Latest news with #Lightcast
Bloomberg
9 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Thousands of Laid-Off Government Workers Are Flooding a Shrinking Job Market
Thousands of private government consultants laid off during the Trump administration's cost-cutting crusade are increasingly flooding a shrinking labor market. Job postings among seven of the 10 consulting companies singled out by the General Services Administration for contract cuts are down about 27% since 2023, and about 11% from a year ago, according to data scraped from job boards by labor market analytics firm Lightcast.
Fast Company
10 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
The hidden cost of RTO: Why forcing choice is detrimental to your business
Like most CEOs, I've been watching the return-to-office (RTO) trend closely. It's yet another wrinkle for the talent acquisition function, which is difficult to begin with. After all, the quest to hire and retain qualified talent is discussed at every board meeting, every leadership team offsite, and every yearly planning event. Entire books, magazines, podcasts, and conferences focus on this topic. Whether called a talent gap, the war for talent, or skills-based hiring, the essence remains the same: It's a struggle for every organization. So, why have I been struck by the most recent exodus back to offices? Because when you force choices, the results don't always land in your favor. Don't get me wrong—here at Employ, we have a great headquarters facility in Denver. Employees enjoy coming to work and collaborating in person. But there's a line between RTO as a productivity gain and it being the reason you lose qualified talent. According to 2025 research by Lightcast, remote job postings are down over 27%, hybrid postings are down 20%, and in-person postings are up over 17%. At the same time, companies that have publicly committed to a five-day in-office workweek are losing talent to employers supporting remote and hybrid working arrangements. It's a double-edged sword. The cost of an open role has direct financial implications on an organization, as well as less apparent indirect consequences. Estimates place the average cost of replacing an employee to be six to nine months of their salary. Other financial costs range from the expense of recruiting qualified candidates to onboarding and training. If temporary workers are needed to backfill open roles, the financial loss escalates. And the longer roles go unfilled, business objectives are derailed and productivity falters. Unfilled positions wreak havoc on the existing workforce. Critical projects might be delayed, and workforce planning questioned. Employee morale and engagement stand to decline, especially if employees are overworked. When the topic of it being time to hire qualified talent becomes water-cooler conversation, rest assured that unfilled roles are being noticed. YOUR CURRENT (AND FUTURE) EMPLOYEES EXPECT YOUR TRUST Clearly, some jobs cannot be done remotely. A job candidate applying as a labor and delivery nurse knows they will work onsite in a hospital setting. A hospitality worker seeking flexible hours at a quick-serve restaurant understands it's in person. The job location is well defined in the job description, and the candidate chooses to work on site. For other roles, workplace flexibility isn't an optional perk—it's brand equity. Forcing a one-size-fits-all policy not only damages internal trust but dilutes the company's external talent brand, which is particularly damaging in an already tight labor market. In the case of roles that do not require an in-office presence, pressuring a return to an office can have cataclysmic effects. When teams have operated remotely with success, especially when a robust employment brand has been built on a work-from-anywhere culture, confidence in leadership erodes when a change is decreed versus suggested. The move from remote or hybrid working arrangements to return to office is perceived punitively. Researchers at Gartner have observed that high-performing employees react to a return-to-office mandate as a trust issue, resulting in a 16% lower intent to stay. 'High-performing employees are more easily able to pursue opportunities at organizations that offer hybrid or fully remote policies,' said Caitlin Duffy, a director in the Gartner HR Practice. 'Losing high performers to attrition costs organizations in terms of productivity, difficulty in backfilling the role, and the overall loss of high-quality talent available to fill critical positions.' THE REALITY OF THE WORKPLACE Speaking of losing valuable talent, the return-to-office mandate can be a deal-breaker for those balancing childcare, eldercare, or other requirements with their career. In many cases, this falls on women in the workplace; however, it can affect any worker at some stage in their career journey. Upwork's research said that nearly two-thirds (63%) of C-suite leaders whose companies have mandated an office return of some sort say the policy has led a disproportionate number of women to quit. Gartner's research also showed women's intent to stay at 11% lower with strict RTO mandates. It's a fact that retaining an employee is less costly and disruptive than losing them. Having flexible working policies can help counterbalance care responsibilities and ensure that valuable skills remain in the workforce. QUALITY OF LIFE, QUALITY OF HIRE Apart from those roles where being in person is required, hard-and-fast rules about returning to the office make it harder to recruit. From a technology standpoint, talent leaders are continually seeking to source new candidates and drive efficiencies in their hiring systems, such as using AI-powered interview intelligence to speed up time to hire. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, labor force participation is off by two million people from the February 2020 levels, impacting industries in every state. And, if you compel people to choose between their family and their career, the former will win every time. To be an employer of choice, offer choice. If you can't offer remote and hybrid work arrangements, offer flexibility. It will be the difference between engaged employees and those planning to leave.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
InStride Redefines Workforce Development Through Strategic Expansion
Empowering businesses with strategic education and skilling solutions that unlock career advancement and organizational impact LOS ANGELES, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InStride, a leading provider of strategic education and skilling solutions, today announced continued growth, accelerated by its new and transformative approach to workforce development. Recently named by TIME and Statista as one of the World's Top EdTech Companies of 2025, InStride has advanced its offerings to address critical talent challenges through education and skilling solutions designed to be career-aligned, industry-relevant, and tailored to its corporate partners' needs. In partnership with some of the most influential organizations in the Fortune 250, InStride provides nearly one million eligible employees access to over 2,500 education opportunities, helping prevent $73 million in student loan debt to date. 'Education benefits have come a long way from basic tuition reimbursement,' said Craig Maloney, CEO of InStride. 'We've reimagined them as strategic levers for HR teams to attract and retain talent, upskill their workforce, fill critical roles, and ensure their people are ready for what's next. Over the past six years, we've built programs that address such challenges and have seen the difference they can make for people and businesses alike.' Each of the following innovations was designed to make strategic education solutions more relevant, flexible, and effective—for the people using them and the companies supporting them. Award-winning, expanded offerings A broader, more flexible learning networkGone are the days of a one-size-fits-all workforce development. InStride's expanding portfolio of 2,500+ educational offerings with leading universities, such as Arizona State University, creates flexible pathways aligned with workforce demands. Formats include English-language programs, specialized healthcare certifications, and stackable credentials, all tailored to how people learn and grow. Career Education PathsInStride's award-winning Career Education Paths connect learning directly to career outcomes, increasing program completion rates. Honored by Fast Company and EdTech Breakthrough Awards, these structured paths are designed using Lightcast to map learning to 40+ specific roles across technology, healthcare, and corporate services. The result: higher engagement and a reliable pipeline of skilled talent. Dependent education benefitsInStride enables businesses to extend education benefits to employees' dependents. This allows employees at participating companies to use their benefits for spouses and children who gain access to career-aligned courses, certifications, and degrees, which enhances employee loyalty and retention as workers feel a deeper commitment to companies investing in their families. In turn, dependent benefits create a ripple effect beyond the workplace, helping to uplift communities by expanding access to education and opportunity for future generations. Supporting a skills-first approachInStride helps companies build talent strategies grounded in employee skills and capabilities. This includes helping companies identify the skills needed for key roles, map career paths, and uncover gaps between the skills employees have and the ones their businesses need. With that foundation in place, companies can make more informed hiring and promotion decisions—and use targeted learning programs to help employees build the skills to grow into critical roles. Pioneering, scalable, customizable solutions Hybrid clinical cohortsHealthcare systems can't rely solely on external hiring. InStride's hybrid clinical cohorts address staffing shortages in healthcare by combining online coursework with in-hospital training. With structured learning models to boost completion rates, they create pathways to in-demand roles like medical assistants, surgical technologists, and clinical lab specialists. This empowers employers to develop talent from within, which has proven to reduce staffing shortages and improve career mobility for existing employees. Industry-first franchise workforce education modelInStride's hub-and-spoke franchise education model allows franchisees to opt into and manage corporate education programs while customizing them for their workforce, providing centralized tracking and reporting tools for improved oversight. This balance between corporate structure and local flexibility helps franchise businesses retain and develop talent while maintaining a consistent workforce strategy. This approach has delivered impressive results, with over 50% of franchisees at one partner adopting the program in its first year and achieving a one-third higher retention rate for participating employees compared to non-participants. Custom solutions for accelerated capability buildingTo help businesses build specialized professional skill sets, InStride introduced Capability Accelerators, which provide custom academies tailored for specific roles including first-line managers, manufacturing and healthcare leaders; cohort-based learning with applied, real-world training featuring expert coaching and AI-enhanced tools; and university-backed content that blends academic insights with practical, job-relevant learning. 'We remain committed to building solutions that meet real workforce needs,' said Craig Maloney, CEO of InStride. He says of the company's future development: 'We're now investing more in AI that truly transforms individual careers and organizational success. We always start with our partners' business goals in mind—and by intelligently analyzing employee data like job roles, skills, and aspirations, we're better able to connect talent to the right education opportunities and personalized coaching support. That precision is what drives meaningful outcomes.'InStride solves corporate talent challenges with strategic education and skilling solutions. By breaking down barriers to learning, fostering career growth aligned with organizational goals, and simplifying program management, InStride delivers lasting impact. Partnering with forward-thinking companies like Labcorp, Adidas, and SSM Health, InStride drives meaningful social and business outcomes by providing access to life-changing education. Visit or follow InStride on LinkedIn for more information and up-to-date news. ContactSophia Puglisi, Communications Manager at InStride, 805-889-6273Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CyberSeek expands cybersecurity workforce data coverage and enhances user experience
Cybersecurity job postings of 514,000 up over prior reporting period DENVER, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Against a backdrop of uncertainty, employers across the economy continue to build their cybersecurity capacity through talent acquisition and skills development, according to new data from CyberSeek™, the most comprehensive source of information on the U.S. cybersecurity workforce. Employers in the private and public sectors deployed 514,359 job listings over the past 12 months1 in recruiting for dedicated cybersecurity jobs and adjacent technical positions with a heavy cybersecurity skills requirement. This represents an increase of nearly 57,000 listings, or 12% over the lull in hiring activity during the prior 12-month reporting period. The new CyberSeek data release and website refresh coincides with the 2025 NICE Conference & Expo, taking place in Denver. This year's conference theme "Climbing Higher: Educating & Sustaining a Resilient Cybersecurity Workforce" reinforces the need for robust data and insights to inform strategic planning across private and public sector organizations. "The cybersecurity workforce needs of organizations continue to climb higher and should compel us to scale and sustain education and workforce development programs," said Rodney Petersen, director of NICE. "The CyberSeek data, based on actual job postings, also reinforces the importance of employers providing realistic entry-level opportunities for aspiring cybersecurity workers and prioritizing the ongoing development of talent." One of the new data additions to CyberSeek is the percent of cybersecurity job listings that cite an artificial intelligence (AI) skills requirement. Over the past 12 months, approximately 10% of employers recruiting for cybersecurity positions cited AI as a requirement. For other segments of employers, it may be an implied skill requirement not explicitly mentioned in the job listing. For the first time CyberSeek is providing a global cybersecurity employment baseline, which stands at an estimated 4,970,000, with a range estimate of 4.4m to 5.5m using lower-end and higher-end estimation factors. This figure encompasses dedicated cybersecurity professionals and adjacent IT professionals with significant cybersecurity responsibilities. "Despite broader economic uncertainty, demand for cybersecurity talent remains high, with a workforce gap continuing to challenge both the public and private sectors," said Matthew Walsh, Research Director at Lightcast. "In this update to CyberSeek, Lightcast and CompTIA are proud to introduce a global estimate of the cybersecurity workforce, along with new insights on the growing intersection of cybersecurity and AI skills. These data provide valuable insights for employers, policymakers, educators, and jobseekers navigating today's evolving cybersecurity landscape." Other new data enhancements include an updated mapping of employer job postings to the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity. Job postings2 NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity Categories 355,590 Oversight and Governance (OG) 335,993 Implementation and Operation (IO) 331,644 Design and Development (DD) 238,516 Protection and Defense (PD) 19,525 Investigation (IN) The CyberSeek-calculated supply-demand ratio is 74%, suggesting a larger gap between perceived employer cybersecurity staffing needs and the potential supply of talent. Other factors adding complexity to the dynamic include recruiting periods that are 21% longer on average, the emergence of yet-to-be-defined AI-enabled threats, the pace of technical and process change, and the ever-present challenges of continuous learning and skills development. "The data reinforces the importance of a layered approach to cybersecurity defense strategies," said Tim Herbert, chief research officer, CompTIA. "This is especially critical in the emerging domains of AI (SecAI) and operational technology security (SecOT) where new security protocols and skills will be needed." The latest CyberSeek release again shows cybersecurity talent needs spanning the country. Businesses of all sizes and every industry sector type, as well as state and local governments, must contend with decisions of building their cybersecurity teams through recruitment or internal development. The top 10 states account for approximately 55% of hiring activity via job posting volumes, with the remaining 45% among every other state. State Job postings Virginia 53,855 California 44,344 Texas 42,559 Maryland 27,050 Florida 23,792 CyberSeek provides detailed, actionable data about the cybersecurity job market. It is a joint initiative of NICE, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology focused on advancing cybersecurity education and workforce development; Lightcast, a leading authority on global job skills, workforce talent and labor market dynamics; and CompTIA, the world's leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. Visit to learn more. NICE Susana Barraza Lightcast Cara Christopher CompTIA Steven Ostrowski sostrowski@ 1 12-month period spanning May 2024 through April 20252 12-month period spanning May 2024 through April 2025 | Some overlap in categories may exist View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE CyberSeek Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lightcast Appoints Industry Veteran Philip Binns as Chairman of the Board
Former Agilent executive to help guide commercial growth strategies for groundbreaking benchtop single-cell functional analysis platform CAMBRIDGE, England & CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 02, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lightcast, a pioneering life science tools company, today announced the appointment of Philip Binns as chairman of its board of directors, effective May 1, 2025. With this appointment, the Lightcast board includes one investor director each from Arch Ventures, Illumina Ventures, M-Ventures, and Longwall Ventures; two independent directors, Kevin Knopp, CEO of 908 Devices, and Kevin Hrusovsky, chairman and former CEO of Quanterix; and observers from OMX Ventures, +ND Capital, and Terra Magnum. "We are thrilled to add Phil to our highly experienced board," said Paul Loeffen, PhD, CEO of Lightcast. "His extensive industry expertise and proven leadership will be invaluable as we evolve from a product development-focused company into a fully commercial organization, expanding our global reach and maximizing our impact in the life sciences market." Mr. Binns brings decades of experience in scientific instrumentation and leadership, recently serving as president of the life sciences and applied markets group at Agilent Technologies. He joined Agilent in 2010 through its acquisition of Varian, Inc., where he played a pivotal role in expanding the company's atomic and molecular spectroscopy portfolio into a market-leading business. In addition to his new role at Lightcast, Mr. Binns serves as chair and non-executive director of Epiminder, a company developing implantable brain-monitoring devices; as a director of the Bionics Institute, a globally recognized medical device research organization; and as a National Council Advisor to the Australian Industry AI Group. He holds a degree in business management from the University of Melbourne and an MBA from Melbourne Business School. "The Lightcast Envisia™ platform has the potential to transform single-cell analysis by unlocking functional insights that were previously out of reach," said Binns. "The company is at an exciting inflection point, and I'm eager to collaborate with this talented team to support the platform's global adoption and help drive the next generation of biologics and therapies." While traditional single-cell analysis techniques often rely on genomic data to infer function, the benchtop Envisia platform uses droplet microfluidics to perform highly controlled, sequential single-cell functional assays that capture rich functional data sets to improve decision making. Built around Lightcast's proprietary light-controlled droplet manipulation technology, the platform enables parallel interrogation of tens of thousands of picoliter-scale droplets, offering unmatched precision and flexibility. By integrating functional screening early in the antibody discovery process, the Envisia platform allows researchers to select and advance the most promising candidates. It also opens new possibilities in cell-cell interaction studies and broader applications in immunology and oncology. Lightcast recently announced the limited commercial release of its Envisia benchtop platform. The company is actively collaborating with leading pharmaceutical and academic institutions to validate performance, optimize protocols, and expand application areas. These efforts will support the full commercial launch of a comprehensive suite of validated protocols later in 2025. The complete Envisia workflow will include advanced instrumentation, intelligent software, a purpose-built cartridge system, and assay kits optimized for a broad range of cell types, assay formats, and research applications. To learn more about the Envisia platform, visit About Lightcast Lightcast aims to unleash new capabilities within the single-cell analysis field by developing a more accessible, scalable, and flexible platform for scientists in basic, translational, and applied research. These capabilities will empower new biological discoveries and accelerate the development of novel drugs, therapies, and biologics. Founded in 2019 and based in Cambridge, UK, Lightcast has invented a technology that uses rays of light to control picoliter-scale droplets for functional analysis of individual cells. For more information, visit Lightcast, the Lightcast logo, and Envisia are trademarks of Lightcast Discovery Ltd. View source version on Contacts For further information Andrew Noble for Lightcastandrew@ +1 (415) 722-2129 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
