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.
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Layoffs up. Searches up. Meet The Great Transformation.
Hello from SHRM!
I have been on the floor here for two days and every conversation keeps circling back to the same thing: how can we re-engineer, rather than replace, the workforce?
- Snap cut 1,000 roles last week. Their CEO's memo to employees: "We have already witnessed small squads leveraging AI tools to drive meaningful progress."
- Disney eliminated entire marketing and publicity divisions the week before as they consolidate under one enterprise marketing group.
- And the kicker...searches for marketing surged this week across the platform, alongside a 133% increase in creative and design.
Layoffs and related HC search isn't a coincidence. Snap and Disney aren't walking away from talent. They're re-engineering it, just like the 7,000+ companies we see coming to Human Cloud every month.
So what's the data say across Human Cloud?
1. Marketing jumped to the #1 search this week. Not a slow climb. A surge.
2. Creative is up 133% this month. Design rose right alongside it. When marketing restructures, the creative layer always follows.
3. Healthcare remains a top 5 category. Clinical staffing, healthcare IT, medical credentialing. All keep seeing interest.
4. EOR has been the most consistent search since December. Every single month, top of the board.
5. Categories that didn't exist six months ago are now showing up: instructional design, human resources, construction, finance.
It's an exciting time to be driving your organization from talent acquisition to talent access.
HC Search Trends
Here is what companies searched on Human Cloud this past week. These are real queries from real buyers exploring workforce solutions.
| Search Term | Trend |
| EOR | Top search since Dec |
| Marketing | Surged this week |
| Creative | +133% this month |
| Healthcare | Rose this week ↑ |
| Design | Rose this week ↑ |
| Sales | Rose this week ↑ |
| Independent Consultants | Rose this week ↑ |
| Consulting | Cooling from prior weeks |
| Truck Driver | -50% this week |
| Instructional Design | Rose this week ↑ |
| Human Resources | Rose this week ↑ |
| Construction | Rose this week ↑ |
| Finance | Rose this week ↑ |
| Civil Engineering | Rose this week ↑ |
| Brand queries: IDLance, Model B, Gig Talent, Atlas, Freeflexer, Remotely, Topcoder, Zeal, Cadana | |
Trending: Marketing
Marketing surged to the #1 search this week. Companies are replacing internal marketing headcount with specialized flexible talent across brand strategy, performance marketing, and field activations.
Tech + Finance
Business Case - Actfore
Business Case - FDLI
Business Case - Melwood
Delivered 3 Modern Websites Following Corporate Restructuring
Aerospace + Enterprise
Business Case - Airbus
Hired 3 Independent Experts to Extend Internal Team Capabilities
Business Case - Quorum Software
Delivered 1 Unified Digital Strategy for 1,500+ Customers Post-Merger
Business Case - Equifax
Deployed 6-Person Team to Deliver 4 Initiatives for Ignite Launch
Retail + Brand Activations
Business Case - State Farm (via Infinity Marketing Team)
Business Case - Nike
Deployed 120+ Certified Coach Buses and Transported 4,000+ Students Safely
Business Case - Varonis
Delivered 10-Day Pop-Up and Achieved 10 Puppy Adoptions in Boston
Trending: EOR
EOR has been the top search since December. With 54% of companies now hiring internationally through an EOR, the category is maturing fast. Payment infrastructure companies like Revolut and Payoneer are entering the space, which means the bar for differentiation is rising.
Aviation + Global Compliance
Business Case - Boeing
Managed 800+ Contractors Across 8 International Locations via Global MSP
Business Case - Jeppesen
95 Directly Sourced Hires With 75% Converted to Permanent Contracts
Business Case - Medibank
Supported Healthcare for 3.7 Million Members With Indigenous Recruitment Panel
Healthcare + Education
Business Case - Eisenhower Health
Business Case - Rev
Achieved 18 Billion Words Transcribed via a Specialized US-Based Transcription Team
Business Case - CB Partners
Global Contractor Compliance
Making it easy to hire, organize, and pay contractors, anywhere. View profile →
Trending: Creative + Design
Creative and design both rose this week after going quiet. When marketing teams restructure, the creative layer follows. Companies are sourcing brand, content, product design, and video production through flexible specialists.
Media + Production
Business Case - Brand Scotland & BBC
Delivered 2-Day TVC and Online Series for Brand Scotland's 4th Chapter
Enterprise + SaaS
The FMS acquired by &FRIENDS
Business Case - Toast
Achieved 85% Faster 3D Turnarounds With 100% Brand Consistency
E-commerce + Retail
Business Case - Mohala Eyewear
Achieved #32 Nationwide Ranking Among 100+ Eyewear Brands From 1 Store
Healthcare + EdTech
Business Case - Werking Health
Delivered 943 Branded Assets in 3 Months and Saved 55% Costs
Also Trending
Other categories that appeared or moved this week:
- Sales rose this week. Companies sourcing SDR and sales operations talent through flexible channels.
- Consulting is cooling from last week's +300% surge, but still elevated this month.
- Instructional Design appeared for the first time. L&D is going flexible.
- Human Resources is new this week. HR functions themselves are being sourced externally.
- Construction rose this week. A massive, under-digitized vertical with new entrants moving in.
- Finance rose this week. Fractional CFO and finance operations demand is growing.
- Civil Engineering rose this week alongside construction.
Featured Badge Winners: Top EOR - Winter 2026
The top EOR solutions on Human Cloud this quarter, ranked by platform performance, client kudos, and verified business cases.
- Deel
- Atlas HXM
- MBO Partners
- CXC Global
- Pebl (Velocity Global)
- FoxHire
- Native Teams
- TalentBurst
- AllWork
- GreenLight.AI
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