The American Council of Life Insurers hired Carrie Haughawout as vice president of life insurance and regulatory policy. Before joining the life insurance industry association, Haughawout served as deputy director of the Ohio Department of Insurance and director for health care and small business at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. She also worked as a legislative policy advisor and administrative aide for the Ohio House of Representatives.

Elizabeth Carpenter will join PhRMA as the pharmaceutical industry association’s head of policy. Among other professional highlights, she was previously president of Avalere Health and a legislative aide to former Sen. Lincoln Chafee.

Ballard Partners brought on former Jacksonville, Fla., Mayor Lenny Curry as a partner in its Washington, Tallahassee and Jacksonville offices. Curry served as mayor of the Florida city from 2015 to 2023, and before that, he was elected chairman and vice-chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

Adam Hensel-Briscoe joined Squire Patton Boggs as a principal in its government investigations and white-collar practice. He also worked as counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld after a stint as associate director of the Office of Global Targeting’s Narcotics and Narcotics in the Treasury Department’s Africa and Western Hemisphere division.

James Huddleston joined Alaska Airlines as a public policy manager. He most recently worked as a senior congressional liaison at the Federal Aviation Administration, and before that, he was former Rep. Peter DeFazio’s (D-Ore.) legislative director.

Lobbying World documents the top lobbying hires in the nation’s capital every week.

The ​American Golf Industry Coalition hired Prism Group to lobby on domestic tax matters impacting golf courses. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations grilled two members of leadership of the PGA Tour, a coalition contributing partner, last Tuesday on the organizer’s pending agreement to form a new for-profit golf entity with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, including the future of the Tour’s tax-exempt status. Jay Perron, Prism Group partner and former vice president at the health insurance industry association America’s Health Insurance Plans, will work on the account.

Investment

​Honduras Prospera Inc. hired King & Spalding LLP to lobby on U.S. direct investments in Honduras. Former Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) will advocate for protecting U.S. investments in the country, which established diplomatic ties with China in March, opening the door for billions of dollars of new investment from Beijing.

Space

The ​United Launch Alliance LLC, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, hired Hobart Hallaway & Quayle Ventures, LLC to lobby on appropriations and issues related to space launches. Former Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder (Kansas) and member of the House Appropriations Committee will work on the account.

Airlines

​Emirates Airlines hired H4 Advisors LLC to lobby on policies impacting the airline industry. Naveen Rao, former counsel to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee, will work on the account. 

Food

DoorDash hired S-3 Group to lobby on policy issues impacting consumers, labor, the gig economy, food, restaurants and small businesses. The lobbying team is made up of five lobbyists with previous experience on Capitol Hill, including Matt Bravo, who worked as director of floor operations for current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and floor assistant to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).

Fitness

Planet Fitness, Orangetheory Fitness and ​Self Esteem Brands hired Holland & Knight LLP to lobby on the importance of physical fitness and support for small gyms and fitness centers. Kathryn Lehman, a partner at Holland & Knight and the former chief of staff to the House Republican Conference, will work on the account.

Bottom Line is a weekly column documenting lobbying contracts filed with Congress.

Businesses spent an estimated $7.5 billion on them in 2020, and are projected to spend over $15 billion by 2026. But despite this, many companies have reported that their DEI programs have largely failed.

It's simple — you can increase diversity in the workforce, treat people fairly and even include them, but if they still don’t truly feel as though they belong, your efforts miss the mark. That’s why studies show that belonging is one of the most powerful predictors of DEI efficacy in the workforce.

Belonging matters

Deloitte's 2020 Human Capital Trends report ranked belonging as the top human capital issue organizations face today.

Deloitte’s researchers define “belonging” as workers feeling comfortable at work, including being treated fairly and respected by colleagues, feeling connected to the people they work with and the teams they are a part of, and feeling that they contribute to meaningful work outcomes.

They describe belonging as one of the most important issues for attracting, retaining, and activating employees in today’s workplace. The importance of belonging is backed up by employee feedback and research across the globe.

A report from McKinsey found that a lack of belonging is one of the top three reasons people quit a job post-pandemic, with 51% of employees citing it as the primary reason they left.

Nearly as many workers cited the desire to find an environment where they can work with people who trust and care for each other. As discovered by McKinsey, employees want stronger relationships, a sense of connection, and to be seen.

In a global study from Cognizant, 92% of respondents said it was important to feel like you’re appreciated for who you are and what you can contribute, and 62% said belonging was more important than salary.

Driver of wellbeing

Indeed’s Work Happiness Score research revealed that belonging is the top driver of wellbeing for employees and an essential driver of happiness at work, ranking higher than pay.

Belonging isn't just key to DEI; it's also the key to employee engagement and it’s good for business. According to research by Gartner, employees who work in diverse and inclusive teams see a 12% increase in performance.

In Ipsos’ 2022 Workplace Belonging Survey, nearly all employees (88%) at the companies surveyed agreed that a sense of belonging led to higher productivity at work. And a report from Great Place To Work shows that inclusive workplaces grow revenue more than three times faster than their less inclusive rivals.

The proliferation of research that shows the impact belonging can have on employees makes one thing clear: employers of all sizes must firmly foster a culture of belonging to remain viable.

Doing so is a foundational component of becoming a destination workplace. Of course there is no one-size-fits-all approach to cultivating DEI and belonging. A global company with employees who speak 10 different languages in 10 different time zones will do things differently than a company with 30 employees based out of Austin, Texas.

That said, here are three actions all leaders can take to cultivate belonging in the company, no matter how many people they manage.

Eliminate ‘outsiderness’

Feeling like an outsider is a personally painful, negative experience, a cognitive distraction that undermines focus and performance. Strive for a workplace culture in which individuality is both noticed and valued.

Conduct frequent check-ins with your employees (formal and informal) where they feel safe to ask for what they need and voice their opinions. Workplace support, understanding and trust all reduce the likelihood of an individual feeling like an outsider.

Reflect inward

Audit your policies and workplace norms for biases or unnecessary barriers that might marginalize employees. For example, if you hire a single mother but your policies don’t allow her the flexibility to pick up her child from school, you have done very little to help her belong.

Be accountable

Follow through on stated diversity measures and employee requests for change. Hold yourself and the entire company accountable for matching the standards of behavior that allow for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to thrive.

If a sense of belonging in work is essential for you, it’s time to investigate opportunities with companies that properly promote a culture of inclusivity. Your first stop? Head for The Hill Job Board where you can browse hundreds of jobs right now. Here are three hiring this week…

The National Parks Conservation Association is currently looking to hire a Director of Government Affairs - Cultural Resources to help broaden its advocacy efforts, including collaborating with partners and improving cultural resource preservation within the National Park System. The NPCA promises that the successful hire will become part of a highly supportive community that believes in respect through understanding and is guided by their core values: commitment, inclusion, integrity and respect.

Discover a similar dedication to diversity and belonging at Conservation International which has an open position for an Executive Assistant to support the CEO’s office. Conservation International is proud of its diverse, global workforce and it has developed new employee-led resource and affinity groups, as well as new learning and development courses, designed to ensure that staff find belonging. Also flying the flag for inclusivity are organizations such as Nestle IT which states it is an affirmative action employer seeking diversity in its workforce, with a specific recruiting call out to veterans and separated service members. Nestle is currently looking to fill the role of an IT Sr. Business Relationship Manager - Finance. As the senior manager, you’ll help business leaders shape their strategies regarding financial technology solution implementations and product adoptions.

For more career opportunities and to find a role in a company with a supportive work environment that respects your identity and your opinion, visit the Hill Job Board now

Shelly O’Neill Stoneman will join Lockheed Martin as senior vice president of government affairs effective Aug. 28. Stoneman comes from BAE Systems, where she is senior vice president for government relations. She previously was a special assistant for legislative affairs to former President Obama focused on national security and a special assistant to the Secretary of Defense, where she oversaw the selection of every Department of Defense presidential appointee and supported their confirmation process, according to her LinkedIn. 

Michael "Fish" Pawlowski joined Capital Counsel as a partner. Pawlowski served as chief of staff to Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) from 2016 to 2021, playing pivotal roles in efforts to reform the Affordable Care Act, development of the Keystone Pipeline, three nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Richard Carbo joined the public affairs team at Cornerstone Government Affairs as a principal. Carbo previously worked in the office of former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in 2009 and as communications director and campaign manager to former Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) from 2011 to 2014. He went on to work as deputy chief of staff and communications director for Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) from 2015 to 2019.

Cornerstone Government Affairs also welcomed Samantha Davidson Guinn, former deputy secretary of state and deputy attorney general of Oklahoma, as a principal in its Oklahoma office. Guinn also served as a senior policy adviser and legal counsel in the Oklahoma State Senate, a legislative assistant in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and a staff assistant to former Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.).

Alston & Bird LLP added Jonathan Jagoda, former senior vice president at the Federation of American Hospitals, as a senior policy adviser. Jagoda joins the international law firm's bipartisan health policy practice in its Washington, D.C., office.

Andrew Reidy and Joseph Saka joined the insurance counseling and recovery group in the Washington, D.C., office of the national insurance law firm Nossaman. Both joined Nossaman from Lowenstein Sandler LLP, where Andrew, who will lead the group, was a partner and Joseph was senior counsel.

Matt Mika joined AmericanHort, the national association for the horticulture industry, as vice president of advocacy and government affairs. Matt worked in state and federal government for nine years before moving on to work as the senior director for legislative affairs at the American Meat Institute from 2009 to 2011 and director of government relations at Tyson Foods from 2011 to 2022. He was vice president of the public affairs and strategic communication firm Atlas Crossing before joining AmericanHort.

Lobbying World documents the top lobbying hires in the nation’s capital every week.

The Beer Institute, a national trade association representing the $409 billion beer industry, hired Cornerstone Government Affairs to lobby on economic, budget, tax and appropriations policies impacting large beer producers. The Beer Institute recently launched StandWithBeer.org, which alleges large liquor companies exploit tax loopholes to lower their effective tax rate. John Sandell, former tax counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee, will work on the account.

Finance

The National Association of Mortgage Brokers hired the Williams Group to lobby on federal mortgage reform. Latrice Powell, former assistant cloakroom manager for the Democratic House Cloakroom, will work on the account.

Agriculture

The American Wood Council hired Torrey Advisory Group, formerly Michael Torrey Associates LLC, to lobby on tall wood buildings, forest inventory analysis and climate data in the farm bill. Tara Smith, former senior professional staff member for the Senate Agriculture Committee, will work on the account.

Health

The Children’s Hospital Association, formerly the National Association of Children’s Hospitals, hired Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP to lobby on general issues related to children’s hospitals. Will Dunham, former deputy chief of staff for policy to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), will work on the account.

Tourism

Expedia Group hired Monument Advocacy to lobby on issues related to Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. Kate Mills, former assistant director of the Office of Congressional Relations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and senior counsel to Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), will work on the account.

Immigration

Colorado Business Roundtable hired Cornerstone Government Affairs Inc. to lobby the Colorado congressional delegation on workforce and immigration issues, and share the Centennial State business community’s views. The state affiliate of the national Business Roundtable is a member of the Colorado Business Coalition for Immigration Solutions, a statewide group of more than 45 businesses, industry and trade organizations pushing the congressional delegation to enact federal immigration policy to modernize the immigration system and safeguard communities and borders. Kara van Stralen, former director of policy and research for Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), will work on the account.

Bottom Line is a weekly column documenting lobbying contracts filed with Congress.

The Department of Defense Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) appears “too cozy” with private investment firms and may lack the proper guardrails to prevent conflicts of interest, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu on Sunday evening in a letter shared exclusively with The Hill.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, former board member of the defense and aerospace contractor Raytheon, established the OSC in December 2022 to attract private capital partners and scale investment in national security technologies. Shyu previously described the the OSC as “part of a broader administration-wide effort to ‘crowd-in' private capital in areas where our efforts can boost our future security and prosperity.”

“While I understand that one of the objectives of OSC is to ‘improve the government’s relationship with the venture community,’ I am concerned that this is resulting in a conflation of interests that creates clear conflicts,” Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote.

Shyu did not return The Hill’s request for comment.

Warren pointed to reporting by The Intercept that found that the OSC urged the government to intervene when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in March.

Some consultants and advisors to the OSC also simultaneously work for companies that work extensively with the Department of Defense, according to Vox. One consultant, Linda Lourie, works as a senior adviser for the influential consulting firm WestExec Advisors that advises tech and defense companies. Another OSC adviser, Kirsten Bartok Touw, works as a a managing partner with New Vista Capital, which supports emerging aerospace, defense, and logistics and transportation companies.

Neither Lourie nor Bartok Touw immediately returned requests for comment.

Both Lourie and Bartok Touw were hired as special government employees, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Special government employees are prohibited from participating in matters that directly impact their financial interests but are not subject to the full myriad of ethics laws applied to federal employees. Senior special government employees who serve for less than 60 days, for example, are not subject to a one-year cooling off period that prevents them from contacting their former agency about official matters.

While the Department of Defense previously told Vox that these consultants would be limited to broad policy discussions and not included in specific investment conversations, their positions afford them access to non-public political information in the form of briefings, meetings, committee hearings and even personal conversations.

“The OSC appears to be providing these consultants an opportunity to refresh their rolodexes without having appropriate guardrails in place to protect the public interest,” Warren wrote.

Warren, an outspoken critic of the revolving door between the private sector and the federal government, asked Shyu to elaborate on the OSC's policies and processes to prevent conflicts of interest by July 28. She also asked for additional information on prospective investments in entities linked to special government employees and companies that contacted the OSC about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

A white paper, Invisible Overtime: What employers need to know about caregivers, from The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers gives insight into the challenges faced by those who try to balance work with their caregiving responsibilities.

Over the course of the pandemic, caregivers have grown in number, their isolation has intensified, and their physical and mental health has suffered.

Unpaid work

The RCIC’s research shows that caregiver employees provide an average of 20 unpaid caregiving hours per week, which goes a long way towards explaining why nearly one-third of caregiver employees have voluntarily left a job because of their caregiving responsibilities. 

Reasons for leaving include difficulties in finding affordable or high-quality paid help, and in meeting work demands due to caregiving duties.

No matter how much an individual wants to perform that caring role and does so willingly, the consequences for the individual who gives up a job they enjoy in order to be able to care for a loved one are serious both in terms of both loss of income and sense of purpose.

So much of our sense of self-worth is tied up in being paid for the work we do that giving up paid employment can have consequences for our mental health and wellbeing.

Given the current labor shortage, losing valued employees to their caring responsibilities is a problem for employers too. Caregivers can be coworkers, managers, corporate executives, business owners, clients and customers. They are present in all industries and all geographic areas.

The research underpinning the white paper found caregiver employees missed an average of 3.2 workdays in the prior month, an estimated average productivity loss of $1,123 per caregiver employee. 

Workplace discrimination

And workplace discrimination claims involving caregivers are increasing. The volume of family responsibility discrimination (FRD) litigation has increased dramatically in the past 10 years compared to the prior decade, and caregiver discrimination was the second most common category of claim.

Increasingly, smart employers seeking to retain and attract talent are thinking about how they can support these workers so that they can maintain their skills, contribution and value in the workplace and, crucially, keep doing their jobs while fulfilling their caring duties.

Jobs that do not require the employee to be present in a particular location for set hours are most suitable for caregivers, and the increase in hybrid and remote working that came about as a result of the pandemic is one of the most obvious ways in which caregiver employees can be facilitated. So too are part-time and flexible hours. 

The National Parks Conservation Association is seeking a Director of Government Affairs - Cultural Resources to work in a hybrid capacity in Washington. You will enable NPCA to broaden its advocacy efforts, including collaborating with partners and improving cultural resource preservation within the National Park System.

Additionally you will lobby congress for more agency funding for cultural resource programs and staffing as well as work with agency officials, historic preservation groups, and many other diverse partners to protect parks from resource damage and deficiencies in preservation.

You will also manage the daily operations of priority campaigns and initiatives undertaken by the staff-led Cultural Resources team, and lead the implementation of strategies and tactics that will achieve the successful resolution of NPCA’s advocacy initiatives.

Trust matters

Employers who trust their employees to get the work done rather than micromanaging their output are the ones that reap the rewards when it comes to a diligent workforce. 

Trust is a crucial part of an employer’s corporate culture, and often goes hand in hand with forward-thinking policies tackling the issues faced by those who work off-site at least some of the time.

These address the challenges that arise around engagement, training, ongoing education and career progression, and recognize the need to foster a sense of involvement as part of a team working towards a common purpose. 

Paid leave policies are important too, and Zoom offers 10 paid holidays per year plys a Paid-Time-Off plan. A number of useful benefits for those with additional family responsibilities are also avaialable. All full-time employees and dependents (including domestic partners) are eligible for benefits starting on the first of the month following a workers’ first day of employment, and thre copmpan offers access to a Family Forming network, with financial assistance for services.

Given that the number of family caregivers is likely to continue to grow, it’s the employers who ensure the workplace of the future is welcoming to these employees who will win out in the competition for talent.

To browse active openings by top recruiters in your chosen field, visit The Hill Jobs Board today

But if you’re a recent graduate not committed to a particular city, how do you decide where you are going to base yourself at the beginning of your career to give yourself the best possible start? 

Many factors come into play when choosing the location for that all-important first job, with the employment market, availability of affordable housing, and commuter-friendliness being three of the most obvious.

These are all key to making that first step on the career ladder, one that will help you lay solid foundations for your future happiness and prosperity.

You'll also want to consider climate, proximity to friends and family, ease of access to airports and other transport links, and whether your preferred leisure activities are readily available. 

With so many considerations to take into account, it can be hard to make comparisons between different locations when you are trying to evaluate their relative pros and cons.

Best U.S. cities for new grads

In order to help with the decision-making process, personal finance website WalletHub compared the relative market strength and overall livability of more than 180 U.S. cities. 

The research team used 26 different metrics ranging from the availability of entry-level jobs to average monthly starting salary to housing affordability to produce a league table of the best–– and worst––U.S. cities in which to launch your career. 

In first position is Atlanta, GA. The city is home to big brands including Coca-Cola, Delta and CNN and known for its thriving hip-hop scene. It is ranked second when it comes to professional opportunities, and seventh on quality of life.  

After Atlanta, the research recommends Orlando, FL, Salt Lake City, UT, Columbia, SC, and Tampa, FL, as the next best cities for starting your career. 

Nature lovers and ski enthusiasts may find themselves drawn to Salt Lake City, where Security National Life Insurance Co. is looking for a dynamic Commercial Real Estate Underwriter to join the Security National Commercial Capital team. 

Three years’ experience is required, so would suit someone still in the early stages of their career. A degree in economics, finance, real estate or a related field is needed. 

In this position, the underwriter will focus on providing detailed analysis of bridge loan requests and will be responsible for engaging with borrowers to ensure receipt of all required documents and give a positive customer experience.

The company is proud of its great company culture and consistently ranks as a great place to work. 

Tampa, located on Florida’s Gulf Coast, is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and known for its beautiful white sand beaches. This Part Time Associate Banker position at JPMorgan Chase Bank in Tampa Bay could be a good bet for a graduate who is looking to ease into working life.

Offering 30 hours a week, you’ll help clients with everyday transactions such as deposits, withdrawals, payments, reordering a debit card, setting up a direct deposit or helping to update their address, accurately and efficiently, while complying with all policies, procedures and regulatory and banking requirements.

A thrill seeking lover of theme parks might decide on Orlando as the ideal place to start a career, so they could get to enjoy the rides and fun atmosphere when not working. Imagine being able to visit the Jurassic World VelociCoaster whenever you feel like it?

Live Nation is looking for Client Support Specialists based in Orlando to join its Field Operations team. The work involves building and maintaining relationships with clients to ensure their business objectives are met, and they are able to utilize the various Ticketmaster products and platforms. 

Interestingly, while Miami comes out top for career opportunities, it’s ranked 101st for quality of life, which brings the city to seventh position overall. Washington DC, meanwhile, comes 23rd.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, New York comes bottom of the list in 182nd position, earning itself the dubious honor of being the worst city in the U.S. in which to start your career, thanks to poor entry-level job opportunities and the lack of availability of affordable housing.  

It seems that for recent college graduates and those at the start of their career journey, the Big Apple has lost its crunch. 

To browse active openings by top recruiters in your chosen field, visit The Hill Jobs Board today

General Motors named Eric Feldman executive director of federal affairs, starting June 26. Feldman, who most recently was Airbnb’s head of federal and international affairs, will be the senior Democratic lobbyist. He previously was chief of staff to Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

Communications

Seven Letter, a bipartisan strategic communications firm, announced Blair Taylor will join as a managing director. Taylor was most recently communications director to former Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and the Senate Appropriations Committee. Also, Maura Hogan will join as a senior director. She previously was a digital communications specialist at the State Department under former President Obama.

ROKK Solutions hired Laura Hernandez-Smith as an account director. She previously was communications director to Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.).

Film

Hunter Paletsas joined the Motion Picture Association as global chief finance officer. He will be based in the Los Angeles office and start July 24. Paletsas previously was chief finance officer at GoDigital Media Group LLC.

Human resources

The National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals named Jessica Brooks-Woods its new CEO and she will assume the role on Sept. 1. She is currently CEO and co-founder of the Executive Action and Response Network. She replaces outgoing CEO Janet Trautwein, who is stepping down after 26 years.

But increasingly over the past few years, there’s been a new twist to the hiring tale: the use of AI.

From a company’s perspective, hiring takes time, money and effort. Sorting through hundreds of resumés, doing initial interviews and personality sense checks can mean recruitment staff being distracted from higher level work.

Companies have been harnessing AI’s power to screen resumés, undertake one-way video interviews or use chatbots in order to tackle a large hiring pool.

It’s unsurprising that the Society for Human Resource Management found in 2022 that nearly one in three organizations reported using automation or artificial intelligence to support their HR-related activities, including recruitment and hiring.

But AI processes aren’t without their drawbacks – and it turns out that workers have some major reservations about their impact on job seeking.

What do workers think?

Pew Research Center asked 11,000 Americans about their attitudes towards AI and the workplace – and a majority said they would not want to apply for a job where AI helps make hiring decisions.

But when it comes to reviewing applications – as opposed to a human decision around the ultimate hire – there was a bit more optimism.

Americans, largely, are unconvinced an AI-driven hiring process is for them – 66 percent say they would not want to apply for a job with an employer that uses AI to help make them make hiring decisions, while 32 percent would want to do so.

A majority of Americans – 71 percent in total – told Pew they are opposed to AI making a final hiring decision. Just 7 percent favor this, and 22 percent say they aren’t sure.

When it comes to using AI to review job applications, 41 percent said they are opposed to employers doing this, while 28 percent are in favor of it. There was a high level of people who aren’t sure what they think about this at 30 percent.

It's notable that the study shows there are many workers who don’t feel confident to come down with an answer on either side of AI’s involvement in elements of recruitment. They simply don’t know enough yet.

That in itself highlights how new the awareness is around AI involvement in hiring, despite the fact it’s been used in various ways for years.

Indeed, the research also found that the more familiar with this technology people are, the more supportive they are of its use: 43 percent of those who’ve heard a lot about using AI in the hiring process support it being used to review applications – compared with 37 percent who’ve heard a little, and 21 percent who’ve heard nothing at all.

Human touch

One big concern coming out of this research is the “human touch” – like whether AI can pick up how good a choice a person is. Is it really possible to know if a worker is the perfect fit if you’ve only had a bare minimum of human contact with them?

A total of 43 percent of people told Pew that they believed AI judgments about who might work well with coworkers could actually be worse than the judgments humans make.

A further serious topic of discussion is whether hidden biases might come into play via the use of AI. Most Americans (79 percent) say that bias and unfair treatment based on a job applicant’s race or ethnicity is already a problem in US recruitment.

Of the 32 percent of Americans who told Pew they would want to apply for a job where AI is used during recruitment, the most common reason was that they believed AI could be objective, fair, have little bias or treat everyone equally.

The topic of potential bias in AI is a major concern for workers, regulators and politicians.

For example, in 2018, it emerged Amazon scrapped an experimental AI recruiting tool it had been developing after it showed bias against women. This was because it was trained on resumés submitted to the company over a 10-year period, most of which came from men, Reuters reported at the time.

Though the company didn’t set out to perpetrate gender bias, it unknowingly found women’s resumés down-ranked because of the information it was feeding the tool.

It will be hard for jobseekers to avoid companies entirely who use AI during their recruitment process. But what people can do is call for transparency, asking the company what tools they are using and at what stage of the process.

They can also take some comfort from the fact that AI hiring is a concern at government level, as highlighted by Biden’s Blueprint for AI Rights.

And there are still jobs out there that are worth braving this new world of recruitment for. Here are three: take a look at The Hill’s Job Board for more.

Communications Director, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), Washington

This Communications Director role – which offers a hybrid schedule – is aimed at an energetic communications professional who can work on developing and implementing FAIR’s messaging, media and communications strategy around advancing immigration reform. For full details, see here.

Director of Communications, USTelecom, Washington

USTelecom says its mission is to advance broadband’s future, helping to connect communities and encourage investment. It’s looking for a Director of Communications who will break down complex policies into powerful messages, engage directly with news outlets and write clear and effective communications. Details on qualifications needed are available here.

Government and Public Sector, Data Analytics Solution Lead, Senior Manager, EY, McLean

This Data Analytics Solution Lead job is aimed at someone who understands how important data engineering and analytics are, and wants to help EY’s clients navigate that world. This sector of EY provides a range of consulting and audit services to help clients within Federal, State, local and education areas. The ideal hire must be able to listen and understand the question and develop and deliver clear insights. Full details can be found here.

Discover your next big work opportunity via The Hill Job Board today