The labor marketplace is changing: Belt-tightening is overused corporate jargon, but it is particularly apt at the moment. The midsection of America’s workforce is getting squeezed.  Not accomplished enough for senior leadership roles but too experienced (and expensive) for the front-line positions artificial intelligence hasn’t replaced, many mid-career professionals suddenly find themselves in no-man’s-land. This marks what could be a major turning point for the U.S. workforce. Gone are the days when employers would hoard talented employees or worry about being understaffed for the good times.  Now, cost-conscious businesses are trying to flatten, aiming to boost productivity. And when companies need to fill openings, they are eager to find people with just enough know-how and no more. When a job description calls for 10 to 15 years of experience, 25-year veterans aren’t necessarily seen as better-than-expected prospects. They’re often viewed as applicants who will ask for too much money and leave as soon as they find opportunities commensurate with their long CVs. The way companies have hollowed middle management is so dramatic that a new study by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce projects a shortage of 2.9 million managers in 2032.  By then, middle management will be a hot job again, the study predicts.  Source: The Wall Street Journal 10/29/25

What skills are employers looking for? In a survey of 1,005 U.S. hiring managers by ResumeTemplates.com, use of software tools topped the list of hard skills desired in 2026. After that, employers said they want workers with technical skills in data analysis, cybersecurity, project management, quality assurance and testing, automation and workflow optimization, product management, technical writing and documentation, data visualization, and artificial intelligence tools. In addition, hiring managers pointed to communication as the top soft skill for 2026, followed by professionalism, time management, accountability, resilience, problem solving, critical thinking, attention to detail, collaboration, and adaptability. Overall, 62% said hard skills and soft skills are equally valuable, while 24% said soft skills matter more and 14% said hard skills do. Employers have become increasingly focused on soft skills during the job hunt, with 60% saying soft skills are more important now than five years ago, according to a TestGorilla report. In an AI-transformed labor market, employers’ skill priorities have shifted to balance technical skills with soft skills, the report found.  Source: HR Dive 12/8/25

Michigan launches program to assist with employee transportation to work: The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) is encouraging manufacturers and their workforce/nonprofit partners to apply for a share of $260,000 in funding to develop and implement transportation programs that improve employee retention, productivity. and access to work. The Reliable Rides Incentive Grant Pilot Program builds on the recently-released Reliable Rides: Connecting Workers to Jobs playbook that helps Michigan businesses address workforce transportation challenges. The deadline to apply for the transportation pilot grant is Monday, February 9, 2026. LEO anticipates awarding competitive grants to 12–20 small or medium-sized manufacturers (1,000 or fewer employees) located in Michigan or to workforce organizations/nonprofits with a named small or medium-sized employer partner. A total of $260,000 in funding is available through this pilot program. Individual grant awards will be up to $20,000 per grantee with final amounts scaled based on the transportation model selected and the scope of implementation. Learn more and view the Reliable Rides Incentive Grant Pilot Program Request for Proposals document. To learn more about other automotive workforce initiatives, visit Michigan.gov/AutoWorkforceHub.  Source: LEO 1/9/26

Could the student OPT program be ending? An upcoming rule from the Trump administration could bring sweeping changes to Optional Practical Training (OPT), a program that allows international students to work in the United States after completing their studies. The OPT program permits international students to work for up to 12 months in their chosen field of study, either before or after completing their degree. Those in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields can apply for an additional 24-month extension, known as STEM OPT. The Bush administration introduced this extension to improve students’ chances in the annual H-1B visa lottery. Each year, about 250,000 students work in the U.S. under OPT or STEM OPT. For many immigration hardliners, ending these programs is seen as a way to prevent students from later securing H-1B status. According to the DHS document seen by Business Standard, “The proposed rule will better align practical training to the goals and objectives of the program while providing more clarity to the public.” It adds that the changes will “address fraud and national security concerns, protect U.S. workers from being displaced by foreign nationals, and enhance the Student and Exchange Visitor Program’s capacity to oversee the program.”  Source: Business Standard 11/12/25

U.S. Government coming down hard on H-1B employees: On November 24, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a formal partnership with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under Project Firewall to intensify enforcement against employers engaging in unlawful national origin discrimination, including hiring practices that disadvantage American workers. The EEOC, the DOL, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are coordinating efforts related to national origin discrimination and anti-American bias. As part of Project Firewall, the DOL and EEOC plan to share data, align enforcement tools, and facilitate referrals addressing discriminatory hiring and potential H‑1B program abuses. Given this coordination, employers may see and should anticipate inquiries or involvement from more than one agency investigating alleged national origin discrimination or anti-American bias. Source: Ogletree 12/3/25

GLP-1 drug cost containment a trend for 2026: With escalating medical and pharmacy costs as a primary motivator, employers are moving healthcare benefit cost-containment to the top of their overall priorities for 2026, according to a new survey, Brown & Brown’s Employee Health and Benefits Strategy report. The survey’s focus is strategic cost containment.  Central to that conversation will be managing access to and the cost of increasingly popular GLP-1 drug for weight loss. In the survey, nearly half of all respondents covered GLP-1s for weight loss (48%), with the vast majority (89%) of this group planning to continue coverage over the next one to two years.  Among those that do cover GLP-1s for weight loss, more than six in ten have restrictions in place. A significant percentage (49%) of these employers have restrictions beyond basics like prior authorization, such as having to meet certain clinical criteria beyond FDA guidelines. When diving deeper into strategies beyond prior authorization, about half of all employers require members to meet certain clinical criteria above the FDA label. In addition, about 38% of employers require participation in lifestyle behavior programs. Another common restriction is limiting prescribing to a specific or sole prescriber.  Some employers are looking to push members to access direct-to-consumer (DTC) GLP-1 drugs for weight loss by subsidizing such purchases or offer $100 or $200 per month rather than covering the drug as a benefit. Source: HR Executive 12/17/25