Hiring managers are struggling to find the talent they need, while job seekers face one of the toughest markets in recent memory. Jonas Prising, Chair and CEO of ManpowerGroup, explains what is driving these pressures—from the economic cycle and geopolitical shifts to major demographic changes.
He also examines AI’s growing role in hiring and recruiting. While technology can make the process faster, it does not necessarily make it more accurate. For Prising, human judgment remains essential to recognizing potential, assessing fit and making better hiring decisions.
• How cyclical economic shifts, not structural AI-driven changes, are shaping employer confidence
• How big demographic shifts could push employers to tap underutilized parts of the global workforce
• How AI can increase speed of hiring but not always its accuracy
• How Manpower uses AI in hiring and recruiting and what leaders can learn
Prising also discusses ManpowerGroup’s recent research on employment trends, the early boss that changed how he leads and his take on whether big predictions for the future will become a reality.
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About this episode:
ManpowerGroup
Manpower: https://www.manpowergroup.com/en
Report: Great Talent Shortage: https://www.manpowergroup.com/de/news-releases/news/global-talent-shortage-reaches-turning-point-as-ai-skills-claim-top-spot
Report: Q3 2026 ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey: https://www.manpowergroup.com/en/insights/report/q3-2026-manpowergroup-employment-outlook-survey
Book recommendation – True North by Bill George: https://billgeorge.org/book/true-north/
0:00 Introduction
1:07 Why AI Will Redesign Work Beyond Individual Tasks
5:40 Why Human Judgment Still Matters in AI Recruitment
8:37 Hiring Questions for an AI Era
11:28 Demographic Change Is Creating New Talent Challenges
13:31 Tapping the Most Underutilized Workforce Talent Pools
14:51 Are Youth Job Losses Caused by AI or the Economic Cycle?
19:54 The Early Lesson That Shaped How Jonas Prising Leads
22:18 The Leadership Book Jonas Prising Recommends
24:04 What Will Happen to Jobs in the AI Era?
World Economic Forum:
Report: Chief People Officer Outlook report: https://www.weforum.org/publications/chief-people-officers-outlook-may-2026/
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