Degree Inflation Hurting Bottom Line of U.S. Firms, Closing Off Economic Opportunity for Millions of Americans
New BLS research finds three in five U.S. employers report difficulty in filling middle-skills jobs that require more education than a high-school diploma, but less than a four-year college degree. As such, more than six million middle-skills jobs are at risk of “degree inflation”—the practice of preferring or requiring a college degree for jobs traditionally held by middle-skills workers. Harvard Business School
More Companies are Buying Insurance to Cover Executives Who Sexually Harass Employees
Employment practice liability insurance plans that cover sexual harassment, racial discrimination and wrongful-firing claims have spread rapidly over the past decade from major corporations to midsize and smaller firms. But lawyers and some women’s groups say the policies may also help perpetuate abuse by allowing companies to avoid confronting the problem head-on. Washington Post
Gender Pay Gap Could Take More Than 200 Years to Close, Economists Predict
Info from the World Economic Forum and Quartz shows the global economic gender gap is wider again over the past year based on pay, participation in the workforce and leadership. At this rate, Quartz concludes, women won’t achieve parity for 217 years, though closing the gap now could mean an extra $1,750 billion for the U.S. GDP alone. HR Dive
The Future of Recruiting — The Talent Advisor Model Dominates
ERE argues the most in-demand HR role in the future will be the consultant who can advise managers on talent management skills so they make the most of their employees and drive business outcomes. AI and machine learning is rapidly reducing the need for traditional order-filling recruiters. ERE
A Well-Oiled Machine: What’s Next in Human Resources Technology?
To counter pending challenges such as labor pool restructuring, HR will need to move applications to the cloud and optimize use of robotic process automation, predictive analytics and AI, including AI-based mobile and social enhancements. It must collaborate with marketing, operations, sales, legal and IT to form strategy and timelines for improvement. Forbes