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Tag: workforce

  • This Report Says Most People Don’t Have ‘Quality Jobs.’ Here’s How Your Business Can Change That

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    A new study by research firm Gallup called the American Job Quality Study found that, essentially, the majority of Americans don’t have what’s defined as “quality” employment. The poll defined this as a job that pays fairly, has reliable scheduling and offers good routes for advancement and personal growth, among other positive characteristics. The data might prompt you to check in on your own staff and make sure their needs are properly met.

    The study’s data are stark: only four in 10 US workers have quality jobs, meaning six in 10 workers are being let down by their work in some way or another. Gallup’s data back this up, with the survey finding, for example, that while 71 percent of workers agreed that they could decide how to carry out their job, 62 percent of people said they didn’t have reliable work schedules — a characteristic that can drive up stress and worker disengagement, news site HRDive notes. Men are more likely than women to say they’ve got quality jobs (45 percent versus 34 percent), and while high-quality jobs are spread across the nation, they’re more common in western states than other regions. 

    Among the other unsettling results, Gallup’s survey of over 18,000 people working in different industries and job types found that 29 percent of people say they’re “just getting by” or “finding it difficult to get by.” A sizable 43 percent say they’re doing “okay,” and just 27 percent said they’re living “comfortably.” The report notes that this backs up other data showing half of all workers earn at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty line for a family of two.

    On the topic of job satisfaction, 85 percent of respondents agreed they were respectfully treated by colleagues and customers. But 69 percent said they had less influence than they should over their pay and benefits, and 55 percent feel the same about technology adoption at work. Though the survey doesn’t look into this too deeply, this latter point tallies with numerous other reports about the accelerated way many workplaces are adopting AI and requiring their workers use the tech to boost efficiency, even while they’re failing to provide adequate training and usage guidelines. Another data point in the Gallup study underlines this, since only half of the respondents said they’d taken part in workplace training and education in the last year. 

    The data on job quality are important, Gallup’s report notes, because having a quality job is linked with higher levels of job satisfaction: 58 percent of workers in quality roles have high job satisfaction compared to 23 percent of people in lower-quality jobs. Satisfaction is “consistently linked in prior research to lower turnover, higher productivity, and stronger business performance.”

    What’s the takeaway for your company? 

    Essentially it’s possible that even if you think your staff are doing well, and they seem happy and secure in their jobs, there may be undercurrents of worry or dissatisfaction that don’t reach your ears, either because workers don’t want to gripe or they worry about the implications of raising a red flag. Savvy leaders may use this report as a trigger to check in with their employees and see how they rate the “quality” of their jobs — there are a few simple organizational levers you can pull that would improve their feelings. 

    This is important for long-term growth, says Gallub senior partner Stephanie Marken. If your staff feel their job is a high quality one they may be “healthier, more engaged, and more productive.” Taking steps to boost job quality is not just “the right thing for workers; it’s a smart investment in stronger businesses and a more resilient economy,” Marken said. 

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  • Workers Reject Boeing’s Latest Offer After Nearly Three Months on Strike

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    (Reuters) -Striking workers at Boeing Defense in the St. Louis area rejected the company’s latest contract proposal on Sunday, sending a strike that has already delayed delivery of fighter jets and other programs into its 13th week.

    In a statement after the vote, union leadership said the company had failed to address the needs of the roughly 3,200 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837.

    “Boeing claimed they listened to their employees – the result of today’s vote proves they have not,” IAM International President Brian Bryant said in a statement. “Boeing’s corporate executives continue to insult the very people who build the world’s most advanced military aircraft – the same planes and military systems that keep our servicemembers and nation safe.”

    The five-year offer was largely the same as those previously rejected by union members. Boeing leadership has said repeatedly during the strike that the company will not significantly improve its offer.

    In September, IAM members approved the union’s proposed four-year contract. However, Boeing management has refused to consider the offer.

    The IAM estimates that its offer would add about $50 million to the agreement’s cost over its four-year duration, compared with the company offer that was rejected. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg is set to earn $22 million this year.

    “It’s well past time for Boeing to stop cheaping out on the workers who make its success possible and bargain a fair deal that respects their skill and sacrifice,” Bryant said.

    Since the strike began on August 4, Boeing officials have repeatedly said the company’s mitigation plan has limited the effects of the work stoppage. 

    However, it has delayed deliveries of F-15EX fighters to the U.S. Air Force, General Kenneth Wilsbach told the Senate Armed Services Committee in comments submitted for a October 9 hearing on his nomination as the Air Force’s chief of staff.

    Boeing is expected to report another unprofitable quarter when it posts its third-quarter results on Wednesday. Wall Street analysts anticipate the company will announce a multi-billion dollar charge on its 777X program, which is six years behind schedule and not yet certified by regulators.

    (Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Nia Williams and Edmund Klamann)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Argentina’s Farmers Give Milei Vote of Confidence Before Midterms

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    BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentine farmers are renewing their vote of confidence in President Javier Milei ahead of Sunday’s midterm elections, a crucial sector that the government relies on to generate much-needed foreign currency.

    Support from farmers in Argentina, a leading global food exporter, will be crucial for the radical libertarian president, who hopes to substantially increase his minority representation in Congress.

    Since taking office almost two years ago, Milei has enjoyed broad support from the agriculture sector, which shares his vision of unrestricted and deregulated markets.

    Milei’s government has moved in the direction of lowering unpopular export taxes. In July, the government reduced the export tax on soybeans and corn, the country’s two main crops, by 20%. Although the taxes remain high, 26% and 9.5% respectively, Milei has promised to eliminate them completely.

    “We need to give this government a vote of confidence,” Martín Doffo, a 51-year-old farmer from the town of 25 de Mayo, in the province of Buenos Aires, told Reuters. “He wants to take the necessary path: tax reduction, lowering export taxes, and labor reform, all things we’ve been needing.”

    The main opposition force is the Peronist party led by former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who during her presidency clashed with the agriculture sector over protectionist export quotas and price controls.

    “There are many producers who don’t want Kirchnerism to return,” said Horacio Deciancio, a 70-year-old cattle rancher from San Vicente, a rural town near Buenos Aires. He said that he is betting on Milei’s “market-based economic policies, where supply and demand can open markets to the world.”

    Farmers whom Reuters spoke to also said they support labor reforms to increase the formal workforce that Milei has said he would push through the next Congress. They say that under the current system, there is too much bureaucracy involved in hiring workers.

    Half of Argentina’s lower Chamber of Deputies, or 127 seats, as well as a third of the Senate, or 24 seats, are up for election on October 26.

    The Peronist opposition movement currently holds the largest minority in both houses and has about half of its seats in the lower house up for reelection. Milei’s relatively new party, La Libertad Avanza, has only 37 deputies and six senators.

    Political experts say that if Milei’s party clinches more than 35% of the vote, that would be seen as a positive sign of growing support.

    (Report by Maximilian Heath; Writing by Leila Miller Editing by Marguerita Choy)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Kroger to Hire 18,000 Workers for 2025 Holiday Season, Fewer Than Last Year

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    (Reuters) -Kroger said on Monday its family of companies are looking to hire over 18,000 associates as the U.S. grocer preps for the busy holiday season, about 7,000 fewer than last year.

    The hires would be focused on customer-facing roles such as cashiers, baggers, deli bakery clerks and pharmacy technicians.

    Last year, Kroger had said it would recruit about 25,000 associates.

    The job market in the U.S. has softened in the past few months, with economists citing the impact of tariffs, immigration crackdowns and mass firings. According to the Labor Department’s report, unemployment rate increased to nearly a four-year high of 4.3% in August.

    Other retailers such as e-commerce giant Amazon.com, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bath & Body Works have also announced their hiring plans for the all-important holiday season amid concerns regarding consumer spending triggered by tariff uncertainty.

    While Dick’s Sporting Goods ramped up its holiday hiring roles, Bath & Body Works lowered its numbers. In September, the beauty and skincare retailer said it would hire over 30,000 seasonal associates, fewer than 32,700 a year ago.

    Amazon.com, on the other hand, maintained its streak of hiring 250,000 holiday workers for the third straight year.

    According to Adobe Analytics, U.S. holiday online sales are expected to grow at a slower pace this year while e-commerce sales are expected to outshine overall sales growth.

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of additional 100% tariffs on Chinese imports have further sparked concerns among retailers. But experts believe it would not impact the shopping season as the holiday inventory has already entered the country.

    (Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Want to Keep Your Workers Happy? Don’t “Fake Promote” Them With New Job Titles

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    Shakespeare really nailed the “what’s in a name?” question — roses do smell as sweet no matter what you call ‘em. But when it comes to writing business text and job titles, rather than poetry and names, things get a little more complex as workers’ egos and motivational benefits like pay rises join in. Now a new report shines an interesting light on a strange job title-related phenomenon that’s afflicting the average worker: “title inflation.” Even Shakespeare would have a hard time shaping this story into a beautiful verse.

    As you may have expected, the workers don’t emerge on the positive side of this trick. In fact, 92 percent of the 1,000 U.S. workers questioned by online resume building service MyPerfectResume said they’d seen companies use overblown job titles to make it seem like their career was progressing. And this played out even as their managers weren’t accompanying the “fake” promotion with meaningful benefits like higher pay or extra recognition alongside an inflated job name.

    As someone who’s held an innumerable number of job titles over the years, from junior business analyst to technician I’ve seen some of this go on. And if you think about it, you certainly have too: I bet you know a junior section manager of XYZ or two who’s been “promoted,” and lost the “junior,” but that’s as far as things went in terms of pay or other compensation.

    MyPerfectResmue’s data also show that two in three workers think this habit of job title inflation is actually happening more than in the past. And, as industry news site HRDive notes, there’s a sad, mind games-related reaction happening to this sort of managerial trick: workers admitted that they were afraid to negotiate with management when this occurs, and 9 percent have been given a new more senior title without a raise, and shockingly 15 percent had even accepted a more “senior” job title that came with a functional salary cut. Worse, perhaps, some 37 percent of the survey respondents said they had felt pressured to accept a new job title without negotiating more pay.

    We can assume that the gloomy job market, endless headlines reporting layoffs and the ever-growing threat that AI may take people’s jobs is playing a role here. After all, reports say that people are so afraid of being fired that they’re feeling guilty about taking vacations, and they’re “task masking” too — pretending to work hard even when their workload is light so that managers see them and think they’re busy, and not worth replacing with an AI. 

    Combine a nervous job-hugging workforce with a management system that’s under constant pressure to deliver more productivity, without necessarily being given budget or authority to “reward” workers properly, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for managers pulling off dirty tricks like offering someone a new, grander-seeming job title that comes with extra duties, but no managerial authority or, indeed, extra pay. This is backed up by MyPerfectResume data which showed 20 percent of workers think employers inflate job titles to justify assigning more responsibilities, 19 percent think it’s merely about flattery, and 16 percent think it’s a ploy to retain workers long term.

    Now, you can argue that job titles don’t matter, and you may feel that in your small enterprise everyone’s got a simple, meaningful one that doesn’t overstate or overpromise their role.

    But the thing is job titles do matter in subtle ways. For example, 41 percent of survey respondents in this new study said a title had made them seem either over or under qualified when they were applying for a new role, and 11 percent said that an unusual job title had made it harder to explain and justify their work experience. 

    And, just like being given the corner office, a new, more senior-seeming job title without an accompanying raise or other benefit really represents no advancement at all for a worker. Keep pulling this trick off and you could build up resentment in your workforce, which could then drive down engagement and, with that, your profits.

    Simply: it might be time to audit your promotions and rewards program, and to check that everyone feels they’ve got the right job title and that their pay reflects that title properly.  

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    Kit Eaton

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  • Who Is Bolivia’s New President, Rodrigo Paz?

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    By Monica Machicao and Lucinda Elliott

    LA PAZ (Reuters) -Bolivia’s president-elect Rodrigo Paz, who claimed victory in Sunday’s presidential runoff, is the son of a former president of the Andean nation who was born in exile from its military dictatorship and schooled in the U.S.

    Paz, 58, of the Christian Democratic Party, defeated conservative rival Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga in Sunday’s presidential runoff to end nearly two decades of leftist rule.

    Paz’s moderate platform resonated with voters disillusioned by the ruling Movement to Socialism (MAS) party, founded by former President Evo Morales, amid a deepening economic crisis.

    “This is a new stage for Bolivian democracy in the 21st century,” Paz said in an interview with Reuters two days before the election at his family’s ranch in the southern gas-producing region of Tarija.

    Paz, who takes office on November 8, reiterated plans to open up parts of the economy to private investment and close loss-making state firms, while maintaining cash transfers to vulnerable groups.

    “The state is an obstacle,” he said. “There are freeloaders earning salaries (from the state) without doing anything.”

    Paz was born in Santiago de Compostela, Spain during his family’s exile under Bolivia’s military dictatorship. Throughout his childhood he studied at various Jesuit schools, later graduating from the American University in Washington. His father is former President Jaime Paz Zamora, who ruled Bolivia from 1989 to 1993.

    His father was the sole survivor of a plane crash in Bolivia — an incident later revealed to be a targeted attack ahead of the country’s 1980 coup. His mother also survived a mysterious car crash while in exile, episodes that he said marked his formative years and political ambition.

    When his family eventually returned to Bolivia in the 1980s, Paz began his political career in Tarija, gradually advancing from city councilor to senator. He has aligned himself with parties from across the political spectrum over the years, ranging from his father’s Revolutionary Left Movement to right-leaning alliances.

    During this election, Paz positioned himself as a centrist candidate, pledging to maintain social programs for the poor while promoting private-sector-led growth. His economic plan includes tax incentives for small businesses and the self-employed, and greater fiscal autonomy for regional governments.

    “Ideologies don’t put food on the table,” he said.

    Like his opponent Quiroga, he has said he wants to improve diplomatic ties with Western countries, including the U.S., after years where Bolivia had aligned itself with Russia and China.

    Paz expressed concern over the country’s rising external debt obligations, which he said required urgent renegotiation. He confirmed meeting with representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund in Washington last month.

    “Debts are a deal that we are renegotiating,” he said.

    PROMISES TO KEEP BENEFITS

    To win over left-leaning voters who abandoned the socialists but were wary of cost-cutting pledged by Quiroga, Paz had adopted a more populist tone than in the first round. 

    “From day one, we will have fuel, we will have tax incentives,” Paz said in a televised debate on October 12. “All social benefits will be respected.”

    Opponents said those promises were unrealistic, and economists warned that whoever won the vote will have their work cut out for them.

    “The fiscal hole is immense,” said Jonathan Fortun at the Institute of International Finance. “The question is not whether adjustment comes, but how fast and how disruptive it will be.”  

    Among the incoming government’s immediate challenges is a fragmented legislature to push through necessary reforms. No single party holds a majority in either house, meaning Paz will need to forge alliances to govern effectively. Paz’s Christian Democratic Party won 49 of 130 seats in the lower house and 16 of 36 in the Senate in August, making them the largest minority group.

    (Reporting by Lucinda Elliott in Montevideo and Monica Machicao in La Paz. Additional reporting by Daniel Ramos in La Paz and Brendan O’Boyle in Mexico City. Editing by Christian Plumb, Rosalba O’Brien and Lincoln Feast.)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • FAA Says US Air Traffic Control Staffing Issues Causing Flight Delays

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    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration said late Sunday that air traffic control staffing issues were delaying travel at airports in Dallas, Chicago and Newark as a U.S. government shutdown hit its 19th day.

    The FAA said numerous staffing triggers had been received for the evening shift and flights could also be delayed in Las Vegas and Phoenix because of air traffic control absences.

    (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kim Coghill)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Agreement Reached to Avert Broadway Actors’ Strike, Union Says

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    (Reuters) -Broadway actors have reached a tentative agreement to avert a strike that would shut down 32 stage productions as theater attendance approaches its peak season, according to their union.

    Actors’ Equity, a union that represents more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, said it reached a tentative, three-year agreement with The Broadway League, the trade association that represents theater owners, producers and operators.

    However, the producers have yet to reach an agreement with the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, which represents Broadway’s musicians, so a strike by that union is still possible. The actors union said it would put its full support behind the musicians union as it works to reach an agreement.

    Al Vincent Jr., executive director and lead negotiator for Actors’ Equity, said that the agreement “saves the Equity-League Health Fund while also making strides in our other priorities including scheduling and physical therapy access”.

    The agreement for the contract has been sent to members for ratification, according to the union. The previous three-year contract ended on September 28.

    The union had earlier in September threatened to walk off the stage as it had not reached an agreement. A central issue in bargaining had been healthcare and the contribution the Broadway League makes to the union’s health care fund.

    Other sectors of the entertainment industry have been roiled by labor unrest, with Hollywood actors and writers striking in 2023, as they fought for better compensation in the streaming TV era and curbs on the use of artificial intelligence.

    Video game actors staged a nearly year-long walkout as they sought protections against the use of artificial intelligence, before reaching a tentative agreement with game studios in July.

    (Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru and Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Franklin Paul)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • US Courts Set to Run Out of Money, Begin Furloughs as Shutdown Lingers

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    (Reuters) -The U.S. federal court system starting on Monday will begin curtailing non-essential functions and furloughing some employees after exhausting what funds it had left to sustain paid operations during the U.S. government shutdown.

    The announcement, in a Thursday internal memo reviewed by Reuters, means the federal judiciary will for the first time in nearly three decades be forced to send some of its over 33,000 employees home and require others to work without a paycheck after Congress failed to pass legislation keeping the courts and the rest of the government funded.

    The shutdown has already caused widespread delays in civil lawsuits involving federal agencies, as many of their employees have been furloughed. However, judges overseeing numerous legal challenges to Republican President Donald Trump’s policies have frequently denied government requests to pause those cases.

    Unlike executive branch agencies operating under Trump’s purview, the judiciary had after the government shutdown that began on October 1 been able to sustain its paid operations for a few weeks by using fees and other funds not dependent on Congress authorizing new spending.

    But tight budgets in recent years meant the judiciary entered the shutdown with less cash available than it had during a 2019 shutdown in Trump’s first term in office, during which the courts sustained paid operations for the full five weeks. Funding was, as a result, projected to be exhausted on Friday.

    Courts will remain open, and judges and Supreme Court justices will still get paid, thanks to a bar in the U.S. Constitution against a diminution in their pay. Officials in various district courts said they had been informed they could continue paying jurors, at least for now.

    JUDICIARY TO START SENDING FURLOUGH NOTICES MONDAY

    But Judge Robert Conrad, the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, in Thursday’s memo told judges and others that the courts had done what they could to maintain operations by deferring planned spending and would enter into a new phase of the shutdown starting at midnight on Monday.

    Furlough notices will be distributed that morning, and “orderly shutdown activities will commence,” Conrad wrote.

    The last time such furloughs occurred within the judiciary was during government shutdowns that occurred during Democratic President Bill Clinton’s tenure in 1995 to 1996.

    Exactly how many court employees will be furloughed is not clear. Officials in various trial courts said most if not all of their staff would be deemed exempt under the Antideficiency Act as they provide essential services that help them fulfill their core duties under the Constitution of resolving cases and facilitating criminal defendants’ right to a speedy trial.

    But probation officers, judicial clerks and administrative staff still on the job are set to receive their last paychecks on October 24, a possibility that “is extremely stressful to our employees,” said Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane of the Southern District of Texas, which covers Houston.

    Federal public defenders, who represent indigent defendants who have a right to a lawyer, working in offices that are part of the judiciary likewise will not get paid, nor will private lawyers who do the same under the Criminal Justice Act.

    Those private lawyers’ pay has already been delayed since July after funding for them ran out, a development the courts deem a “crisis.”

    (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Alistair Bell)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Major U.S. Business Group Sues Over Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

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    The largest U.S. business lobbying group filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging President Donald Trump’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

    The lawsuit by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which says it represents about 300,000 businesses, is the group’s first against the Trump administration since the Republican president took office for a second term in January. 

    (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Greece Adopts Law Extending Working Hours Despite Protests

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    By Angeliki Koutantou and Renee Maltezou

    ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday allowing private sector employers to extend working hours despite protests from workers already struggling from a cost-of-living crisis.

    The bill, which allows employers to enforce 13-hour work days, up from the current eight hours, aims to make the labour market more flexible and effective, the conservative government says.

    But the proposal has triggered two general strikes this month by workers who see it as a move to undermine their rights just as they are struggling with stagnating wages and the rising costs of food and rent.

    “When the rest of Europe is in discussions to reduce working hours, in Greece we increase them,” said 41-year-old barman Themis Lytras, who said his rent had doubled over the past two years.

    Greece already has among the longest working weeks in Europe at around 40 hours, EU data shows, against an average 34 hours worked in Germany or 32 in the Netherlands.

    GREEKS STRUGGLE DESPITE ECONOMIC REBOUND

    Greece is recovering from a debilitating 2009-2018 debt crisis, marked by years of belt-tightening, that wiped out a quarter of national output. 

    Strong economic growth in recent years has opened up room for tax cuts and pay increases. But wages remain below pre-crisis levels and Greeks’ purchasing power is among the lowest in the European Union, Eurostat data shows.

    Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government has seen its popularity wane in opinion polls partly due to disappointment over the failure of the economic recovery to generate higher living standards.

    “After the crisis, we expected a return to normality,” said George Koutroumanis, a former labour minister who called the new law “absurd”.

    The extended work shift can only be applied three days a month and up to 37 days a year. The bill protects people from being fired if they refuse to work overtime, but unions say it strips workers of negotiating power in a country where there is undeclared work and where average wages remain relatively low.

    The bill, which also gives employers more flexibility on short-term hirings and allows staff to work four days a week through the entire year upon prior agreement, was approved by a majority of lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament.

    (Additional reporting by Mark John and Lefteris PapadimasEditing by Ed Osmond, Edward McAllister and Gareth Jones)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Trump Signs Order to Pay Troops During US Government Shutdown

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    By Patricia Zengerle and Bo Erickson

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order on Wednesday directing the Pentagon to ensure active-duty military personnel are paid despite the federal government shutdown, the White House said, addressing one of the most sensitive issues in the bitter standoff over federal spending.

    Trump directed Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth “to use for the purpose of pay and allowances any funds appropriated by the Congress that remain available for expenditure in Fiscal Year 2026 to accomplish the scheduled disbursement of military pay and allowances for active duty military personnel,” according to text of the executive order shared by the White House on social media.

    As the standoff between Trump’s Republicans and congressional Democrats stretched into a third week, 1.3 million active-duty military risked missing their mid-month paychecks. Service members remain on duty despite the shutdown that began on October 1. Their work is deemed essential for national security.

    TROOPS WERE PAID IN PAST SHUTDOWNS 

    Members of Congress pride themselves on supporting service members, who put their lives on the line for national security. In past shutdowns, they passed bills to ensure the troops would be paid.

    Trump had promised the service members would get their pay, and his administration said on Saturday it would use unspent Department of Defense research and development funds to cover the checks.

    However, it was not clear where funds would come from to cover the military’s next paychecks at the end of October.

    House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson accused Democrats of holding the troops “hostage” by refusing to agree to a Republican spending plan to reopen the government.

    “The most pro-shutdown Democrats actually represent the most active duty service members back home, whom they have taken hostage in this insidious political game,” Johnson told a press conference on Wednesday, referring to lawmakers from states that are home to large numbers of troops.

    Democrats blamed the Republicans for refusing to even discuss any compromise.

    Republicans control the House, Senate, and White House, but would need Democratic votes in the Senate to advance the measure. Democrats say any funding package to reopen the government must also extend healthcare subsidies for about 24 million Americans that are due to expire at the end of the year.

    When government offices closed in 2013, members of the military were paid because Congress passed a separate “Pay Our Military Act.” This year, Republican Representative Jen Kiggans introduced a similar bill, the “Pay Our Troops Act,” but it did not pass before Johnson sent the House home last month.

    (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Bo Erickson; additional reporting by Costas Pitas and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Rami Ayyub, Rod Nickel)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • White House Budget Director Vought Says Over 10,000 Federal Workers Could Be Laid off During the Shutdown

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    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -White House budget director Russell Vought said more than 10,000 government employees could be laid off during the government shutdown.

    “I think we’ll probably end up being north of 10,000,” Vought said during an interview on “The Charlie Kirk Show.”

    (Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese)

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  • ‘Made in Argentina’ Factories Shutter, Creating More Challenges for Milei

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    BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -For decades, Lumilagro rode to prosperity on the popularity of its signature steel or glass thermoses Argentines use to carry hot water to make mate, the locally ubiquitous herbal tea.

    But now, faced with cheaper imports, rising production costs, and declining sales, the over 80-year-old family business has been forced to scale back, its commercial manager Carlos Bender told Reuters. He said it now imports most of the thermoses it offers, at prices up to 30% lower than the cost of producing locally.

    The company, whose website proudly declares “Made in Argentina,” shut down its glass furnace 18 months ago, operates only one of its four assembly lines and has cut its workforce from 160 to 60, Bender said in an office adjacent to its half-empty warehouses, calling the process “very painful.”

    The Lumilagro case is emblematic of a broader challenge facing Argentina under a radical economic overhaul by President Javier Milei, who U.S. President Donald Trump has called his “favorite president.”

    Milei’s drastic spending cuts have succeeded in achieving a fiscal surplus, no small feat for a country that has long run steep deficits, and in sharply reducing inflation.

    But manufacturing has suffered as deregulation has spurred growing competition from cheaper imports that have also benefited from a peso widely viewed as overvalued, as well as reduced consumer purchasing power.

    In August alone, industrial production fell 4.4% year-over-year. Unemployment in the factory-heavy suburbs of Buenos Aires spiked to 9.8% in the second quarter from 9.1% a year ago, according to the Indec statistics agency.

    That is hammering support for Milei’s coalition – which already suffered a crushing defeat in Buenos Aires provincial elections in September – ahead of this month’s crucial midterm elections.

    Milei’s libertarian party and its allies need to increase their presence in the opposition-dominated Congress to advance the president’s agenda of free-market reforms and sustain his vetoes of congressional spending bills, which have lately been frequently overturned.

    After taking office, Milei relied on an inflated local currency, public spending cuts and high interest rates to reduce annual inflation that hovered around 200%. But those policies, especially the overvalued peso, helped trigger an increase in imports, economists say.

    Milei’s government declined to comment. It has said that its policies will put Argentina on a more stable footing and allow it to develop an economy based on energy, mining, agriculture and AI.

    Similar dynamics have forced ceramics company Ilva to close its factory in the Buenos Aires suburb of Pilar, leaving 300 of its former workers camped out in front demanding some form of indemnization. 

    “We didn’t expect this, what they’re doing to us today, leaving us out in the cold, helpless, and without our wages,” said Juan González, one of those laid off, laying the blame for the business’ problems squarely on Milei’s government. 

    “Ever since this government came in, sales dropped,” he said. “The company gradually declined because, as sales were low, we produced less.” 

    Ilva did not respond to a request for comment. 

    The economic panorama still has some bright spots, most of them in a burgeoning mining and energy sector, such as the Vaca Muerta shale formation – although there are signs of weakness there as well.

    Milei’s approval ratings slumped to a new low of 39% in September, according to a survey by the University of San Andrés. Polling experts cite weariness with austerity measures, corruption scandals involving his sister, and a perception that Milei’s combative and flamboyant persona has started to grate.

    “People blame Milei for the fact that the macroeconomic stability that he’s achieved doesn’t help on the microeconomic level,” said Marina Acosta, director of consulting firm Analogías.

    Acosta said that Milei could still benefit, however, from a continued reluctance from voters to support the opposition Peronist party that dominated Argentine politics from the 1940s.

    On October 26, Argentines will elect 127 deputies — half of the chamber — and 24 senators, one-third of the total.

    US GIVES ECONOMIC LIFELINE

    Milei appeared alongside Trump at a meeting at the White House on Tuesday. The U.S. Treasury agreed to provide a $20 billion currency swap line for Argentina this month, offering an economic lifeline to prop up the peso.

    Washington’s continued support was conditional on Milei retaining power and keeping the Peronists out, Trump said. “If he loses we are not going to be generous with Argentina,” he added.

    Either way, U.S. aid is unlikely to improve — at least in the short term — the situation facing local manufacturers.

    The owner of an automotive parts factory in Buenos Aires, speaking on condition of anonymity, said sales had fallen since Milei took over and that in response it had maintained imports but cut manufacturing in half.

    The parts his company imports from China cost up to 75% less than those manufactured locally, he added.

    Luis Campos, an employment analyst for the CTA Autónoma trade union, acknowledged that Milei’s policies had produced some stability but that in terms of jobs, “this economic model has already given all it had to offer.”

    “The problem with the winning sectors of the current economic model — large-scale agribusiness, energy, and mining… is that they are not labor-intensive activities,” he said.

    (Reporting by Nicolás Misculin; additional reporting by Miguel Lo BiancoEdited by Lucila Sigal, Christian Plumb and Rosalba O’Brien)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Trump Administration Says 4,108 Workers Have Been Fired Since Shutdown Began

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    By Daniel Wiessner and Courtney Rozen

    (Reuters) -The number of U.S. federal worker layoffs as a result of the government shutdown was revised downward on Tuesday, suggesting the administration’s initial statement about sweeping job cuts was too ambitious.

    The Trump administration has dismissed 4,108 employees since October 1, the day the U.S. government shutdown began, according to a statement filed Tuesday in court by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Justice Department last week in a separate court filing estimated the figure was at least 4,278.

    The cuts amount to a fraction of the U.S. government’s workforce. U.S. agencies employed some 2 million civilians at the start of the Trump administration.

    President Donald Trump blamed the cuts on the U.S. government shutdown. The government is closed because Trump and lawmakers have failed to agree on a spending plan for federal agencies.

    Since 1981, the U.S. has had 15 federal government shutdowns that furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers. No president has sought to use a shutdown as the basis for large-scale firings.

    The dismissals are expected to disrupt government operations, including disease outbreak investigations and college preparation.

    Federal worker unions are suing to overturn the firings. The law prohibits U.S. agencies from carrying out functions without approved funding from Congress. There are certain exceptions, including for national security purposes and essential services to protect life and property.

    The unions said that implementing layoffs is not an essential service that can be performed during a government closure. The shutdown does not justify mass job cuts because most federal workers have been furloughed without pay, they said.

    A federal judge is due to hear the case on October 15.

    (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner and Courtney Rozen; Editing by Stephen Coates)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Ground Stop Alert Issued for Austin Airport Due to Staffing, US FAA Says

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    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A ground stop alert was issued for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, due to staffing, a U.S. Federal Aviation advisory noted late on Monday.

    The ground stop was expected to stay in effect from 0101 GMT to 0215 GMT on Tuesday, with medium chance of an extension, the advisory showed.

    (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • It’s Not Just You: This Survey Says Most U.S. Workplaces Are Toxic

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    The average American workplace is now a mental health minefield, according to a new study by Massachusetts-based jobseeker site Monster. The company’s 2025 Mental Health in the Workplace survey, which involved over 1,100 participants, just revealed “sharp year-over-year increases” in workers reporting toxic workplace culture, damaged mental health, and intention to quit their jobs rather than staying working somewhere that’s harming them.

    The numbers are quite eye-opening: 80 percent of the respondents said their work is now toxic, which is up from the 67 percent that said the same in 2024. More worrying, at least from a medical care perspective, is that 93 percent of those surveyed alleged their employer wasn’t supporting their mental health needs — just 78 percent felt this way last year. 

    This could easily be why 57 percent of those surveyed said they’d consider quitting work over toxicity, why 29 percent would accept a salary cut in favor of changing roles to protect their mental health, and 14 percent said they’d give up vacation days for a year. In a clear sign that toxicity is a product of how colleagues and managers behave, 23 percent of respondents said they’d work weekends to escape toxicity, and 51 percent said that if their employers removed toxic employees their well-being would get a boost. 

    These statistics strongly support that old adage “Hell is other people.”

    Meanwhile of the small share of survey respondents who feel their managers are acting to support their mental health, half say that this is in the form of time-off to see doctors or meet a therapist, 29 percent say “generous” paid time off helps, and 23 percent say that their employer has positive mental health policies in place.

    Monster’s survey doesn’t point to why there’s been a surge in reports of workplace toxicity from last year to this. But it’s easy to point to controversial cultural, societal and political shifts that have happened during 2025. And it’s worth remembering that Gen-Z is now entering the workforce in ever-increasing numbers with dramatically different ideas about what’s an acceptable workplace environment. In particular, Gen-Z is thought to place more value on their mental health than previous generations have. This generation is also reportedly more apt to quit their jobs in the face of what older workers may consider simple challenges, like having the Sunday Scaries. 

    Monster’s data also chimes with other reports about problem workplaces, with a SurveyMonkey study in August reporting that one in two workers feel “stuck” in their job, and another study by small California-based HR compliance training company Traliant noting that violence in American workplaces is on the rise.

    What can you take away from this data for your own company? You may, after all, scoff at the idea that eight in ten workers say their workplace is toxic, brushing it off as weak-willed thinking. Or you may be confident that under your leadership your company culture is thriving, and your workers aren’t suffering under work environments that harm their mental health.

    The issue is that some workers may be suffering in silence, and not raising warnings about feelings of “toxicity,” either because they don’t want to stand out, for fear of retaliation, or just because they’re worn out by the effort of turning up. 

    As Monster’s report notes, there is a good reason for companies to deal with toxicity at work and to treat “mental wellness as a workplace priority, not an afterthought.” Happier workers are more engaged, driving up productivity and boosting profits. Unhappy workers may also quit over these issues, and high employee turnover rates aren’t good for a productive work environment, and they also push up your costs because of the effort involved in recruiting replacements. 

    As a recent report showed, there’s actually an upside in choosing to inject money into making your workplace better for your workers, with more than eight in 10 CEOs in a survey noting that company investments in “wellness” perks like gym subsidies made their staff more productive.

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  • Why Your Workforce Strategy Must Go Global

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    David Nilssen, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization member in Seattle, is the CEO of Doxa Talent, which helps businesses build and scale high-performing, borderless teams leveraging talent from across the world. He has more than 800 team members and zero office space. He is also the co-founder of Guidant Financial, which has helped 30,000 entrepreneurs secure $7 billion to start or buy a business in each of the 50 U.S. states. Below he shares the pertinence of business leaders adopting a global business strategy. 

    Every CEO I talk to has the same fundamental concern. “We can’t find enough qualified people.” It’s not just your company or your industry. It’s a structural shift reshaping how we must think about talent.  

    Here’s the reality: Gallup reports that 51 percent of U.S. employees are currently watching for or actively seeking new jobs—the highest level since 2015. That kind of churn is expensive. Replacing a frontline worker costs about 40 percent of their annual salary, while replacing a manager can cost up to double that. This cycle is both expensive and exhausting.  

    But what if this isn’t just another post-pandemic disruption? What if it’s the beginning of a decade-long talent drought that will force every company to rethink where and how they source talent? My company manages more than 800 team members across six countries without a single office. I’ve had a front-row seat to the demographic forces reshaping global talent markets. The data tells a clear story most business leaders aren’t ready to hear: Your workforce strategy must go global. 

    The demographic time bomb 

    Most business leaders understand that talent acquisition is challenging right now, but few grasp just how permanent this shift will be. Birth rates have been sliding since the post-industrial era, with the global fertility rate falling from roughly five children per family a century ago to just 2.2 in 2024. In the U.S., this rate has plummeted to 1.62, well below the 2.1 needed just to keep the population stable. This isn’t speculative futurism. It’s simple mathematics. Fewer babies today mean fewer workers tomorrow.  

    Population pyramids tell the story clearly. A healthy growing nation has a pyramid shape with a broad base of youth. Across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, these pyramids are inverting, with more seniors than toddlers. Even if society suddenly started having more babies, it would take two decades to impact the workforce. 

    The evolution of worker expectations  

    While demographics create the supply challenge, evolving worker expectations create a demand-side revolution. Post-Covid, the workforce has divided into five distinct personas, according to McKinsey research:  

    • Traditionalists who value career advancement (but their numbers are dwindling)  
    • Caretakers who prioritize flexibility for family responsibilities  
    • Do-it-yourselfers who value autonomy and location independence  
    • Idealists who seek purpose and development  
    • Support-seekers who value employers that provide wellness resources  

    The common thread? A dramatic shift in work location preferences. According to the U.S. Career Institute, only 5 percent of workers want to be in an office full-time, while 54 percent never want to go to an office at all. Many companies respond by compromising with hybrid policies, but this gives us the worst of both worlds—paying for both a physical office and remote setups without being optimized for either. It’s like paying a mortgage on a house you use just one day a week. 

    Global talent as a strategic response  

    The companies that win will be those that see these twin forces—demographic shifts and evolving worker expectations—as an opportunity to gain competitive advantage. Global talent addresses both challenges simultaneously.  

    Remote work delivers what employees crave: flexibility, more time with family, and freedom from commuting. For example, our team members in the Philippines save an average of three and a half hours daily by eliminating commuting. That’s 38 extra days yearly they get back with family. This explains why retention stays strong despite competitors occasionally offering slightly higher compensation.  

    For employers, going global lets you fish in a much larger talent pond, allowing small and midsize companies to punch above their weight class against larger organizations now demanding returns to the office. When I ran a company in Seattle, we competed for talent with giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing. We couldn’t match their salaries, but we could offer something equally valuable: flexibility and purpose. 

    Making global collaboration work: The split-shift advantage  

    Time zones present a legitimate challenge for global teams, but there’s a solution we’ve found remarkably effective: the split shift. In this model, team members in places like the Philippines might start at 4 a.m. their time or 2 p.m. U.S. Pacific time. This creates a three to four hour overlap for collaborative work. When U.S. team members end their day, their international colleagues continue working, creating a 24-hour productivity cycle. This approach spares international team members the health toll of working all night while maintaining momentum on projects. 

    Matching regions to needs 

    Beyond time zones, matching the right region to your specific needs is critical:  

    • India excels at finance and technical development  
    • The Philippines is the gold standard for customer experience and back-office support  
    • Colombia offers excellent nearshore opportunities for time zone alignment  
    • Vietnam and Kenya shine in data labeling, coding, and design  

    The key is finding the strategic fit between your needs and regional strengths rather than simply chasing the lowest labor costs. 

    Building for the AI-augmented future  

    The final piece of this strategic puzzle is AI readiness. Every technological breakthrough from the printing press to the internet sparked fears of mass unemployment, yet each time productivity and job creation increased overall. Generative AI will likely follow the same pattern. For firms that adopt early, it’s a tailwind. For laggards, it’s an existential threat.  

    The human-in-the-loop future will see AI handling volume while humans provide oversight, judgment, and relational nuance. This makes a global talent strategy even more critical, as you’ll need diverse teams that can orchestrate systems rather than just execute tasks. 

    The path forward 

    The talent shortage isn’t temporary. Instead, it’s a structural reality that will define the next decade of business. Companies that recognize this demographic inevitability and adapt fastest will create a substantial competitive advantage. Your workforce strategy must go global not because it’s trendy, but because it’s the only sustainable solution to the demographic and workplace transformations reshaping our world. The question isn’t whether to embrace global talent—it’s how quickly you can adapt before your competitors do. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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  • US Education Department to Lay off Employees, Agency Says

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    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Education said on Friday it would lay employees off as workforce cut notices began to go out on the tenth day of the federal government shutdown.

    The department confirmed the plan to Reuters but did not elaborate.

    (Reporting by Courtney Rozen; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chris Reese)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Morocco’s King Urges Speedy Reforms to Boost Jobs, Rural Development

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    RABAT (Reuters) -King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Friday called for accelerating reforms to create jobs for young people, improve public services, and reduce regional inequalities by giving greater attention to the mountain and oasis regions.

    The King made the call in a speech at the opening of the country’s parliament, a week after widespread youth-led protests demanding better health, education and an end to corruption.

    Morocco is a constitutional monarchy where the King sets the major policy direction implemented by an elected government.

    The King did not address youth protesters directly but said that there should be no inconsistencies or competition between the country’s national flagship projects and social programs.

    He urged “a faster implementation pace and stronger impacts from the next-generation of local development programs,” which he had asked the government to prepare in July.Priority areas include job creation for young people and “tangible progress in the education and health sectors, as well as local rehabilitation policies,” he said.

    Morocco’s unemployment rate stands at 12.8%, with youth unemployment reaching 35.8% and 19% among graduates, official data showed.

    Special attention should be given to the “most fragile areas” such as mountains, he said.

    While the level of poverty has dropped in Morocco from 11.9% in 2014 to 6.8% in 2024, mountainous and oases areas show above-average poverty levels, according to the national statistics agency.

    Most of the country’s population, financial and industrial hubs and vital infrastructure are concentrated in the northwest, leaving the rest of the country reliant on farming, fisheries and tourism.Thousands lined the avenue leading to parliament to greet King Mohammed VI who wore traditional attire and was accompanied by his brother and his son, the crown prince.

    The same square in front of the Parliament saw only dozens protesting on Thursday night in response to a call by the country’s Generation Z protest version, a leaderless group known as GenZ 212.

    The group said on its Discord server it would suspend its protests on Friday out of respect for the King.

    (Reporting by Ahmed El Jechtimi; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Diane Craft)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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