👋 Hello TA pros!

AI is a game-changer for job seekers, cranking out keyword-stuffed resumes in seconds. But guess who else is loving the tech? Scammers. HR Dive says deepfake fraudsters are gaming your hiring systems, churning out fake candidates like it’s their full-time job to clog your online job platform, spread malware, and steal confidential data.

How to fight back? Cross-check candidate videos with government-issued IDs to catch the fakes. Use video analysis tools to sniff out AI imposters hiding behind digital masks. And don’t skimp on human oversight — your instincts still matter.

Questions? Comments? Wondering if anyone’s listening? Reply to this email — we’d love to hear from you!

— Team Talivity ✨

Today’s issue is a 4-minute read. Here’s what to expect 👇

✈️ Foreign travel numbers impacting the hospitality industry
⬆️ April job gains beat Wall Street estimates
📉 Economic uncertainties drive job layoffs
💼 Layoffs from the NIH, DoT, and PwC

Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here 📥️

NEWS

One Thing You Should Know This Week

NYT: Coming to America? Not So Much These Days

Foreign travelers are pressing pause on trips to the U.S., according to the latest data cited by the New York Times — and that slowdown could ripple into hiring.

🖼️ The big picture

International travelers are getting cold feet about traveling to the U.S. —and not just because of the airfare. One reason is increased immigration scrutiny and crackdowns at U.S. borders. Outlets report that international visitors with legit paperwork being turned away or worse, ending up at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.

Of course, not every tourist from abroad is subject to suspicion. But such reports can strike fear in the hearts of even the most ardent Americanophiles.

Add to that the ripple effects of shifting tariff policies, and many would-be visitors are opting to vacation—and spend—their money elsewhere.

🧮 By the Numbers

According to the U.S. Commerce Department, foreign tourist arrivals dropped 11.6% in March 2025 compared to February. That’s a sharp dip—especially considering international visitors spent $215 billion in the U.S. in 2024 on everything from hotels and meals to museums and Uber rides.

Still, the picture isn’t entirely bleak. These figures exclude land crossings from Canada and Mexico, and Easter’s later arrival this year may have pushed some travel into April.

💼 What this means for TAs

A dip in tourism doesn’t just hit hotel lobbies—it ripples through the job market. Fewer visitors mean less revenue for hospitality businesses, which can trigger hiring freezes, layoffs, and budget tightening. That squeeze doesn’t stay confined to hotels and restaurants—when workers lose income, they spend less, and the slowdown spreads.

For talent acquisition pros in hospitality, that could mean managing headcount carefully, filling only critical roles, or working with slashed recruiting budgets—all while keeping operations afloat.

🔮 Looking ahead

The New York Times reports a drop in overseas bookings, but not everyone’s hitting the panic button. Here’s why: Hospitality is highly regional. Domestic and international tourists flock to gateway markets (think New York, Florida, or California), BUT for smaller states relying on visitors to boost their economies—like Louisiana— a tourism lag could spell trouble.

Here’s another factor: International tourism brings in a large chunk of money, but domestic tourism generates more bucks. We’re living in confusing and uncertain times, which might mean more people may choose to explore their own backyard rather than venture abroad.

Experts also believe that the current trend could be short-lived. As Alan Fyall, a professor of tourism marketing at the University of Central Florida, put it: “They’ll wait six months and then come…It always comes back because people like to travel.”

📥️ Read more in the New York Times

NUMBERS

Numbers That’ll Make You Think

• 177,000 – April job gains despite tariff trepidations, beating Wall Street’s estimates of 133,000 jobs (HR Brew)
• 21% –  The percentage of a global decline in employee engagement, translated to $48 billion in lost productivity to the international economy (Unleash)
• 51% –  The percentage of front-line workers who experienced tariff-driven changes at their jobs; a factor that impacts at-home and at-work behaviors (UKG)
• 7 in 10 – The number of job skills that will change by 2030, due to AI advancements (WorkLife)
• 55% –  The percentage of business leaders who regret laying off workers in favor of AI (HR Dive)

INDUSTRY INTEL

M&A Deals, Industry Moves & Other Things to Know

• Tech giant Google’s ad network is tipping its hat to chatbots, including AI-operated and generated critters in its AdSense for Search network (Bloomberg)
• Instant messaging platform Discord bid farewell to co-founder and CEO Jason Citron; Humam Sakhnini will take his place (New York Times)
• AI talent platform Recruitics, in its goal to help TAs improve quality hiring results, released its ApplyAnywhere™ platform (Recruitics)
• AI workforce management provider Job&Talent scraped together €92 million in its latest capital raise (Unleash AI)
• Economic uncertainties mean record-breaking layoffs among companies, with semiconductor manufacturer Intel and global shipper and logistics firm UPS making recent announcements (HR Brew)
• New York-headquartered work tech company DailyPay announced its second global expansion, this time, to the Great North, i.e., Canada (PR Newswire)
• Zellis Group, an HR and payroll software company, appointed Carline Rowland as its new Chief People Officer following its acquisition of AI-focused HR benefits company Benify (Unleash AI)
• Colorado lawmakers introduce Senate Bill 318 to clarify a landmark 2024 law that builds protections for artificial intelligence-using businesses (HR Dive)
• Workforce intelligence company Revelio Labs grew its information offerings by acquiring Salary Board, which offers real-time compensation and labor market data (PR Newswire)

LAYOFFS

Places For You To Source Talent

• The Department of Transportation employees are bracing for more layoffs (CBS News)
• Global consultant PwC is laying off 1,500 employees—approximately 2% of its workforce; not enough people are leaving the company on their own (Business Insider)
• An internal memo obtained by Advertising Age said that Brian Lesser, CEO of international marketing communications agency WPP, will “trim its staff” to simplify its operating model (Ad Age)
• Unity Biotechnology, the cellular senescence pioneer, cleaned house, laying off its entire workforce, including CEO Anirvan Ghosh (SF Gate)
• The National Institutes of Health laid off 200 employees, which included pink-slipping 50 workers at the National Cancer Institute (CBS)

 👋 Thanks for reading!