Gap between demand and hiring widens

More candidates are applying for jobs in manufacturing especially, but companies aren’t successfully moving them into available roles, according to an ICIMS report. The report examined data from more than 3.1 million users and 691 million candidate profiles and found what it called an increasing disparity between employer demand, candidate activity and hiring outcomes. In the manufacturing sector, the applicant pool is getting younger, the report said. In July, applicants under 45 years old accounted for 85% of overall manufacturing applicants, up from 79% year over year. At the same time, workers 45 and older represented almost half (47%) of the sector’s workforce.

“If there's one sector that keeps defying expectations this year, it is manufacturing,” Trent Cotton, head of talent insights at ICIMS, said in a statement. “Every time we think the growth has peaked, the next month proves us wrong.” However, Cotton added that “growth alone does not fill a role.” “Recruiting organizations are being asked to keep pace with demand that is climbing faster than their hiring engines can absorb, and that gap is where the real story is,” Cotton said. According to recent data from the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the manufacturing industry added 5,000 jobs in July, representing a 145% increase from July 2025, when 11,000 jobs were cut.

The insurer sued SHRM Tuesday, alleging state law prohibits it from indemnifying the organization because the jury found intentional race discrimination. Virginia is the latest to enact a statewide pay history law, which will take effect July 1, 2026. The plaintiff alleged that he repeatedly contacted Amazon’s HR staff to correct the error to no avail. The officer also said she was forbidden to speak publicly about equity.

⚡ Effects Interpreter