Adecco's AI gamble

Signal Summary: Adecco's betting half its revenue on AI agents by next year, a $615M healthcare staffing merger just cratered thanks to government incompetence, and nearly half of workers have rage-quit their jobs. Welcome to recruiting in 2025. Plus, the resume that became a running joke.

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^{P.S. I draw all images & cartoons with an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Procreate.}

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK ↓

SIGNAL 1
Adecco goes all-in on AI agents (while carrying serious debt)

The bet: Adecco announced agentic AI will cover 50%+ of revenue by end of 2026. Bold move for a company S&P just downgraded for "persistently high leverage."

What's really happening:

• Targeting 1.5x net debt-to-EBITDA by 2027 (translation: they're overleveraged and scrambling)

• Five AI agents already live in UK and France, managing "routine tasks"

• New joint venture ‘r.Potential’ will measure how well companies blend human and digital workforces

Signal → Strategy: Wake-up call for Adecco's competitors: AI isn't optional anymore. If the overleveraged giant is betting half their revenue on agents, you're already behind. Start evaluating AI tools now or watch market share evaporate.

Go deeper: SIA Global Daily News - Adecco Capital Markets Day

SIGNAL 2
$615M healthcare staffing deal dies a bureaucratic death

The collapse: Aya Healthcare terminated its acquisition of Cross Country Healthcare after a 43-day government shutdown pushed FTC approval past the December 3 deadline. Aya's paying $20M to walk away.

Why it matters:

• Government dysfunction killed a deal both companies wanted

• Cross Country's stock cratered 20% in one day (ouch)

• Industry consolidation just hit a regulatory brick wall

Signal → Strategy: Good reminder that time kills deals. Train your sales team to aggressively compress decision cycles and control the process. Every delay creates a deal-killing risk you can't control.

Go deeper: SIA Global Daily News - Aya Merger Termination

SIGNAL 3
47% of workers have revenge-quit their jobs

The damage: Nearly half of US workers have abruptly quit without notice, per Monster's survey. 57% have witnessed coworkers do the same. Your "two weeks notice" tradition is dying.

Top reasons they bail:

• Toxic work environment (32%)

• Poor management or leadership (31%)

• Feeling disrespected or undervalued (23%)

The patience game: 18% stayed over two years before rage-quitting. They're not impulsive…they're strategic.

Signal → Strategy: Build "culture audit" consulting packages for clients with high turnover. Position yourself as the workplace toxicity detector who prevents revenge quitting before it kills operations.

Go deeper: Monster Revenge Quitting Survey

RECRUITING CONFESSIONAL
The Resume That Became a Running Joke

Recruiting Confessional A weekly series featuring anonymous stories from recruiting and staffing professionals. Submit yours here.

The Setup: Dozen recruiters at an allied industries firm. One candidate applied to literally every single job we posted.

The Pattern: Without fail, new recruiters would excitedly bring his resume to their senior recruiter like they'd discovered gold. The response? Laughter and "oh, THAT guy again."

The Evolution: On paper, he looked solid. In reality, he'd worked way more jobs than listed on his resume. Eventually added "Willing to relocate anywhere in the continental US at my own expense" to the top. Desperation, meet header text.

Have a story? Submit it here

WEEKLY POLL

SHARE THE SIGNALS
3 people you should share these signals with:

1. Your VP who thinks AI is just a buzzword

2. That healthcare staffing friend still processing industry chaos

3. Your colleague dealing with yet another no-show employee