Hiring slowing down at your organization? Is the U.S. labor market sliding into its own version of the 1970s? Data shows slower recruiting, stubborn wages, and a whiff of “stagflation” that has one economist reaching for historical comparisons.  But before visions of gas lines and double-digit unemployment set in, Andrew Flowers, chief economist at programmatic recruitment marketing firm Appcast, offers a critical caveat: “Mild stagflation does not mean a dire recession.” In his assessment, Flowers describes a labor market with elevated wage growth and a divide between “standing up” and “sitting down” jobs. These trends may continue or worsen due to policy uncertainty, including immigration restrictions, tariff volatility, Medicaid cuts, threats to Fed independence and the current government shutdown. Recruiting has downshifted, yet wages remain elevated, and labor shortages persist across industries – a combination that leaves talent acquisition teams navigating contradictory signals.  It’s a precarious balancing act. The economic uncertainty makes predictions treacherous, and Flowers argues that staying informed and agile isn’t just good practice, it’s survival. For HR professionals, Flowers warns that “mild stagflation and uncertainty are likely to mean lackluster hiring in 2026.”  Source: HR Executive 10/2/25

How many hours are your workers working? The truth is out of office for some employees.  As workers increasingly resist the 40-hour work week, some of them even bend the facts to get their time back.  A new report from online resume builder Kickresume, which surveyed nearly 2,000 employees worldwide, found that only 18% of them work the full 7-8 hours expected of them — unbeknownst to their managers. Instead, nearly 60% of employees surveyed admitted they're not fully honest on their timesheets. Most (44%) said they round up every now and then; 12% said they sometimes stretch the truth a little bit. A much smaller group (3%) said they regularly over-report their hours.  There's also a generational divide when it comes to lying about hours worked, according to Kickresume's research.  Gen Z employees were the most likely to admit to rounding up (49%) and stretching the truth (13%). 35% of Gen Z workers claimed perfect honesty in timesheet reporting. Gen X employees, on the other hand, were most likely (46%) to claim total honesty when filling out their timesheets; 40% admitted to rounding up occasionally. Millennial workers came in close behind for claims of complete honesty at 43%, and 42% admitted to rounding up their hours from time to time.  Source: Entrepreneur 9/16/25

Workplace monitoring may be an issue: For its "People at Work 2025: A Global Workforce View" report, ADP surveyed nearly 38,000 workers across 34 markets. When it came to questions about workplace surveillance, around a third of respondents – whether they worked remotely, onsite or on a hybrid schedule – said "their employers constantly watched them on the job." Demographic breakdowns of these answers make this conversation even more interesting. Employees under 40, men and people in managerial and executive roles were more likely to feel like they're under constant surveillance.  A February 2025 Wired article cited that up to 80% of large U.S. employers now use some form of employee monitoring. That's a staggering majority. Employees are pushing back hard, linking excessive oversight to toxic cultures. This resistance isn't just manifesting as a change in mood. It's translating into disengagement, resentment and, in some cases, open reputational damage. High-profile leaks of surveillance practices have tarnished brands and triggered regulatory investigations. In certain industries, the backlash is starting to put talent pipelines at risk.  Source: Forbes 9/12/25

Are your employees feeling confident about retirement? Are you? More than two-thirds of workers in a recent multigenerational survey published by the Transamerica Institute said they did not believe they would have enough saved to meet their retirement needs even if they worked up until retirement. A strong share of respondents, including 57% of baby boomers, 39% of Generation X, and 33% of Generation Z, said they planned to work until age 70 or older. Employers must help their workers better understand the reality of what retirement actually looks like in order to assist them, said Dan Doonan, executive director of the National Institute on Retirement Security. This includes topics such as planning for potential healthcare expenses and the importance of compound savings over the course of their working lives.  Younger workers, especially, “have time to let that savings grow,” Doonan said. He noted that investment returns could generate up to three-quarters of retirement funds for those who begin saving in a typical defined contribution plan at age 25. “If they get on track now, that number is going to grow many times.”  It is also key to inform employees about their income expectations in retirement, Doonan added from social security to withdrawals from retirement accounts.  Source: HR Dive 8/7/25

NLRB memo raises hurdle for union salts: A recent memo from acting NLRB General Counsel William Cowen may make it harder for union salts – paid organizers who apply for jobs to boost union campaigns – to prove workplace discrimination. The guidance directs investigators to first assess whether these workers genuinely sought the positions, potentially creating an early obstacle in salting cases. Salting is a legal and long-standing union tactic, used across industries to jump-start organizing efforts, but experts say Cowen’s focus on “job interest” could slow investigations and complicate claims. Source: Law360 7/28/25