Welcome to Recruiter Roundup, where we at Recruiter.com take a monthly look at the most exciting recruiting and HR industry news. We'll highlight some of our own news as well, such as our new AI-matching candidate sourcing platform, and our recent Recruiter Index report on CNBC.

Recruiting Industry Investments / M&A Activity:

• Digital recruitment platform Job.com acquires IT-focused recruiting firm HireVergence. (source)
• Jobvite acquires talent analytics platform Talentegy. (source)
• Learning platform Kahoot! acquires employee engagement platform Actimo. (source)
• Talent intelligence platform OutMatch acquires recruitment automation platform LaunchPad. (source)
• Swyg, which aims to reduce bias through peer interviews and AI, raises $1.2 million. (source)
• AI-powered workforce management solution Legion Technologies raises $22 million in Series B funding. (source)
• Fintech-focused HR tech startup Storm2 raises $2.9 million in Series A funding. (source)

Must-Read Reports:

• Perhaps the best news of late comes from ManpowerGroup’s Q4 2020 Employment Outlook Survey, which found that employers’ hiring intentions are beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels. Coupled with the unemployment rate  sliding down to 8.4 percent — single digits for the first time since the pandemic began! — this news suggests that, slowly but surely, organizations are learning to adapt and thrive in the new normal.
• Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) finds minority students are underrepresented in paid internships — a particularly bad look at a time when diversity and inclusion are top of mind for many. (source)
• Upwork’s new Freelance Forward 2020 report traces COVID-19’s impact on the freelance economy. (source)

Company News:

• Recruiter.com (that's us, folks) launched a new AI-driven candidate matching tool. Now you can find candidates for open jobs using Recruiter.com. (source)
• Jobvite launches the AI Innovation Lab to help employers better leverage predictive analytics and data science. (source) 
• Checkster sponsors Recruiting.Work, a virtual community of talent acquisition professionals. (source)
• Enterprise talent acquisition and management platform Avature announces integration with WeChat Work. (source)
• Ratings and reviews platform Clutch names the 70+ top recruiting firms according to its data. Winners include Talent Place, Capital Recruiters, and Soshace. (source)
• The American Staffing Association names nurse Linda Cardenas the 2021 National Staffing Employee of the Year. (source)
• Talent acquisition firm IQTalent Partners launches “passive candidate marketplace” IQTalent Xchange. (source)
• People management platform Lattice introduces career-development product Grow. (source)
• PayScale partners with the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center to drive improved pay equity initiatives. (source)
• Accenture establishes Black Founders Development Program to help Black business owners access venture capital, mentorship, and strategic business connections. (source)

Legal and Regulatory News:

The US Department of Labor (DOL) has been on a tear recently, awarding millions of dollars in employment service grants and dislocated worker grants, as well as investing in combating unemployment insurance fraud and solving rural healthcare workforce shortages. It’s worth paying close attention to the DOL’s activity over the coming weeks and months, as it may affect how your organization recruits and retains talent.

Upcoming Events:

In-person events are still out, but virtual alternatives have been cropping up, including:

• The Leadership in the Age of Personalization Summit, hosted by Fairfield University College of Arts and Sciences and sponsored by LightSpeedVT (Oct. 28-30, 2020). Details: https://2020summit.ageofpersonalization.com/
• iCIMS Inspire 2020 (Nov. 17-18, 2020). Details: https://www4.icims.com/inspire

Are you interested in having your company featured in this recruiting industry report? Send an email to our Editor, matthew@recruiter.com, with your company's news or announcements. Our regular publication, RecruiterToday, also features thought leadership from recruiting and talent acquisition professionals and accepts content contributions.