The CBI/Pertemps Employment Trends Survey finds rising labor costs are squeezing entry-level hiring and training.
The 15% is down from 24% at the same point last year.
Labor costs were named the top threat to competitiveness by 73% of the 682 businesses surveyed.
Rising recruitment and onboarding costs are pushing 44% of firms toward experienced hires.
Cost pressures mean 53% of firms offer fewer apprenticeships than they would like.
Higher employment costs and growing regulatory pressures are making firms more cautious about hiring and investment. That matters not just for businesses, but for living standards and particularly for young people trying to get their first foot on the career ladder.”
Read more via Personnel Today, AOL
The Institute of Student Employers says cheating in the hiring process hit a new high, led by undeclared AI use in interviews.
92% of employers suspected or confirmed misconduct, up from 85% last year and 78% the year before.
66% reported at least one graduate misusing AI during an interview.
ISE says graduate hiring rose 4% this year after an 8% decline last year.
ISE’s chief executive says any cuts to graduate hiring come from economic uncertainty, not AI.
It’s like they are reading off an Autocue.”
Read more via The Guardian
Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, and benefits are running out before many people land their next one.
That works out to one job for every 244 unemployed workers.
The unemployment rate was 4.2% in September.
Of the more than 7 million unemployed Americans, nearly 2 million have been out of work for six months or more.
Colorado offers six months of unemployment benefits, while North Carolina offers 12 weeks.
North Carolina caps weekly benefits at $350.
When you’re one of the people that doesn’t have a job, it doesn’t really matter what the percentage is.”
Read more via NPR
An Urban Institute report finds young parents are less likely to hold high-quality jobs than their peers without children.
Parents aged 16 to 30 make up about 15% of workers in that age group.
By ages 25 to 30, young parents are 10 percentage points less likely than non-parents to hold a high-quality job.
More than a third of working young parents live in families with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level.
NFP’s 2026 leave report found only 30% of companies offer family caregiver leave, and it usually pays less than three weeks.
Read more via HR Dive
Gallup says 52% of remote-capable U.S. workers are hybrid, 26% are fully remote, and 22% are fully on-site.
Hybrid workers spend about 2.3 days a week on-site, little changed since 2023.
Teams with a formal hybrid collaboration plan are 66% more likely to be engaged and 29% less likely to report burnout.
Only 28% of hybrid managers have been trained to lead a hybrid team.
In a separate Founder Reports survey of 1,000 remote and hybrid employees, 85% said clear communication from managers matters, but only 51% said they get it.
Read more via Gallup, The Hill
A Dice survey of 1,105 U.S. tech professionals finds that more postings have not translated into opportunity.
More than three-quarters say job opportunities are not materializing despite the increase in postings.
AI and machine learning postings are up 91% year over year.
75% of U.S. tech postings now ask for AI skills.
Job stability is the second most common driver of attrition, behind only compensation.
People want to understand how their expertise will remain valuable as technology changes.”
Read more via CIO Dive
Robert Half’s 2027 Salary Guide surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. hiring managers, business leaders, and employed workers.
Specialized skills were the main reason managers gave for paying above plan.
72% of managers are increasing pay for relevant AI skills.
64% say job offers are more competitive than they were three years ago.
Average new-hire salaries are projected to rise 1.9% in 2027.
Separate surveys from Marsh and WTW put 2027 merit increases at 3.2% and salary budgets at 3.4%.
A Penn Foster survey of 519 U.S. adults found cost of living is the leading obstacle to career growth.
One in four say they feel less confident about building a stable career than they did three years ago.
70% would spend no more than $2,500 out of pocket on training for a new career.
Penn Foster says 70% of employers now use skills-based hiring practices.
Employers expect double-digit healthcare cost increases in 2027, according to the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.
Read more via HR Dive, PR Newswire
Reed’s Missing Generation 2026 report surveyed more than 2,000 UK employers and 2,000 young people aged 16 to 24.
33% of employers cited communication skills as a concern, and 32% cited reliability and timekeeping.
40% of young people say they were rejected during recruitment because they lacked experience.
73% of employers prioritize recruiting young people, and 58% report hiring more of them over the past three years.
Employers should not assume that someone entering their first job will already understand workplace expectations.”
Read more via People Management
LinkedIn analyzed hiring in each major’s core industries for Investopedia, comparing April 2026 with December 2019.
Health professions and education majors held up best, with hiring down 16%.
Engineering saw the largest drop at 25%.
Nearly 70% of English majors work outside the field’s top two industries, the highest share of any major.
Applicants per job on LinkedIn have roughly doubled since 2022.
Computer engineering majors had a 7.8% unemployment rate in 2024, compared with 4.2% for all recent graduates.
Read more via Investopedia
Indeed Hiring Lab data shows developer postings rising while overall postings fell 7%, though the gains are concentrated in senior roles.
Postings are still about 27.5% below their pre-pandemic level.
Senior roles accounted for 71% of the increase from May 2025 to May 2026.
Stanford’s 2026 AI Index found employment for early-career software developers has fallen 20%.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 10% growth in software developer jobs from 2025 to 2035.
Today’s entry-level talent becomes tomorrow’s senior experts.”
Read more via CNBC
