**The big picture:** Workday acquired VNDLY for approximately $510 million to integrate contingent workforce management directly into its Human Capital Management (HCM) platform. **Why it matters:** This acquisition addresses the long-standing challenge of managing external workers, offering organizations a unified view of their entire workforce, both employees and contractors. **Between the lines:** - VNDLY's platform manages contingent labor, statements of work, worker profiles, and compliance. - The direct connection to Workday HCM provides a comprehensive view of all workers. - In 2026, VNDLY began incorporating AI for sourcing and vetting external talent. **Staffing & HR impact:** This integration streamlines compliance and operational efficiency for managing external talent, potentially impacting recruiter workflows and gross margins by centralizing contingent workforce data. It also enhances HR's ability to strategically utilize a flexible workforce. **The bottom line:** Workday's move signifies a critical shift towards holistic workforce visibility, recognizing contingent workers as integral to organizational strategy.

**The big picture:** Workday has introduced its VNDLY Contingent Sourcing Agent, an AI-powered tool designed to optimize the hiring process for temporary and contract roles. This new solution is now generally available to customers. **Why it matters:** The agent aims to significantly reduce the time required to fill open contingent worker positions while simultaneously enhancing applicant quality and identifying opportunities for spend optimization. This directly impacts operational efficiency and cost management for businesses. **Between the lines:** - The Contingent Sourcing Agent leverages AI for intelligent grading and recommendations of contingent worker applicants. - It focuses on improving the quality of candidates presented to hiring managers. - The system also helps identify areas to optimize spending on contingent labor. **Staffing & HR impact:** Staffing firms and corporate HR departments can anticipate faster, more efficient contingent talent acquisition, potentially allowing recruiters to focus on strategic engagement rather than manual sourcing. This innovation could also influence gross margins by optimizing sourcing costs and improving candidate fit. **The bottom line:** AI is rapidly becoming a critical component for agile and cost-effective contingent workforce management strategies.