46 percent of organizations exclude the CHRO from AI strategy conversations entirely, leaving people planning disconnected from AI implementation decisions.
Sources: IBM Newsroom
Amazon Reaches Out to Laid-Off Former Workers for New AI and Cloud Roles
Amazon is actively recruiting former employees — workers laid off in its 2022–2024 rounds of cuts — for new roles in artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The company is contacting ex-employees directly with tailored outreach for positions in AWS, Amazon Bedrock, and its expanding AI infrastructure teams. The boomerang hiring strategy reflects a pattern now visible across major tech employers: shedding headcount in legacy functions while simultaneously competing for talent in AI-adjacent roles. For recruiters, it signals that a growing pool of pre-vetted, previously cleared candidates is available — workers who already passed Amazon’s bar-raising interview process and know its culture.
Sources: Business Standard
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency