The daughter tax: Daughters are nearly two times (1.9) more likely than sons to provide unpaid, hands-on care for aging parents, according to recent analysis from AI-powered long-term care prediction platform Waterlily. If they're working at the same time, what impact does this caregiving role have on their careers and financial futures? The answer is the "daughter tax" — the term for the lost career, wage, and saving opportunities that stem from providing hours of weekly care to aging parents. Coupled with care-related expenses — more than $7,000 annually on average, according to AARP — the financial repercussions of this are enormous, as The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP outline in a 2025 report: Career advancement takes a back seat, savings accounts get depleted, debt is incurred, and retirement readiness disappears. In addition to this being unsustainable for women, it's damaging to businesses and the economy, said Lily Vittayarukskul, Waterlily's co-founder and CEO.  Employer-sponsored benefits and resources that help women prepare for their own financial futures as well as potential caregiving responsibilities can shift the current narrative, said Vittayarukskul. Source: EBN 8/13/26

USERRA expanded categories for claims: USERRA, which outlaws discrimination based on military service, was amended last year to add “other retaliatory action” to a list of prohibited activities. DOL’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service said in this week’s opinion letter that USERRA now more closely aligns with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act’s retaliation standard. It establishes that retaliation claims aren’t limited to decisions that affect the terms and conditions of an individual’s employment, “but extend to actions that could dissuade a reasonable worker from making or supporting a discrimination charge.” Examples, according to VETS, include “changes to work schedules, transfers to less desirable positions, increased scrutiny of an employee, the filing of false criminal charges against an employee, exclusion from professional opportunities, and threats or coercion.” Context still matters when assessing individual claims, VETS said, but generally speaking, a retaliatory action that would dissuade a reasonable employee from enforcing a USERRA protection, testifying in a proceeding, assisting in an investigation or exercising a right could create a violation. Source: HR Dive 9/9/26

The HSA experience is hit or miss for employees: New research reveals a gap between what employees need from Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and other spending accounts and the support human resources teams receive from providers to deliver a positive employee experience. Based on a survey of more than 300 HR professionals by InComm Benefits, a division of payment technology provider InComm Payments, the findings show that employee experience has become the primary factor driving how HR leaders evaluate spending account providers. The research found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of HR professionals said "employee feedback" is the top factor they consider when reevaluating spending account providers. In addition, employee experience was the No. 1 frustration HR professionals cited with spending account providers. Also, nearly 6 in 10 HR professionals said they encounter concerns or challenges from employees regarding their spending accounts — with common questions focused on eligible purchases, claims submission, account usage, deadlines, and rollover rules. 55% of respondents cited more flexible benefit options as an opportunity to improve the employee experience, while 52% cited simplified education and 52% cited better technology. Source: BenefitPro 8/12/26

HR professionals are looking for lower level jobs: HR professionals are increasingly looking below their current level, according to a new JobLeads analysis of activity on its platform. Human resources recorded the highest rate of “downleveling” among the industries JobLeads tracked: 74.4% of users engaging with HR roles spent most of their job-search activity considering positions below their self-reported career level. JobLeads found that job seekers were more likely to look below their current level as they moved into senior leadership. For example, 57% of “heads of department” spent most of their search activity on lower-level roles, compared with 75% of vice presidents. JobLeads did not release those figures specifically for HR, so it is unclear whether HR leaders follow the same pattern. The trend was not limited to people who were out of work. Even among JobLeads users who said they already had jobs, nearly two-thirds spent most of their search looking at roles below their current level, compared with about seven in 10 unemployed users. The pattern was especially pronounced among managing directors: Eighty-six percent of those out of work and 82% of those who said they were simply browsing looked mostly at lower-level positions. These figures are based only on the 14% of JobLeads users who shared their employment status when signing up. Source: HR Executive 9/2/26

Is “job lock” a benefit or bane for employers? A new study by the West Health-Gallup Center on Health in America finds that job lock is on the rise amid broader health care affordability challenges. About half of Americans report difficulty consistently paying for needed medical care or prescriptions, and 51% say they are worried about their ability to afford health care over the next 12 months, the highest level in five years.  Among those who report personal or household medical debt, 44% say they are staying in an unwanted job for insurance, more than double the rate of those without medical debt (21%). Those who have borrowed money in the past year to pay for health care expenses are also more likely to report staying in unwanted jobs (37% among those who have borrowed vs. 22% among those who have not). Perhaps, more importantly, nearly half of those who report health care expenses as a "major financial burden" (48%) say they are staying in a job to maintain their health insurance. The same is true for 53% of individuals who experience "a lot of stress" in their daily lives due to the cost of health care. Source: BenefitsPro 8/5/26

Canadian minimum wage increases as of Oct 1: Starting October 1, various Canadian provinces will be increasing their minimum wage.  These include:

• Manitoba: General minimum wage increases from $16.00 to $16.40.
• Nova Scotia: General minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.00.
• Ontario: General minimum wage increases from $17.60 to $17.95.
• Prince Edward Island: General minimum wage increases from $17.00 to $17.30.
• PEI’s general minimum wage is scheduled to again increase from $17.30 to $17.60 on April 1, 2027.
• Saskatchewan: General minimum wage increases from $15.35 to $15.70.

With respect to payroll compliance issues:

• Payroll system updates should reflect jurisdiction‑specific effective dates, particularly for employers with multi-jurisdictional workforces.
• Federally regulated employers should monitor provincial increases and apply the higher standard where required.
• Compression issues may arise as minimum wages approach or exceed existing wage bands for entry‑level positions.

Source: Littler 9/16/26