Offboard
Posts
Boomerang Boom: Your Former Employer Wants You Back

Boomerang Boom: Your Former Employer Wants You Back

35 percent of March hires were returnees—plus fresh layoff alerts, a slowing labor market, and three AI job-hunt tools you should try today.

June 26, 2025

👋 Welcome, Jobseekers

"The greatest business failures often come not from playing the game poorly, but from continuing to excel at things that no longer matter."

Hey Offboard crew, déjà vu is trending. While Bumble, Microsoft, and Google trim headcount, the same companies are speed-dialing their alumni to fill critical gaps. This issue shows you exactly how to cash in on the boomerang wave, spot hidden slowdown signals in the labor market, and turbo-charge your search with three slick new tools. Let’s jump in before your coffee cools.

🤝 Sponsor: 1440 Media
📉 Layoff Report: Bumble plans to axe 30% of workforce; Microsoft, Google, Intel with cuts
🧑‍✈️ Career CoPilot: Boomerang hiring is back in style — and it could be your fastest ticket into a new tech role
📈 Trends & Data: Stuck in Neutral: The Labor Market’s Quiet Slowdown
🔧 Jobseeker Tools: Simplify, MeeBoss, Plump

Fact-based news without bias awaits. Make 1440 your choice today.

Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed.

📉 Bumble plans to axe 30% of workforce; Microsoft, Google, Intel with cuts

Source: TrueUp

Boomerang hiring is back in style — and it could be your fastest ticket into a new tech role

ADP’s latest payroll slice shows 35 percent of all US hires in March were returnees, up from 31 percent a year earlier. In the information sector it was nearly two-thirds of new hires, double last year’s share.

Why companies are phoning their alumni

Zero ramp-up — returning engineers already know the codebase, the build pipeline, and the Slack etiquette.
Scarce skill sets — AI, data, and security talent tend to cluster geographically, so coaxing former insiders back beats a nationwide search.
Risk control — quits are down 25 percent from the 2022 peak, and cautious leaders would rather bet on a known quantity.

Five moves to set yourself up for a smooth comeback

Leave like a pro. Ship crisp hand-offs, say a genuine public thank-you, and exit channels gracefully.
Nurture weak ties. Once a month, react to a teammate’s LinkedIn post, star a repo, or DM a quick “How’s release 3.1?”
Track internal openings. Many boomerang roles never hit external boards. Set an alert or watch the company careers feed.
Lead with new value. When reaching out, frame the conversation around fresh skills — prompt-engineering chops, a side-project launch, or a new leadership credential.
Negotiate like a new hire. ADP data show most boomerangs return at higher pay bands. Bring market comps and a refreshed portfolio to the table.

Is a boomerang right for you?

Ask yourself three quick questions:

Will this role stretch me beyond my last seat there?
Has the culture shifted in a direction I like?
Will the brand boost my résumé more than a totally new logo?

If you answer “yes” to at least two, the comeback path could beat a six-month cold search.

Stuck in Neutral: The Labor Market’s Quiet Slowdown

Overview

News flashes say “Jobs up! Unemployment down!”—but under the surface, hiring momentum is losing steam.

The Details

Just half of industries now show more job ads than before COVID.
Healthcare is the MVP: nearly 3 of every 10 growing sectors and 44 % of May’s new jobs.
May added 139 k roles, yet only 50 % of sectors actually grew—flat at best.
The 3-month hiring average now lags both 2023 and pre-pandemic 2019.
Quits are at multi-year lows; people cling to jobs, and companies cling to staff.
Red flags: teen unemployment is creeping up and small-biz hiring is cooling.

Why It Matters

Expect longer job hunts. Fewer hot sectors = more competition.
Go where the growth is. Health-related roles (tech, ops, design) still need talent.
Show your range. Firms want “Swiss-army-knife” hires who can flex as needs shift.
Network now, not later. Hidden roles beat public listings when quits stay low.
Watch the early signals. Rising teen joblessness and small-biz slowdowns often foreshadow larger dips.

The market isn’t crashing; it’s idling. Steer toward the niches still accelerating, polish your multi-skill story, and keep your network warm before the slowdown shows up in the headlines.