UIA announces new MiUI launch date: The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced the new date for the launch of MiUI, the new UI tax and benefits system that will replace the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM).    After postponing the initial launch of the system to ensure its functionality, the new launch date for MiUI will be Monday, February 23, 2026. Make sure your company is ready to use the new system for UI tax payments and registrations by that date.

H-1B registration window opening soon: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the registration dates for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 H-1B cap lottery (65,000 plus an additional 20,000 for master’s degrees or higher) will open at noon ET on March 4, 2026, and close at noon ET on March 19, 2026. This year's H-1B cap registration selection process will shift from a random lottery to a weighted selection process based on a beneficiary's proposed salary and the prevailing wage level into which the offered salary falls, increasing the chance of selection of employees paid at higher wage levels. It will also be critical to confirm that each beneficiary is currently maintaining valid nonimmigrant status in the U.S. and will continue to maintain valid status during the H-1B filing and adjudication process. In order to avoid the new $100,000 H-1B super fee, the beneficiary's H-1B cap petition must be approved as a change of status within the U.S. Any H-1B petition filed for a beneficiary who is not currently in the U.S., or who is in the U.S. but not maintaining valid nonimmigrant status, could only be approved for consular notification and would therefore be subject to the new $100,000 H-1B fee.  Source: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer 2/5/26

Average hiring age goes up: Fresh research from the workforce data company Revelio Labs sheds light on the factors making it harder for applicants like Thomas: chiefly, an aging population and more people working well into their 60s and 70s, coupled with a labor market in which companies are culling roles and seeking more experienced candidates when they do hire. The average new hire was 42 years old in 2025, according to a Revelio analysis released recently versus 40.5 in 2022 and 40 in 2016. Revelio chief economist Lisa Simon, who conducted the analysis, said years of economic and political uncertainty, and the push to use artificial intelligence to reshape how work is done, have led employers to place a higher value on “experience, and be a little more risk-averse in terms of who they’re hiring and who they’re willing to bet on in this labor market.”  The share of workers 25 and younger went from 14.9% to 8.8% from 2022 to 2025, the analysis shows. Hiring inflows for this age group are down more than 45% compared with 2019, when, like now, the economy was deep into an expansion. In contrast, inflows for workers 65 and older are up nearly 80% in that time, Revelio’s data showed.  Source: Washington Post 1/14/26

UAW comes to agreement with Volkswagen finally in TN plant organizing: The United Auto Workers and Volkswagen reached a tentative agreement on a labor contract covering more than 3,000 workers at a plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which if ratified would become a landmark initial contract for Southern autoworkers. The UAW had a long history of trying to organize the Chattanooga facility, having lost close representation elections at the plant in 2014 and 2019.  And in 2023 it did.  The tentative agreement, which workers at the plant must still ratify and would run until 2030, includes 20% raises for plant workers over the life of the contract, yearly and ratification bonuses, and provisions limiting Volkswagen's ability to unilaterally cut or outsource jobs at the plant. The UAW launched the campaign to organize Southern auto plants in November 2023, looking to build on the momentum of a successful strike and new collective bargaining agreements with Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis earlier that year. The plants that foreign automakers have set in the American South have not unionized, in contrast with the Big Three automakers where the UAW represents some 150,000 workers.  It’s still a long road for UAW.  Source: Law360 2/5/26

AI in benefit administration growing: 81% of benefit leaders say they have explored or already implemented AI to improve benefit administration efficiency, according to human capital software company UKG. To understand where that technology is having the greatest impact, a recent study from the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) highlights the three areas where AI is most widely being put to use and how it's delivering value for both benefit leaders and employees. First, during the onboarding process, AI is supporting new employees by simplifying benefit decisions, ensuring they're signed up quickly and can engage in their options, according to ERIC's study. It also assists with health plan selections and avoids enrollment gaps by explaining options and helping new hires designate retirement beneficiaries. From a financial wellness standpoint, AI integrations can also check payroll setups for missing tax forms or direct deposit details, as well as help employees understand tuition assistance and other educational benefits early on. Second, ERIC's research found that AI is being used to provide ongoing benefit guidance, personalization and proactive insights as employees age. Finally, AI is being used to provide employees with critical health benefits information, according to the ERIC report, as well as to identify the value of unused leave, mitigate wage compliance risks, and support potential benefit rollovers.  Source: EBN 1/6/26

OSHA is now issuing opinion letters:  The DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a news release on December 10, 2025, calling attention to seven letters of interpretation – addressing topics from Covid-19 to confined space – intended “to ensure the consistent and transparent application of federal workplace safety and health standards.”  This news release follows the DOL’s announcement on June 2, 2025, of a newly launched opinion letter program under Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling (confirmed March 12, 2025) that “expands the department's longstanding commitment to providing meaningful compliance assistance” and involves five key enforcement agencies, including OSHA. Regardless of whether the 2025 OSHA interpretation letters apply to one’s business, the DOL’s emphasis on providing regulatory guidance is welcome news for employers. OSHA interpretation letters can be helpful in planning for compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and when evaluating or challenging an OSHA citation. Past interpretation letters are available on a new DOL landing page.  Source: Littler 12/16/25