The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week

It wasn’t that long ago that industry experts were ringing alarm bells about the pandemic’s impact on women in the U.S. workforce. Many even dubbed the moment a “she-cession.”

“Three years ago,” writes The Washington Post, “as COVID-19 was ravaging the nation, childcare closures and remote schooling disproportionately forced women out of their jobs. Economists warned of potential scarring effects: Once these women stepped away from their careers, the fear went, they might struggle to get back on track.”

Despite these well-founded worries, new research from the Penn Wharton Budget Model indicates some good news: “The she-cession,” writes The Washington Post, “[has] flipped into a spectacular she-covery.”

The Washington Post piece, which you can find at the top of our list below of must-read articles for talent professionals, is chock-full of fascinating data and insights, but one key takeaway is particularly uplifting: “To be clear, American women have not merely recovered all the ground lost during those early COVID lockdowns; they’re more likely to work today than at any prior time in history.”

Now that’s news worth celebrating.

And further down our list, you can also learn how AI can help with your company’s employer branding efforts; why learning opportunities may not be equal between frontline and office employees; and why Bill Gates, in a conversation with Trevor Noah, can envision a three-day workweek.