United States
Federal and state employment law, immigration and visas, jobs data, HR tech and workforce moves by major US employers.
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119 in the last two weeksSaturday 24 October
- United States·Research
US ADP Private Payrolls Add Only 38,000 Jobs in August, Manufacturing Hiring Stalls
US ADP private payrolls added only 38,000 jobs in August, the slowest pace since January, below the forecast 48,000. Manufacturing lost 17,000 jobs; education/healthcare and leisure/hospitality posted gains. Private-sector base wages grew 3.2% year-over-year; low-wage worker wage growth has weakened for four years.
- United States·Policy & Law
Sacramento Court Workers Authorize Strike on or After October 30 Over Stalled Pay Talks
Sacramento Superior Court's ~450 employees, represented by United Public Employees union, authorized a strike on or after October 30 following failed pay talks. The union seeks 4% raises; the court claimed insufficient funds despite alleged management pay increases.
- United States·Policy & Law
Social Security Gets a Shakeup in 2027. Here's What's in Store
U.S. Social Security system faces multiple changes in 2027 affecting retirement and related benefits policies, though specific details remain undisclosed in available reports.
- United States·Policy & Law
Northview Village Nursing Home Reaches $364K WARN Act Settlement
Approximately 184 former Northview Village nursing home employees will receive automatic payments under a pending WARN Act class action settlement totaling $364,000, stemming from the Hawthorne v. Northview Village Inc. case.
- United States·Policy & Law
California's AB 2155 Takes Effect January 1, 2027, Changing Arbitration Enforcement Rules
California's AB 2155 takes effect January 1, 2027, eliminating employers' prior state law compliance pathway for arbitration enforcement. The state Supreme Court will hear Leeper v. Shipt November 3, determining if PAGA plaintiffs can avoid arbitration by excluding individual claims from complaints.
- United States·News
Locked Out BP Workers Picket Outside Indiana Refinery Amid Labor Contract Dispute
BP workers at an Indiana refinery locked out over labor contract disputes are picketing outside the facility, with additional details remaining unavailable.
- United States·News
American Express to Lay Off 3,500 Employees
American Express announced 3,500 job cuts.
- United States·Product
ADP launches AI tools as ADP stock trades at EUR 271.50
Human resources firm ADP launched new AI tools; ADP stock trades at €271.50. Specific product features were not disclosed.
- United States·News
Train or Cut? From HSBC to Kroger, AI Layoffs Keep Rising
Recent AI-related layoffs include: HSBC considering 20,000 job cuts (10% of workforce); Amazon confirmed 16,000 enterprise job cuts in January; Intuit cut 3,000 positions; Kroger announced 3,000 enterprise job cuts in October.
- United States·Policy & Law
Indians Face Backlash Over US Tech Jobs as H-1B Visas Become a Flashpoint
Growing numbers of Indian professionals in U.S. tech trigger backlash over immigration, jobs and wages as critics accuse foreign workers of displacing Americans and helping suppress costs. H-1B visa restrictions loom, potentially affecting tech hiring and housing demand.
- United States·Policy & Law
Indian-American Group Urges Trump to Protect PERM Green Card Program Amid Tech Company Suspensions
An Indian-American group urged the Trump administration to protect the PERM green card program after tech companies suspended immigration sponsorship initiatives.
Friday 23 October
- United States·Policy & Law
November 2026 Visa Bulletin: Final Action Dates Advance, Filing Dates Hold
The November 2026 visa bulletin advanced certain final action dates while filing dates remained unchanged, affecting employer-sponsored immigration and visa priority scheduling.
- United States·News
Brigham nurses vote to reject MGB contract offer, strike remains possible
On Oct. 23, 2026, more than 4,000 unionized nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital voted to reject parent company Mass General Brigham's best and final contract offer, as MGB is simultaneously laying off workers and pursuing other cost-cutting measures. The union said it is ready to return to negotiations, leaving a potential strike on the table.
- United States·News
Striking Bradford White Union Workers Reject Latest Proposal, with 61% Disapproving
Bradford White workers in Middleville, Michigan rejected a tentative contract October 24, 2026 by 61% disapproval. The proposal offered ~$2/hour raises and spousal insurance for most. The UAW1002 strike began September 16, lasting 38 days, over insufficient compensation.
- United States·News
Indiana ABA technicians vote to join UAW union
Behavior technicians at Engaging Minds Autism Services' clinic in Peru, Indiana voted on Oct. 8, 2026 to join the United Auto Workers (UAW), according to the ABA Workers Union. This follows a 22-0 union vote in January at Circle City ABA's Kokomo clinic. The NLRB docket, reviewed Oct. 16, did not show a vote tally or certification; UAW Region 2B petitioned Sept. 8 for a unit of about 30 workers.
- United States·News
eBay cuts about 1,000 more jobs, 9% of workforce, despite stock surge
eBay is cutting roughly 1,000 jobs, about 9% of its workforce, in its second layoff round of 2026, CEO Jamie Iannone announced via internal memo, with affected staff to be notified in coming days. This follows about 800 cuts (6%) in February, bringing 2026 total reductions to roughly 15% of its 12,300 year-end 2025 headcount, even as eBay's stock has risen nearly 40% year-to-date.
- United States·Policy & Law
Harvard Graduate Students Union weighs strike as university responds
The Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW) is holding a vote on authorization for another strike, prompting Harvard's director of Labor and Employee Relations to issue a public statement. The article discusses whether the potential strike would be legally protected.
- United States·Policy & Law
Chicago Board of Education approves new four-year $64.8 million contract for lunchroom workers
After more than a year of negotiations, the Chicago Board of Education unanimously approved a new four-year, $64.8 million contract with Unite Here Local 1, covering over 1,800 CPS lunchroom workers. The deal, retroactive to June 2025, raises minimum hourly pay from about $17 to $21 and adds a 4% cost-of-living raise next July, followed by 2.5% in 2028.
- United States·Policy & Law
October 2026 Visa Bulletin restores availability in several employment-based categories
The US State Department's October 2026 Visa Bulletin, the first of FY2027, restored availability in several employment-based immigrant visa categories and adjusted cutoff dates. USCIS confirmed applicants may use the more favorable Dates for Filing chart in October, expanding eligibility. EB-2 and EB-5 India Unreserved regained final action dates, while some Rest of World categories retrogressed to stay within FY2027 limits.
Thursday 22 October
- United States·Policy & Law
Florida college settles ex-employee's lawsuit over Charlie Kirk posts
Trustees at a Florida college have agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a former employee who alleged she was unlawfully fired for social media posts about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to a federal court filing.
- United States·News
Health insurer PacificSource to lay off 134 workers
According to Modern Healthcare's layoffs and closures tracker, health insurer PacificSource plans to lay off 134 workers.
- United States·Research
US initial jobless claims fall to 194,000, a three-month low
US initial jobless claims fell to 194,000 last week, marking a three-month low and approaching the lowest level in 60 years, according to the report.
- United States·Research
US weekly jobless claims fall to 194,000, near 57-year low
US initial jobless claims fell by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 194,000 in the week ended October 17, below economists' forecast of 200,000, the Labor Department reported. The reading is close to the 189,000 level seen in mid-July, the lowest since 1969, indicating continued labor market resilience and low layoffs.
- United States·Research
Lever Talent survey: 45% of mid-market firms lack clear ownership of human-AI collaboration
Lever Talent released The Co-Intelligent Workforce Report: 2026 Baseline on Oct. 22, 2026, surveying 484 director-and-above leaders at US and Canadian companies with 100-999 employees. It found 97% of mid-market companies have adopted AI and 92% are still raising AI spend, yet only 28% say AI is extremely valuable, and 45% have no single owner for how people and AI work together. Companies with a primary owner of the human-AI mix are 2.5x as likely to call AI extremely valuable.
- United States·Research
US initial jobless claims fall by 6,000, unemployment rate holds steady
US initial jobless claims fell by 6,000 last week, while the unemployment rate held steady, according to Labor Department data cited in the report.
- United States·Policy & Law
New York DOL Issues Guidance on 'Trapped at Work Act'
New York's Department of Labor issued guidance on the 「Trapped at Work Act」, addressing existing agreements, voluntary benefits and reimbursement obligations. The law takes effect December 19, 2026.
Wednesday 21 October
- United States·News
Electronic Arts to lay off 400 employees
According to a Business Journals daily digest, video game company Electronic Arts announced plans to lay off 400 employees. The digest also noted OpenAI's acquisition of a San Francisco biotech startup, unrelated to HR.
- United States·Research
Connecticut job openings jump 10.9% to 96,223 in September
Connecticut job openings rose by 9,985 positions (10.9%) to 96,223 in September, spanning all industry sectors. Employers added 1,400 payroll jobs and the labor force grew by 3,500 people, but unemployment held at 5.1%, tied for the nation's highest, with the labor force still down 50,800 from a year earlier.
- United States·People
Automattic begins layoffs amid board upheaval and executive exits
Automattic, parent of WordPress.com, Tumblr and WooCommerce, has begun layoffs over the past week affecting its communications, social, WordPress.com and VIP enterprise teams, with insiders warning more cuts may follow. The move comes after a failed September board attempt to oust CEO Matt Mullenweg, which triggered a full board turnover and departures of the CFO, interim CFO and chief legal officer.