Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
OPM Directs Federal Agencies to Center Staffing Plans on Tech Talent
The Office of Personnel Management issued guidance directing federal agencies to make technology talent acquisition central to their annual staffing plans. OPM Director Scott Kupor’s memo requires agencies to prioritize hiring in artificial intelligence, data science, and cybersecurity. The department’s Tech Force initiative has recruited approximately 300 workers toward a 1,000-hire target. The guidance establishes a 33 percent early-career hire target across participating agencies and directs workforce leaders to build AI upskilling programs for existing federal employees. Agencies must now integrate technology talent gaps and pipeline strategies into their formal human capital plans.
Sources: Government Executive
Deel Acquires AI Deepfake Detection Startup Clarity as Synthetic Applicants Surge
Workforce management platform Deel, which crossed $1.5 billion in annual recurring revenue, acquired Clarity, an AI cybersecurity startup specializing in deepfake detection and identity verification for the hiring process. The deal marks Deel’s 15th acquisition. Clarity co-founders Michael Matias, an alumnus of Israel’s Unit 8200, and Ziv Isaiah will join Deel following the transaction. The acquisition targets a growing threat: synthetic applicant profiles created using AI are projected to account for 25 percent of all job applications by 2028. Deel plans to integrate Clarity’s technology into Deel IT as a continuous identity trust layer across talent acquisition, onboarding, and access management.
Sources: HR Tech Feed
hackajob CEO Mark Chaffey on Archer, Pre-Apply Compliance, and $3M ARR in Nine Months
Application volumes at large enterprise employers are running three to four times higher than levels from a few years ago, according to hackajob CEO Mark Chaffey, and the same AI tools driving that surge are simultaneously eroding the signal quality that makes candidate screening effective. hackajob built Archer, a platform focused on pre-apply compliance, to address the problem. The company reached $3 million in annual recurring revenue within nine months of Archer’s launch. Chaffey argued in an interview that pre-apply compliance — validating candidates before they formally submit — represents a structural shift in how enterprise recruiting teams will manage the surge of AI-generated applications.
Sources: HR Tech Feed
One in Five CHROs Has Already Stopped Hiring Entry-Level Roles Due to AI
Twenty-two percent of chief human resources officers said at least one business leader in their organization has stopped hiring for entry-level roles because of AI automation, according to a Gartner survey of 110 HR executives. Ninety-five percent of surveyed organizations have implemented AI in some form. Amazon’s artificial general intelligence group laid off employees this week in a move that reflects the pattern Gartner researchers documented: AI-driven productivity gains are reducing demand for junior technical hires. The survey data and Amazon’s restructuring add weight to concerns among recruiters that early-career pipelines are narrowing as AI tools absorb entry-level workloads.
Sources: HR Tech Feed
Two-Thirds of Knowledge Workers Feel Nostalgic for Pre-AI Work, Survey Finds
Two-thirds of knowledge workers regularly feel nostalgic for how their jobs functioned before AI tools became part of their workflow, according to new survey data from technology company Adaptavist. The research found that 38 percent of knowledge workers said they would remove generative AI tools from their workplace entirely if they had the choice. The survey quantifies what has been described as the great AI regret — a growing backlash among workers required to integrate AI into daily tasks. The data surfaces a tension between employer-driven AI adoption timelines and employee sentiment about how those tools have changed their working lives.
Sources: HR Tech Feed
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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