**The big picture:** Axiom Human Resource Solutions is expanding its cloud HR services to include multi-state payroll and UKG Ready HR outsourcing, specifically targeting the healthcare and construction industries. **Why it matters:** This move addresses critical compliance and administrative challenges for businesses with mobile workforces, offering integrated solutions to manage multi-state operations efficiently. It highlights the increasing need for specialized HR tech. **Between the lines:** - Axiom HRS is an Indianapolis-based human capital management firm. - New offerings include multi-state payroll capabilities. - The expansion leverages UKG Ready for HR outsourcing and targets healthcare and construction. **Staffing & HR impact:** Staffing agencies and HR departments in these sectors can streamline payroll and compliance for mobile employees, reducing administrative overhead and regulatory risks. This allows for greater focus on talent strategy and acquisition. **The bottom line:** Specialized, integrated HR and payroll solutions are essential for industries with dynamic, multi-state workforces.

**The big picture:** 360Learning has integrated its AI-powered learning platform with UKG's workforce platform to offer comprehensive skills-based learning solutions across organizations. This partnership aims to enhance employee development and address evolving talent needs. **Why it matters:** For staffing and HR leaders, this integration provides a direct tool to cultivate internal talent, mitigate skills gaps, and improve workforce agility. It underscores a strategic shift towards proactive skill development within existing employee bases. **Between the lines:** - UKG Pro and UKG Ready customers can now access 360Learning's learning management system. - The platform focuses on delivering skills-based learning at all organizational levels. - 360Learning utilizes AI to power its learning solutions. **Staffing & HR impact:** This integration empowers HR teams to strategically upskill and reskill employees, potentially reducing reliance on external hiring for certain roles and improving internal mobility. It can also refine talent acquisition strategies by focusing on specific skill needs not met internally. **The bottom line:** Proactive, skills-based learning is becoming indispensable for maintaining a competitive and adaptable workforce.

**The big picture:** Armanino, a top U.S. accounting and consulting firm, has acquired Sability, a leading Human Capital Management (HCM) and Workforce Management (WFM) consulting firm and UKG partner. This move significantly expands Armanino's HCM practice and AI-driven innovation capabilities. **Why it matters:** The acquisition creates a more comprehensive advisory and implementation powerhouse for businesses navigating complex workforce technology and strategic HR needs, impacting how organizations manage their talent and operations. **Between the lines:** - Sability brings over 30 years of HCM/WFM experience, 3,500+ clients, and 100+ consultants. - The combined entity aims to capitalize on momentum beyond the UKG ecosystem, including a strategic partnership with Darwinbox. - Sability's leadership team, including CEO Rob Leonard, will become partners at Armanino. **Staffing & HR impact:** This consolidation offers staffing and HR leaders a more integrated solution for HCM strategy, UKG implementation, and managed payroll, potentially streamlining vendor selection and improving operational efficiencies. The focus on AI-driven HCM also signals future advancements in talent management and workforce optimization. **The bottom line:** Expect a stronger, more integrated consulting offering for complex HCM and WFM challenges, with an eye towards AI-driven solutions.

**The big picture:** Kroger, a major U.S. supermarket chain, is integrating UKG's human capital management solutions to streamline operations and enhance employee engagement across its vast retail network. **Why it matters:** This move highlights the increasing reliance on advanced technology to manage complex workforces, improve efficiency, and ensure compliance in the competitive retail sector. **Between the lines:** - The UKG platform unifies scheduling, timekeeping, talent development, and payroll. - It aims to address operational complexities, boost employee engagement, and ensure regulatory compliance. - Advanced analytics provide data-driven insights into labor costs and productivity. **Staffing & HR impact:** The integration centralizes HR functions, potentially improving recruiter efficiency and ensuring consistent application of labor policies to mitigate compliance risks. This also impacts talent development and retention strategies. **The bottom line:** Kroger's digital transformation sets a new benchmark for workforce optimization in retail, emphasizing technology's role in competitive advantage.

**The big picture:** An unnamed automotive retailer required HRchitect's intervention to rescue a neglected UKG Pro deployment, underscoring the common challenge of maintaining complex HR technology post-implementation. **Why it matters:** This case illustrates the critical importance of sustained governance and internal expertise for maximizing return on investment in enterprise Human Capital Management (HCM) systems. **Between the lines:** - The UKG Pro system suffered from a backlog of configuration issues due to a lack of ongoing maintenance. - HRchitect focused on both remediation and building the client's internal self-sufficiency. - Many organizations underinvest in post-go-live governance, leading to underutilized platforms. **Staffing & HR impact:** This scenario creates demand for specialized HR tech consulting focused on remediation and upskilling, impacting staffing firms that can provide such expertise or HR departments needing to budget for ongoing platform stewardship. It also highlights the need for robust internal HR tech teams to ensure compliance and operational efficiency. **The bottom line:** Ongoing HCM platform governance is non-negotiable for long-term value and avoiding costly re-implementations.

**The big picture:** Arc Broward hosted its 4th Annual InspHired Awards to celebrate individuals with disabilities and the employers championing their inclusion in the workforce. **Why it matters:** This event highlights successful models for integrating individuals with disabilities into the labor market, offering valuable insights for staffing leaders and talent acquisition executives seeking to diversify their workforce. **Between the lines:** - The awards coincide with National Disability Employment Awareness Month. - UKG presented the InspHired Awards, recognizing key partners like Pompano Beach Service Plaza. - A new partnership with Chateau Mar Golf Resort provides hands-on hospitality training for participants. **Staffing & HR impact:** The initiative demonstrates how strategic partnerships can develop skilled talent pools from underrepresented groups, potentially reducing skills gaps and enhancing workforce diversity for employers. **The bottom line:** Inclusive hiring practices, as showcased by Arc Broward, offer a viable path to tap into diverse talent and foster self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.

**The big picture:** The City of Odessa has awarded a technology contract to UKG Ready for comprehensive human resources, payroll, and timekeeping services, modernizing its workforce management. **Why it matters:** Public sector entities are increasingly adopting integrated HR tech to boost operational efficiency, ensure compliance, and better manage their employees. **Between the lines:** - The agreement covers HR, payroll, timekeeping, scheduling, accruals, and leave. - The contract with UKG Ready is approved through September 2026. - The Mayor is authorized to execute related documents and spend budgeted funds. **Staffing & HR impact:** This streamlines the city's HR operations, potentially improving data accuracy and compliance, which can influence public sector talent management and reduce administrative overhead. **The bottom line:** Public sector investment in robust HR technology is a growing trend for optimizing workforce administration.

**The big picture:** Gartner has released its 2026 Workforce Management (WFM) reports, including the Magic Quadrant and Critical Capabilities, to assist organizations in evaluating WFM software solutions. These reports offer a comprehensive overview of the vendor landscape and key capabilities. **Why it matters:** Staffing and HR leaders can leverage these insights to make informed technology investment decisions, ensuring their WFM systems align with evolving operational needs and strategic workforce planning. Selecting the right software is crucial for efficiency and compliance. **Between the lines:** - Evaluation should consider how well software fits an organization's people, rules, locations, and operating demands. - The 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant positions various vendors within the WFM market. - The companion Critical Capabilities report provides deeper analysis of specific product features and use cases. **Staffing & HR impact:** Effective WFM software can significantly streamline labor scheduling, optimize costs, and ensure regulatory compliance, directly impacting gross margins and recruiter productivity. Strategic adoption is vital for managing a dynamic workforce and enhancing operational agility. **The bottom line:** Leveraging Gartner's analysis is key to making strategic WFM technology choices that future-proof workforce operations.

**The big picture:** UKG is significantly expanding its Workforce Operating Platform by integrating advanced AI for real-time frontline workforce management, moving beyond basic scheduling and time tracking. This initiative aims to help employers dynamically respond to changing demand, staffing gaps, and employee needs. **Why it matters:** As labor markets remain fluid, employers are increasingly seeking technology that can provide immediate insights and adaptive solutions for optimal workforce deployment. This AI expansion addresses critical operational challenges for staffing and HR leaders. **Between the lines:** - The platform now combines workforce intelligence with AI-powered hiring capabilities. - It enables dynamic labor management to adapt to fluctuating business conditions. - The focus is on real-time responses to operational demands and staffing shortages. **Staffing & HR impact:** This technology can significantly enhance operational efficiency for staffing firms and internal HR departments by streamlining talent acquisition and resource allocation. It may also improve recruiter mobility and optimize gross margins through better workforce planning. **The bottom line:** AI is rapidly becoming a non-negotiable tool for agile and responsive workforce operations.

**The big picture:** UKG has been recognized as a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Workforce Management (WFM) Technology, solidifying its position in the enterprise software market. This achievement also marks its dual leadership in both WFM and HCM Suites for large organizations. **Why it matters:** This recognition underscores UKG's critical role in providing essential tools for optimizing labor costs, scheduling, and compliance, which are vital for operational efficiency and strategic talent management in today's complex workforce. **Between the lines:** - UKG is a Leader in both the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for WFM and the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for HCM Suites (1,000+ Employee Enterprises). - The company emphasizes its Workforce Operating Platform as a key component of its success. **Staffing & HR impact:** Advanced WFM technology directly enhances staffing firms' ability to manage contingent workforces efficiently and HR departments' capacity to ensure compliance and optimize talent deployment, potentially improving gross margins. Recruiters benefit from streamlined processes and better data for talent acquisition. **The bottom line:** The competitive landscape for integrated workforce solutions continues to evolve, with technology leaders like UKG setting industry benchmarks for innovation and effectiveness.

**The big picture:** Salary.com's CompAnalyst, a comprehensive compensation data solution, is now available on the UKG Marketplace, offering seamless integration for HR and payroll systems. This partnership aims to streamline access to critical salary benchmarking information for businesses. **Why it matters:** This integration provides HR and staffing leaders with direct access to competitive compensation data, crucial for attracting, retaining, and fairly compensating talent in a dynamic labor market. It empowers organizations to make data-driven pay decisions. **Between the lines:** - CompAnalyst offers robust salary data and analytics. - The integration is accessible via the UKG Marketplace. - Facilitates competitive salary benchmarking and pay equity initiatives. **Staffing & HR impact:** HR teams gain immediate access to vital compensation intelligence, optimizing salary offers and improving talent acquisition efficiency. This can directly influence recruiter mobility and gross margins by ensuring competitive pay structures. **The bottom line:** Expect more strategic and data-informed compensation planning for UKG users.

**The big picture:** The Las Vegas Raiders have selected UKG to manage their human resources, payroll, and workforce operations across the entire organization. This move centralizes critical administrative functions for the professional football team. **Why it matters:** This highlights a growing trend among large organizations, including sports franchises, to invest in comprehensive HR technology platforms. Streamlining these operations is crucial for efficiency, compliance, and enhancing the employee experience for a diverse workforce. **Between the lines:** - UKG will provide a unified technology platform for HR, payroll, and workforce management. - The implementation covers all football operations within the Raiders organization. - The goal is to improve operational efficiency and data accuracy. **Staffing & HR impact:** Integrated HR and payroll systems reduce administrative burdens on HR teams, allowing them to focus on strategic talent development and retention. This can improve recruiter mobility by providing better data and freeing up resources for talent acquisition efforts. **The bottom line:** Major sports franchises are prioritizing robust HR tech infrastructure to support their complex talent management needs.

**The big picture:** Organizations face significant challenges in controlling labor costs, particularly overtime, due to a lack of real-time visibility into scheduling impacts. CFOs are increasingly pressuring HR to adopt proactive strategies to manage these expenses before they occur. **Why it matters:** Effective workforce management is crucial for staffing leaders and HR executives to protect profit margins and ensure financial stability. Reactive cost control leads to unnecessary premium payments and operational inefficiencies. **Between the lines:** - Labor represents one of the largest expenditures for most businesses. - Traditional scheduling often lacks insight into its direct impact on the bottom line. - The goal is to shift from paying for overtime after it happens to preventing it through better planning. **Staffing & HR impact:** Staffing firms and HR departments can leverage advanced workforce management technology to optimize schedules, significantly reducing unplanned overtime and safeguarding gross margins. This proactive approach also strengthens HR compliance with wage and hour regulations. **The bottom line:** Data-driven workforce management is essential for transforming labor cost control from a reactive expense into a strategic advantage.

**The big picture:** Gartner's latest Human Capital Management (HCM) research indicates a significant industry shift from systems of record to

**The big picture:** UKG and Google Cloud are expanding their partnership to integrate agentic AI into UKG's Workforce Operating Platform, leveraging Google Cloud's AI and data analytics tools to enhance efficiency and employee experience. **Why it matters:** This signifies a major leap in AI adoption for workforce management, promising to streamline operations and free up managers for strategic tasks, directly impacting productivity and talent deployment. **Between the lines:** - UKG will leverage Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise, Gemini models, and BigQuery. - New AI agents will provide 24/7 employee assistance for common workplace needs (e.g., schedules, pay). - Manager insights agents will simplify workforce planning and data analysis, reducing administrative tasks. **Staffing & HR impact:** Agentic AI can significantly reduce administrative burdens on HR and staffing teams, improving recruiter mobility and optimizing operational margins by automating routine tasks. It also enhances employee self-service, freeing up HR resources. **The bottom line:** The future of workforce management is increasingly AI-driven, with agentic solutions poised to redefine efficiency and employee engagement at scale.

**The big picture:** U.S. shift work increased for the fifth consecutive month in June, while new hires and separations declined, indicating a more stable but less dynamic labor market. This suggests employers and employees are maintaining current employment levels amidst economic uncertainty. **Why it matters:** This shift signals a cautious approach by businesses, impacting talent acquisition strategies and workforce planning as companies prioritize retention over rapid expansion. Staffing leaders must adapt to slower churn and potentially longer placement cycles. **Between the lines:** - Shift work grew 1.3% in June, reaching its highest June level since 2021. - New-hire rates decreased by 1.6%, and worker-separation rates fell by 6.4%. - Small businesses are driving workforce growth, outpacing larger companies. **Staffing & HR impact:** Staffing firms will need to pivot towards talent retention and internal mobility solutions, as external hiring slows and recruiter mobility decreases. HR departments will focus on employee engagement and upskilling existing workforces to meet evolving needs. **The bottom line:** The labor market is settling into a stable holding pattern, emphasizing consistency over growth.

**The big picture:** A global study by UKG reveals that frontline workers who utilize AI in their roles are significantly less likely to experience burnout, offering a potential solution to persistent high burnout rates in this critical segment of the workforce. **Why it matters:** For staffing and HR leaders, this finding highlights AI's potential not just for efficiency but for improving employee well-being and retention, directly impacting productivity and operational stability. **Between the lines:** - 76% of frontline workers still report burnout, consistent with previous years. - Over one-third of frontline employees currently use AI on the job. - Despite benefits, AI anxiety remains, with workers concerned about job displacement. **Staffing & HR impact:** Staffing firms can strategically integrate AI tools to enhance candidate matching and support, potentially reducing recruiter burnout and improving placement success. HR departments must focus on change management and upskilling to alleviate AI-related job fears and maximize adoption. **The bottom line:** Thoughtful AI implementation could be a powerful lever for fostering a more resilient and engaged frontline workforce.