Personnel
5.2% of job ads offer a signing bonus — but 8 fields have the most. Here’s how workers can negotiate one
Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images Employers are using signing bonuses at an elevated rate to attract talent — and there are ways workers can capitalize on the trend. A signing bonus is a financial sweetener — often a lump sum of cash — that businesses offer prospective hires. Offers vary widely by company […]
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U.S. murder rates were still up in 2021 but recent data suggests that trend could be reversing
There were 6% more murders nationally in 2021 than in 2020. That’s a troubling statistic, but modest when compared to the prior year, when the U.S. murder rate climbed nearly 30%, a year-over-year record. That big increase “was a complex combination of factors related to or potentially exacerbated by the pandemic but not inherently the […]
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Companies have been fleeing to low-tax states. Here’s why that may be bad news for workers
Corporations are not afraid to pick up and move. Many states are offering companies enticing incentives like lower taxes if they move their operations, but a superior business climate doesn’t always equate to a superior working climate. “Things that benefit employers when it comes to their bottom line or their margin, in terms of economic […]
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More Americans are working part-time — a potential harbinger of future jobs market instability
Commuters and tourists exit a subway car May 26, 2022 in New York City. Robert Nickelsberg | Getty Images More Americans were working part-time and temporary jobs last month, which may herald future shifts in the shape of what today appears a robust jobs market. Hiring in July easily blew past expectations, suggesting a strong […]
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Long-term unemployment tumbles to its pre-pandemic level, helping to ‘mitigate the risks of labor-market scarring’
Long-term unemployment tumbled below its pre-pandemic level in July, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday, as an unexpectedly strong showing of job gains buoyed workers broadly across the economy. Long-term joblessness is a period lasting at least six months. Those without work that long are exposed to more financial risks, since they’ve generally exhausted […]
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Unions are forming at Starbucks, Apple and Google. Here’s why workers are organizing now
For decades, union membership has been on the decline. Yet in the last few months, workers have been organizing at a pace this country hasn’t seen since the Great Depression. Amazon has captured headlines for union drives at its warehouses, including a successful effort on New York’s Staten Island. But activity is picking up elsewhere […]
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The great unrest: How 2020 changed the economy in ways we can’t understand yet
In an earnings call Wednesday morning, Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs expressed the confusion many people are feeling as they try to figure out what’s going on with the U.S. economy right now: “This is truly one of the most complex environments we’ve ever seen in our industry to operate in. Because we’re not just […]
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Walmart lays off corporate employees after slashing forecast
Exterior view of a Walmart store on August 23, 2020 in North Bergen, New Jersey VIEW press | Corbis News | Getty Images Walmart confirmed on Wednesday that it has begun to lay off corporate employees about a week after the company slashed its profit outlook and warned consumers had pulled back on discretionary spending […]
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The confusing job market: Tech and finance brace for the worst, retail is mixed, travel can’t hire fast enough
JetBlue Airways passengers in a crowded terminal on April 7, 2022 in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Robert Nickelsberg | Getty Images News | Getty Images It wasn’t long ago that Amazon, Shopify and Peloton doubled their workforces to manage through the pandemic surge, while Morgan Stanley staffed up to handle […]
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Typical job switcher got a pay raise of nearly 10%, study finds
Morsa Images | DigitalVision | Getty Images Many workers who changed jobs recently saw raises from their new paychecks outpace inflation by a wide margin — by nearly 10% or more, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. The typical American who changed employers in the year from April 2021 to March […]
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