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Tony Buffum's Newsletter
Tony Buffum
Tony Buffum
Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Human Cloud
20+ years as an HR leader · Former CHRO & HR exec at enterprise scale

Future-Proof Your Workforce, One Briefing at a Time

Sharp, weekly executive-level reads on workforce strategy — where the labor market is heading, how leading enterprises are rethinking talent, and what it means for the way you build your teams. Written by an HR leader who challenges the status quo and prepares executives for the future of work.

Previously
Upwork
VP, HR Client Strategy
FLIR Systems
CHRO
Stanley Black & Decker
VP, HR
20+Years in HR leadership
100sExecutives advised yearly
20+Industry conferences a year
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The Archive

Every edition

Latest editionSeptember 9, 2026

Hiring ramps up

We called the shift from headcount to capabilities, and the data keeps agreeing. August payrolls tripled the forecast and July was revised from -23,000 to +21,000. Services output hit its fastest pace since February while services employment contracted. Where the demand is actually landing, and what it means for how you build your workforce.

Read edition
September 2, 2026

Jobs aren't growing. The work is.

Private employers added 38,000 jobs in August, the slowest month since January, while layoffs fell to a six-month low. Jobs are not growing, but the work is: Porsche just committed $1.5 billion to people who can make its AI investment work, and DHS proposed a $103,265 fee on new H-1B petitions. Plus: join the annual flexible workforce study with Independently, and dinner at CWS Dallas.

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Read edition
August 26, 2026

Join me in Dallas. Then read this.

US business activity grew at its fastest pace since 2022 the same week JPMorgan layoffs hit an 11-year high. Growth and cuts now run in the same building, and the flexible workforce is where they get reconciled. Plus two ways to sit down with Tony in Dallas at CWS.

Read edition
August 19, 2026

The job market froze. Contract work didn't.

US payrolls fell 23,000 in July and the labor force shrank by 264,000. Inflation outran pay growth again. Meanwhile the share of skilled knowledge workers who freelance jumped from 28% to 38% in a single year.

Read edition
August 12, 2026

Hiring stalled. The work didn't.

US payrolls added 44,000 jobs in July, the weakest gain in six months, while US staffing hours hit new highs for the year. Both are true, and the gap between them is the story.

Read edition
August 5, 2026

The AI adopters are hiring more, not less

Demand for the most AI-exposed roles fell 42%, yet the companies actually adopting AI grew headcount 27% more than the ones that didn't. What that means before you freeze a req.

Read edition
July 29, 2026

The will it, won't it economy is why you need to access, not acquire talent

Jobless claims hit their lowest level since 1969, Ford rehired the engineers AI replaced, and the $100K H-1B fee survived another challenge. Tony Buffum on why unpredictable policy is the strongest argument for a flexible talent layer.

Read edition
July 22, 2026

The Future of Work: Contingent Hours Surge as Enterprises Redefine the Workforce

Tony Buffum on the split-screen labor market - contingent hours surging while permanent hiring slows, SIA formalizing digital labor as a provider category, and Thomson Reuters restructuring workforce composition around AI.

Read edition
July 1, 2026

How PE Is Transforming Their Talent Strategy

Tony chaired PEI's Operating Partners Forum in Napa. 4 things PE is thinking about talent: AI-advanced talent, EQ over finance, community for AI adoption, and go slow to go fast. Plus FMS surged 350% and EOR holds the top search since December.

Read edition
June 22, 2026

AI Automation That Shows Up in the Numbers

AI adoption is high. Value capture is not. Here is the 5-step playbook Tony Buffum is presenting to PE firms at PEI Napa this week.

Read edition
June 17, 2026

Cheers from SHRM: The 3 Forces Reshaping Work

Three forces are converging on the world of work at once - consolidation, AI, and new standards - and they all come down to one thing: trust. Plus the live search data from Human Cloud.

Read edition
May 20, 2026

From Commencement Boo's To 4 AM Layoffs

Three crowds are making the AI headlines this week: commencement Boo's, the 2 AM Layoffs, and the HR Axe. While they fight, contractors are quietly rehired and 74% of flexible talent has gone AI-native. The cheat code is the talent solutions on Human Cloud.

Read edition
May 18, 2026

The Great Reset Has a Number. It's 80,000.

Q1 2026 layoff data, the rebuild opportunity, and the solutions powering it across AI-native services, security and compliance, and fractional executive leadership.

Read edition
May 14, 2026

Search Diversification Is Accelerating

This month more new search categories appeared on Human Cloud than any prior month. Construction, civil engineering, instructional design, and finance are all net-new. EOR remains the top search since December. FMS rose as a new category.

Read edition
May 11, 2026

CX Talent Outpacing Broader Job Market...Why?

a16z data proves what we've been telling you, that AI amplifies, not automates, your human workforce. Whether costs favoring humans, or the human touch beating AI customer support, the right talent ecosystem has never been more important.

Read edition
May 9, 2026

Layoffs Get the Headline. Org Design Determines Success.

Cloudflare cut 20%. Upwork cut 24%. Coinbase introduced one-person teams. Then a16z says the AI job apocalypse is a fantasy. The truth is somewhere more interesting.

Read edition
May 7, 2026

The Shift Is In: What Companies Are Actually Searching For Right Now

Coinbase cut 14% and introduced one-person teams with AI agents. Amazon launched Connect Talent, a hiring solution. Then a16z says the AI job apocalypse is a myth. What's really happening is a shift. Here's where companies are shifting based on our search traffic.

Read edition
May 4, 2026

The 40/40/20 Workforce Is Already Being Built

Three signals from this week: the 40/40/20 workforce model, $165B in reshoring investment, and 8 in 10 companies planning to hire freelancers.

Read edition
May 1, 2026

The Automation Trap

40,000 jobs cut in April. But 85% of leaders are expanding human roles. The automation trap is real.

Read edition
April 29, 2026

The Great Reset: Capabilities, Not Headcount

Layoffs get the headlines. AI optimized teams make the impact. Here are the exact capabilities you can add to your workforce today, with verified business cases across FMS, EOR, Marketing, Engineering, Finance, Strategy, and Product.

Read edition
April 25, 2026

Who Builds the Agents?

Snap cut 1,000. KPMG cut 10% of partners. The real story is who companies need next. Plus Heidrick reports C-suite independents up 151%, Mark Cuban on AI implementation, and podcast episodes with Maggie Ruvoldt and Michelle Allbon.

Read edition
April 22, 2026

Layoffs up. Searches up. Meet The Great Transformation.

Snap cut 1,000 roles. Disney eliminated entire marketing divisions. Marketing just surged to #1 on Human Cloud alongside a 133% increase in creative and design. Plus new categories appearing for the first time.

Read edition
April 21, 2026

25k job cuts per month (yet 29% rehiring the same people)

Goldman says AI is cutting 25K jobs monthly. Robert Half says most companies regret it. The DOL just simplified the IC test. The shift is accelerating.

Read edition
April 17, 2026

Revolut Built It. Disney Is Pivoting Into It.

Revolut just launched an EOR. Disney just cut 1,000 marketers. The flexible workforce stopped being a trend. Now it is infrastructure.

Read edition
April 15, 2026

Consulting is Surging. Verticals are Deepening.

EOR remains the top search on Human Cloud since December. Consulting is up 300% this month, fractional +150%, design +120%. Verticals from healthcare to aerospace to childcare rose this week as generalist staffing loses share.

Read edition
April 14, 2026

Introducing Winter 2026 Badges: The Top Flexible Workforce Solutions

Today we announce the 2026 Winter Badge winners - the top flexible workforce solutions across 47 categories, ranked by HC Score.

Read edition
April 10, 2026

The Greatest Workforce Transition Is Your Greatest Opportunity

Disney just cut 1,000 marketers. Enterprise buyers from REI to Cherry Bekaert walked onto Human Cloud this week. A leading F&B enterprise is restructuring their entire talent strategy through a single RFP. This is the moment.

Read edition
April 8, 2026

EORs are surging. Here is what your peers are searching for.

EOR has been the top search since December. AI engineers, developers, and creative are all growing. Plus new categories like caregiving and cyber are appearing for the first time.

Read edition
April 6, 2026

The Productivity Bar Just Reset. Talent Access Is How You Keep Up.

a16z data shows top companies generating $700K ARR per employee - up 2x since 2018. The old benchmark of $200K is now the median. Here is what that means for how companies build teams.

Read edition
April 3, 2026

a16z Just Described Flexible Talent. They Just Didn't Call It That.

a16z named "Forward-Deployed AI Consulting" a Big Idea for 2026. Plus: Oracle cuts 30,000, Jack Dorsey kills middle management, trending EOR, FMS, and MENA solutions, and real business cases from the platform.

Read edition
March 30, 2026

The future belongs to AI + Talent Platforms and EORs

35.6% of AI layoffs already reversed. Companies are rethinking how they access talent.

Read edition
March 21, 2026

AI is real. The talent strategy lacks.

AWS now requires humans behind every AI-generated PR. 35.6% of companies that cut roles for AI already rehired more than half back. Plus Jeff Nugent on IC compliance, curated MENA and APAC solutions, and 7 industry insights.

Read edition
March 18, 2026

The Shortlist - March 18, 2026

Amazon now requires humans behind every AI. Trending solutions across EOR, Marketing, Design, and Developers - plus real business cases from A.Team, 365Talents, Topcoder, beecrowd, Andela, and more.

Read edition
March 13, 2026

The secret to AI isn't AI. It's your talent strategy.

95% of AI pilots are failing. We automated 90% of our content without a single full-time hire. Here's how.

Read edition
March 11, 2026

Resiliency Starts With Flexibility: Top Solutions Across CX, Sales, Legal, LATAM, Events, Manufacturing, and Asia

Your competitors are cutting costs 60% with flexible talent. See who's leading across 7 categories, real business cases, and our new automated RFP feature.

Read edition
March 9, 2026

The Labor Market Lost 92,000 Jobs in February. Companies Aren't Cutting Work - They're Cutting Fixed Cost.

Friday's jobs report exposed how fragile the labor market has become. Platform traffic keeps climbing as companies shift from fixed cost to flexible talent.

Read edition
March 2, 2026

The Great Transition: From Full Time to Flex

Block cut 4,000 employees. Accenture cut 11,000. 30,700+ tech jobs gone in 6 weeks. The transition from full-time to flex is here — and the infrastructure already exists.

Read edition
February 27, 2026

30-70% of F500 CMOs Embrace Freelancers

Adweek on Fortune 500 freelancer teams, DOLs new contractor rule, Jose De Cabo on LATAM hiring, 4 marketing business cases, and Winter 2026 badge awards.

Read edition
February 25, 2026

BTG, Expert360, and Catalant Are Trending This Week

The Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs. A 15% replacement landed the same day. Inside: consulting and fractional solutions for navigating tariff uncertainty, plus 6 verified business cases.

Read edition
February 22, 2026

The Reshape Economy: 92% Hiring, 55% Laying Off — Weekly Brief Feb 22, 2026

92% of companies plan to hire in 2026, but 55% also expect layoffs. This week's full breakdown: industry intel, platform data, trending solutions, and the AI productivity gap.

Read edition
February 20, 2026

Friday Flexible Workforce Scoop — February 20, 2026

Upwork -36%, Fiverr -35% YTD — AI is repricing the workforce industry. Market pulse, 5 workforce intelligence stories, solutions spotlight, and real business cases.

Read edition
February 18, 2026

Weekly Digest: Marketing, Consulting & EOR Trending This Week

This week buyer demand is flowing to Marketing, Consulting, and EOR. See the top-rated solutions, a regional spotlight on Brazil, and verified case studies from our database of 1,264+ outcomes.

Read edition
February 16, 2026

The Jobless Recovery Is Here. What It Means for Your Workforce Strategy.

2025 was revised down by 403,000 jobs. GDP grew but headcount didn't follow. Here's what the data says about where hiring — and flexible talent — is headed.

Read edition
February 12, 2026

146% Growth — 2026 Is the Year of Flexible Talent

Platform growth hits 146% MoM. EOR demand up 167%, Marketing up 150%, Developers up 100%. The momentum is here—are you positioned to capture it?

Read edition