The ASA member engagement team invites you to attend a family-owned business roundtable on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 1–2 p.m. Eastern time, to discuss top-of-mind challenges and solutions with your industry peers.

The focus will be on navigating family dynamics, strategies for standing out in a competitive market, and company culture. The format of the meeting will include a conversation with all attendees followed by breakout rooms where leadership and staff can speak freely. This virtual networking call will be facilitated by ASA volunteers—workforce solutions professionals like you.

Let ASA know what’s on your mind when you register—to ensure your questions are included in the conversation. Register today.

AI in Staffing Week, presented by the ASA staffing technology taskforce, is in full swing and the today’s lineup offers even more can’t-miss content. Tune in today and register for these and upcoming sessions.

Aug. 19, 12 p.m. Eastern time
The E2E Podcast LIVE: The Great Staffing AI Debate—Believers, Skeptics, and the Undecided

As part of AI in Staffing Week, a panel of staffing leaders with sharply different views will take on the questions dividing the industry: whether AI will displace recruiters or make them more productive; whether algorithms can match candidates better than people can; and what becomes of a relationship-driven business when the first point of contact is automated.

Featured guests include: Derek Freese, executive vice president, Award Staffing; Matthew Keller, director of marketing, The Reserves Network; Nick Kowalczyk, vice president, chief risk, compliance, and privacy officer, Kelly; and Celeste Randall, vice president, solutions design and service delivery, Staffmark. Register now.

Aug. 19, 3 p.m. Eastern time
AI Agents, Explained: What Staffing Firms Need to Know

Presented by Baljit “Brian” Gill, founder and CTO/COO, TalentBurst Inc., and Andrew Underwood, marketing engineer, HeyMilo

Get a clear, plain-language explanation of what separates an AI agent from an AI assistant, where agents are showing up across the recruiting technology landscape, and an honest look at what these tools can actually do today versus what’s still on the horizon. Register now.

Make plans to be at ASA Staffing World^® 2026, where world-renowned mentalist Oz Pearlman will headline the opening session. Pearlman, author of Read Your Mind, studies how individuals think, communicate, and signal intent. He will deliver a keynote performance that is as transformative as it is captivating.

Staffing World takes place Oct. 12–14 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Denver, CO. Visit staffingworld.net for more information and to register. The opening keynote performance is sponsored by World Wide Specialty, a Division of Philadelphia Insurance Cos., an ASA corporate partner.

The next “Ask the ASA Legal Experts” discussion with Toby Malara, Esq., and Pat Treacy, Esq., will take place Thursday, Sept. 24, 2– 3:30 p.m. Eastern time.

If you have already submitted a question, the ASA team will post it during the live discussion. If you have not yet submitted one, there is still time, submit your question here. The ASA legal team looks forward to sharing its expertise with you. Questions? Email asacentral@americanstaffing.net.

The Employer Assistance and Resource Network, an initiative of the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, will host a complimentary webinar on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The webinar will focus on how employers can source talent for IT sector jobs by participating in programs that help workers with disability succeed in the workplace. Speakers will share insights from the IT sector, discuss innovative training and career-entry models, and highlight practical examples of how organizations are creating pathways into high-demand occupations.

ASA and ODEP formed an alliance in 2020 to advance the employment of people with disabilities. Through this partnership, ASA and ODEP collaborate to provide reliable information and resources to help staffing firms create inclusive workplaces for people with disabilities.

Register for this webinar, Aug. 19, 2–3 p.m. Eastern time: “Strengthening the Tech Workforce Through Apprenticeships, Skills-Based Hiring, and Disability Employment.”

The ASA board of directors, staff, and thriving member community welcome a new member company, which joined ASA during the week ending Aug. 2:

Staffactory
Los Angeles, CA

Tradesmen International
Macedonia, OH

ASA Central—the dynamic online community just for staffing professionals—is home to more than 27,000 staffing professional profiles and countless ongoing industry conversations.

It’s been another engaging week on ASA Central. Take a look at your colleagues’ discussions and some of the blogs they’ve posted on ASA Central:

• State and Local Business Tax Insights and Updates for New York, Texas, Virginia, and Illinois
• Background Check Best Practices and Vendor Recommendations
• AI in Staffing Week Starts Monday! Are You Registered?
• Interesting Post From Noah Yosif on LinkedIn Regarding Today’s Workforce

Get involved with the community—update your profile today so you can network with colleagues, join a section community, recommend and comment on your colleagues’ posts, and share your own blog or discussion post. Log in to ASA Central now.

A few minutes completing the ASA Staffing Employment & Sales Survey gets your company a comprehensive report benchmarking your sales, margins, and employment trends against the rest of the industry, including a new inflation-adjusted data file. The survey closes Friday, Aug. 28. Complete the survey today.

Questions? Contact your ASA research team at research@americanstaffing.net.

A new session format will debut this year at ASA Staffing World^® 2026 in Denver, CO. “Powered by People” (a seven-minute speed talk) is designed to showcase high-energy stories told by you, an enthusiastic leader in the staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry, who can deliver a compelling talk that is

• Concise and honest about your lesson learned
• Grounded in real experiences with your peers, talent, or clients
• Human-first and a story worth telling

Submit your “Powered by People” idea no later than today, Aug 7. Questions? Email Monica Graziosi at ASA.

Join the ASA direct hire section today, 1–2 p.m. Eastern time, for a fireside chat conversation focused on how direct hire professionals are building AI into their workflows in ways that drive real results, stronger pipelines, better candidate presentations, and more efficient searches. Key takeaways will cover

• Intermediate and advanced AI strategies specifically designed for the direct hire desk. 
• A clear picture of how firms are moving from individual AI experimentation to teamwide integration.
• Honest, peer-validated assessments of what is working in direct hire AI right now and what tools are delivering results. 

The Direct Hire Power Hour: From AI Foundations to Advanced Practice will feature subject matter expert Chris Loope, founder and CTO of Pedagogue Systems, and facilitated by Margot McDonald, president of the Kable Group, and John Morgan, recruiting manager with Procom. Registration is free and reserved for staffing firm members only. Register now.