Steve Bent

The U.S. Department of Labor published a final rule that allows states to identify the occupations for which they will conduct drug testing in the unemployment insurance (UI) program. The rule permits states to test unemployment compensation (UC) applicants for whom suitable work is only available in an occupation where drug testing is regularly conducted. […]

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to make 1.3 million American workers eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The final rule updates the earnings thresholds necessary to exempt executive, administrative, or professional employees from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime pay requirements, and allows employers to count

More seniors are remaining employed well after hitting retirement age of 65, a new study has found. For Americans over 75, the labor force participation rate has nearly doubled over the last 20 years. The analysis also found that occupations requiring very specific trade skills, such as embalmers and leather repairmen, employ the largest percentage

Only 15 percent of Latino adults have earned at least an associate degree, compared to 27 percent of black adults who were born in the U.S. and 45 percent of U.S.-born white adults, according to a new report by the National Skills Coalition on racial equity and workforce development. The report features nine policy solutions,

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases national projections of long-term employment trends to provide information on how the labor market is changing. This presentation provided information about growing and declining occupations and the factors driving the growth and decline. Michael Wolf, BLS Division Chief for Occupational Employment Projections, described how BLS classifies occupations

A new report released found that small businesses lead workforce investment and economic growth. Despite resource constraints, small businesses surveyed reflected a commitment to wage growth, healthcare, and workforce training. The report, “Voice of Small Business in America: 2019 Insights Report,” summarizes findings from a survey of 2,285 small business owners who have graduated from

A new global survey reveals that CEOs view a recession as their biggest external concern for 2019. They cited attracting and retaining talent as their top internal concern. Conducted each year by The Conference Board, the findings from C-Suite Challenge 2019™ also show that CEOs feel particularly uneasy about issues including global political instability, leader development, and

Small gestures of kindness by employers can have big impacts on employees’ health and work performance, according to an international team of researchers. The team specifically examined the effects of employers enhancing the lunches of bus drivers in China with fresh fruit and found that it reduced depression among the drivers and increased their confidence