HR Tech Awards 2025 Winners Announced

Category Subcategory Short Company Final Ranking (winner/finalist) JUDGE COMMENTS Core HR/Workforce Best Advance in Practical AI G-P Finalist G-P has a rich history of serving employers growing across the globe, offering peace of mind to keep them compliant and mission-focused. G-P’s AI tool, Gia, helps employers with understanding hundreds of thousands of employment scenarios including labor laws, contract requirements, and more. Core HR/Workforce Best Advance in Practical AI VirgilHR Finalist Keeping SMB HR teams compliant is rated as the number one skill for HR and payroll teams in our research, but it’s easier said than done. VirgilHR offers an interactive AI tool that helps employers to make a range of employment decisions in a compliant, careful manner. Very well done. Talent Acquisition Best Advance in Practical AI SeekOut Finalist A large global tech company used SeekOut Spot to fill a critical executive role in just two weeks—far faster than the 60-day industry benchmark. The combination of expert human recruiters and agentic AI delivered a slate of qualified, diverse, and interested candidates in record time. A compelling example of practical AI making a real impact in high-stakes hiring. Talent Management Best Advance in Practical AI Harbinger Group Finalist Harbinger’s AI-powered, multilingual chatbot shows how practical AI can solve real-world performance challenges. For a major QSR franchise group, the solution achieved a 92.5% query resolution rate, reduced reliance on human support, and provided instant access to SOPs across languages—boosting employee confidence and efficiency. A great example of smart tech improving frontline operations. Talent Acquisition Best Analytics, Measurement, and Business Impact Solution Lever (Employ Inc.) Finalist Lever delivers what every modern recruiting team needs: speed, simplicity, and smart insights. By combining ATS and CRM capabilities in one seamless platform, they eliminate the typical fragmentation that slows down hiring efforts. Our team especially appreciated the detailed analytics and Visual Insights features, which help users forecast needs, monitor funnel performance, and continuously optimize talent strategies. Total Rewards/Wellbeing Best Analytics, Measurement, and Business Impact Solution Bentek Finalist The Bentek interface is very user-friendly, offering intuitive reports and dashboards to quickly find and manage the data needed for open enrollment and ongoing requirements for all life-changing events. Bentek is serving a range of government and municipal customers, offering targeted value for their unique needs and priorities. Employee Experience Best Comprehensive Solution Perceptyx, Inc. Finalist Perceptyx distinguishes itself by transforming traditional employee engagement through its innovative platform. This platform not only listens to employees but actively empowers them with science-backed nudges and personalized recommendations. Turning insights into strategic actions inspires organizations to create a culture of continuous improvement, enabling both individuals and the company to thrive and achieve tangible success. Talent Acquisition Best Comprehensive Solution Jobvite (Employ Inc.) Finalist Jobvite has a rich history as a hiring application, starting out nearly 20 years ago and advancing to a comprehensive, strategic system for employers needing flexibility. The platform works best for companies that need a solution that can be configured to their unique processes. Our judges were most impressed by the range of dashboards available for ongoing insight into talent activities. Talent Management Best Comprehensive Solution aTalent Finalist aTalent was a new one for our judges this year, but they showed up with an impressive entry and feature set. The features of the AI help develop OKRS and goals and then analyze and breakdown the results in innovative ways. aTalent offers options for users to accept specific tasks and associate them association with company goals or break down overall goals into more granular tasks. Solid entry. Total Rewards/Wellbeing Best Comprehensive Solution Businessolver Finalist Benefits don’t get enough credit in the HR technology ecosystem. Hiring, retention, training… They are all important. But someone’s benefits affect the person, their family, and their future. It’s a truly human connection. Businessolver is doing an excellent job helping to create more engaging experiences for workers to identify, select, and use the benefits that matter most to them. Core HR/Workforce Best Frontline-Focused Solution UKG Finalist UKG transforms frontline work environments by leveraging innovative AI-powered HCM solutions that foster a culture of engagement, trust, and belonging. They excel in creating great workplaces for frontline workers by fostering environments where engagement, trust, and belonging are paramount. Their focus on intuitive solutions and employee empowerment highlights their commitment to enhancing both productivity and job satisfaction in frontline teams. Employee Experience Best Frontline-Focused Solution Beekeeper Finalist Our research on frontline workers shows that onboarding, scheduling, and other similar actions are key moments that are either a stumbling block or a springboard to success for frontline workers. Beekeeper has created a product that enables success at a broader scale. Our judges were especially impressed with the AI support in the chat functionality that provides support to communicate effectively across generational and international language gaps. Core HR/Workforce Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution Native Teams Finalist With more organizations growing at a global level, solutions like Native Teams help to make that transition more seamless and painless. Our judges thought the dedicated employee support specialists were a unique touch that help to make the Native Teams offering more approachable for workers and less labor-intensive for employers. Core HR/Workforce Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution Paycor Finalist Paycor’s Integration Platform addresses one of the biggest challenges in mid-market HCM—seamlessly connecting data and systems in a resource-constrained environment. For a gig-economy company responding to complex regulatory shifts, Paycor enabled a full HCM deployment in under 60 days, delivering real-time attendance, payroll, and time-off flows integrated directly with its marketplace platform. The flexibility and speed of the Integration Studio demonstrate innovation with real operational impact. Employee Experience Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution vaibe Finalist vaibe reimagines employee engagement through a gamified, API-ready platform that makes motivation measurable and work more rewarding. By embedding points, challenges, leaderboards, and real-time rewards directly into HR systems, vaibe empowers software providers and employers alike to drive behavior change. Employee Experience Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution Welliba Finalist Having seen the Welliba platform, I was struck by its remarkable ease of use and the integration of advanced analytics, which effortlessly empowers organizations to make informed, data-driven decisions that enhance both employee wellbeing and productivity. This innovative solution fosters individual growth while simultaneously building a more resilient and engaged company culture, making it an invaluable asset for any organization dedicated to nurturing its workforce. Talent Acquisition Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution Fastr.ai Finalist Many applicant tracking systems were built pre-AI, which means users do more busy work, spend more time, and lack critical insights. Fastr.ai helps by overlaying AI candidate matching and ranking on an existing ATS, giving employers a way to generate more value from their incoming candidates and their overall resume database. Talent Acquisition Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution NXTThing RPO Finalist Our research on the RPO market shows that employers expect their RPO partner to come not just with services and insights, but with technologies that enable better performance and results. NXTThing RPO has created NXTRecruit, a solution that dramatically speeds up high-volume hiring while increasing candidate satisfaction and decreasing drop-off rates. It’s truly a win-win solution. Talent Acquisition Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution The Selection Lab Finalist In our research on talent acquisition, we find that employers are struggling mightily with picking the best, most suitable candidate for the job. That’s where The Selection Lab comes in with assessments designed to help employers quickly and painlessly screen candidates for open roles. Talent Development Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution Trainery One Finalist Trainery One brings a unified, yet modular approach to learning and development, streamlining training, coaching, compliance, and content delivery in one integrated platform. With dashboards and seamless administrative tools, it enables organizations to connect learning to performance in a powerful way. This is a solution our team will be watching closely. Talent Management Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution Engagedly Inc. Finalist Engagedly brings together performance, learning, engagement, and mobility in a unified platform that’s designed for modern talent management. Features like real-time feedback, personalized growth paths, and AI-driven insights from Marissa AI help HR teams reduce manual effort and support employee development at scale. It’s a well-rounded solution for organizations aiming to align people strategies with business goals. Total Rewards/Wellbeing Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution DailyPay Finalist DailyPay delivers tangible workforce value through earned wage access that goes far beyond early pay—it’s a strategic financial wellness tool. At a global BPO client, DailyPay helped boost program adoption to 64% overall and 70% among new hires, signifying real value to the workforce. The seamless implementation, strong communication strategy, and measurable employee impact make this a compelling example of how pay flexibility can drive retention and engagement. Total Rewards/Wellbeing Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution Payfederate Finalist The world of pay and compensation is one of heavy manual tasks, repetitive actions, and immense amounts of data. In other words, it’s ripe for AI streamlining. Payfederate’s leadership team is helping to turn traditional comp practices into valuable operational strengths for employers. Core HR/Workforce Best Midsize Business-Focused Solution BambooHR Finalist BambooHR is a rich history of serving small and midsize employers with robust technology. Their team has begun to embed AI features to scale up HR efforts, decrease busywork, and drive better and more employee-centric outcomes. Our judges were most impressed by the case study where one client reduced hands-on time for open enrollment from nearly 30 days down to just 3 days. Core HR/Workforce Best Small-Business Focused Solution Paychex, Inc. Finalist Lighthouse research shows that payroll and HR professionals today agree that managing employee payroll is harder than ever before. Paychex is doing solid work for employers that need support with payroll, benefits, and compliance. In addition, our judges were especially intrigued by the new Paychex Recruiting Copilot solution that enables smaller companies to compete with bigger ones when it comes to talent acquisition. Talent Acquisition Best Talent Intelligence Solution Talogy Finalist Talogy distinguishes itself by seamlessly combining cutting-edge psychological research with advanced technology to provide tailored talent management solutions that meet the unique needs of each organization. By focusing on holistic employee growth and strategic talent optimization, Talogy inspires businesses to unlock the full potential represented by their candidates and workforce. Talent Analytics Best Talent Intelligence Solution Beamery Finalist Beamery has been a player in the enterprise talent market for years, and their new Dynamic Job Architecture gives employers a more flexible view of the roles and skills they need. One client used the solution to reduce 1,200 job descriptions to 40 consistent, skills-based compositions, making discussions about talent planning more practical and tangible. Well done. Talent Analytics Best Talent Intelligence Solution Humareso Technology Solutions Finalist Knowing your people means knowing your data. Humareso’s solutions give employers a deeper insight into their leaders, their workforce, and what activities drive the best outcomes. This isn’t just a data-gathering platform, it’s a decision-enabling platform. Talent Analytics Best Talent Intelligence Solution Salary.com Finalist Salary.com has done good work in the last few decades helping employers to find, manage, and use the compensation information they need to be competitive in the market. The new SalaryIQ offering gives employers a way to see competitive pay data based on job postings in real-time, giving compensation teams an additional layer of pay insight for faster, better decisions. Talent Analytics Best Talent Intelligence Solution TalentNeuron Finalist TalentNeuron has been operating in the industry for many years, but recently the team has begun innovating like a startup, creating new value for clients and showcasing just how much insight can be created from market data, skills insights and more. Excited to see what’s next from the team. Talent Analytics Best Talent Intelligence Solution TrueComp Finalist It’s easy for many HR tech providers to focus on the private sector, but the government HR function also needs intuitive, useful technology. TrueComp is one of those providers, offering a mechanism for more than 1,000 clients across cities, counties, and government agencies to not just manage compensation, but bring data to critical workforce decisions and collective bargaining discussions. Excellent work.