Movers & Shakers: January 2026 HR Tech Landscape

With the holiday break behind us and organisations getting back into the swing of things, the start of 2026 has been a bit quieter on the announcement front compared with the back‑end of last year. But even through the relative calm there are some clear themes emerging: vendors are reaffirming their focus on AI‑driven hiring experiences, enterprise‑scale workforce management, and expanding services through partnerships and M&A. 

Here’s what caught our eye this month 👇 

UKG 

UKG is heading into 2026 with plans to showcase its Workforce Operating Platform at the NRF Big Show in New York — a key industry event for retail and frontline employers. The platform emphasises AI‑powered planning, hiring, scheduling and employee engagement tools aimed at reducing burnout and giving frontline workers more flexibility and real‑time support. 

🔗 Read more – UKG at NRF Big Show 2026 

Workday 

Workday kicked off the year by launching the Paradox Conversational ATS within its platform. Designed to help organisations hire frontline workers faster, this AI‑powered conversational recruiting system streamlines applications, screening, onboarding and scheduling — often entirely via text or chat — reducing manual work and friction for both recruiters and candidates. 

🔗 Read more – Workday & Paradox Conversational ATS 

HiBob 

HiBob has been recognised for its strength in the mid‑market. In the 2025–2026 Sapient Insights Mid‑Market Voice of the Customer Report, HiBob earned #1 rankings for User Experience and Vendor Satisfaction across core HRMS, performance management and HR service delivery — underscoring its growing footprint with mid‑market buyers. 

🔗 Read more – HiBob #1 Mid‑Market Rankings 

CloudRock 

Consultancy CloudRock announced the acquisition of SuccessDay, a European HRIT and finance advisory partner with experience across technologies like Workday, Oracle and SAP. The move creates one of Europe’s largest independent HR and finance transformation practices — a sign that services and advisory firms are also consolidating to meet demand for complex, cross‑platform implementations. 

🔗 Read more – CloudRock acquires SuccessDay 

A new brand and AI-powered features: Cezanne levels up 

Cezanne has unveiled a refreshed brand, alongside powerful new AI-driven HR features, to help HR teams work more efficiently and deliver smarter insights. Together, these reinforce Cezanne’s commitment to innovation and making everyday HR simpler with more intelligent tools. 

🔗 Read more – Cezanne launches new AI powered HR tools 

Silver Cloud in the News 

Our tech vendors aren’t the only ones out in the news world lately! You may have seen these recent pieces by our CEO, Helen Armstrong, but if not, they’re well worth a read. Helen’s been in the HR world for decades and has seen HR tech go from clunky and manual to AI. So, she knows what makes a difference in people tech. Check out the articles here: 
🔗 Read more – Self-Care Week Highlights the Seasonal Burnout Crisis, but HR Tech can help 

🔗 Read more – The year ahead - Why AI in HR still needs the human touch 

🔗 Read more – The New Year Upskilling Reset for HR Leaders 

After a quieter holiday period, January’s announcements reaffirmed some ongoing themes heading into 2026: AI continues to be a focus for frontline hiring and workforce engagement, vendors are building tighter integrations and capabilities around core HR and payroll platforms, and service providers are scaling through strategic tie‑ups. 

Stay tuned because next month is bound to bring even more momentum as the year begins in earnest!