The rapid expansion of data centers across the U.S. is intensifying competition for electricians, pipefitters, plumbers, welders, and other skilled workers, forcing contractors to go well beyond traditional pay and benefits to attract and keep talent.
The average hiring time for skilled workers has reached 56 days, according to one estimate.
DPR Construction has built a formal mobility program offering living allowances, project incentives, mobilization bonuses, travel stipends, and pay differentials to persuade workers to take assignments in hard-to-staff locations.
Clayco launched a student loan repayment assistance program and uses what it calls "re-recruiting," continuously engaging existing employees rather than treating recruitment as finished once someone is hired.
Clayco also offers an extended onboarding program providing additional support during an employee's first six months to a year, along with internal advancement training.
Contractors say local partnerships with subcontractors, community organizations, and government agencies are essential, both for current projects and for building the workforce needed to operate and maintain facilities after construction is complete.
Read more via Facilities Dive, HR Dive
Check out Kelly's 2026 Data Center Salary Guide
Ernst & Young is investing $100 million to reward U.S. employees who develop future-focused skills, advance firm culture, drive innovation, and deliver strong client service.
The program targets employees whose contributions drive "meaningful change" through innovation, disruption, technology, or growth.
It also recognizes behaviors tied to learning, experimentation, collaboration, and leadership, as well as actions that make a lasting material impact on the firm.
The investment is part of a broader multi-billion dollar effort to attract and develop talent who can “thrive in a tech-led, human-powered world.”
The pace and complexity of change in our industry require confident leadership. This significant investment reinforces our commitment to building the workforce of the future by recognizing the skills and behaviors needed to lead our profession and serve our clients with excellence."
EY launched a Career Residency program last month combining real-world experience with coaching and future-focused skills development for early-career talent.
In March, the firm doubled the bonus for early-career professionals who pass all four parts of the CPA exam in their first full year.
Read more via HR Dive, The Wall Street Journal
Nearly a third of students and workers currently enrolled in school have changed or considered changing their target industry because of AI, according to a new CNBC/SurveyMonkey survey of 1,686 students and workers conducted in July 2026.
45% have changed or reconsidered which skills they're developing; 35% have reconsidered which companies they want to join; 34% have reconsidered which jobs they're applying for.
Nearly 40% have considered changing their major or field of study due to AI, rising to 44% among students who are not employed.
A separate Gallup/Lumina Foundation survey of 3,801 students found that 42% of bachelor's degree students and 56% of associate degree students have given at least "a fair amount" of consideration to changing their majors due to AI concerns.
The unemployment rate for computer science graduates rose to 7% as of 2024, and many large tech companies have slowed on-campus recruiting.
Career coaches say students should focus on critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to evaluate AI outputs rather than chase the safest-seeming major.
Read more via CNBC
More than half of Gen Z knowledge workers say international opportunity is a meaningful factor in their job decisions, according to a survey of 1,022 U.S.-based Gen Z workers by global HR platform Pebl.
53% said they would choose "the world's best employer over America's best" when salary, title, benefits, and location were equal; among workers in data sciences, that figure rose to 66%.
59% said a lack of opportunities to work abroad could affect whether they accepted a job offer; 64% said they were extremely or very interested in temporary work abroad.
Only 19% gave U.S. employers an A for preparing young professionals for global careers.
Cost of living and financial concerns were the most-cited barriers to global work, at 59%; foreign-language skills followed at 43%.
Gen Z respondents ranked human capabilities over AI skills for long-term career growth: 28% chose professional networks first, 26% chose leadership or management experience, and just 11% ranked AI skills first.
Four in 10 respondents said they see their careers spanning two or three countries; preferred destinations are the U.K., Western Europe, and Canada.
Read more via HR Executive
Employers are expanding menopause-related benefits, but new data suggests those benefits aren't preventing career-pipeline losses among midcareer women.
91% of respondents in a LiveCareer survey began experiencing menopause symptoms before age 50.
In a Womea survey of 831 employed women aged 45 and older, about 17% believe their symptoms have cost them a promotion, raise, or high-visibility project.
12% have turned down a job opportunity they otherwise would have pursued; 23% have considered reducing their hours; 14% are considering leaving their jobs entirely.
97% of LiveCareer respondents said they felt pressure to hide or minimize their menopause symptoms at work; 61% said their company culture didn't support those conversations, and 61% feared being judged.
Menopause symptoms typically emerge during the years when women are competing for senior leadership roles. Women account for just 29% of C-suite positions, according to a recent report.
Washington recently became the first state to address menopause as a workplace policy issue, using an executive order to direct state agencies to provide accommodations and explicitly linking menopause to retention, career progression, and economic security.
Read more via Forbes
Nearly three in four HR job seekers are spending most of their search activity on roles below their current career level, the highest downleveling rate among industries tracked by a new JobLeads analysis.
74.4% of HR users on the JobLeads platform spent most of their job-search activity on positions below their self-reported career level.
Downleveling was more pronounced at senior levels: 75% of vice presidents looked mostly at lower-level roles, compared with 57% of heads of department.
JobLeads estimates that workers targeting lower-level roles may be looking at positions that pay roughly $51,000 less per year.
Even among employed users, nearly two-thirds spent most of their search on roles below their current level.
The pattern holds globally: Spain had the highest downleveling rate at 83%, followed by Italy at 81% and South Africa at 77%; the U.S. and U.K. were tied at 63%.
In a separate Express Employment Professionals/Harris Poll survey, 75% of hiring managers said they believe overqualified candidates may struggle to stay motivated, and 74% worry they'll leave when a better role appears.
More than half of UK professionals are planning to look for a new job before the end of 2026 or have already started their search, according to a Robert Half survey of 1,000 UK workers.
35% plan to begin their search before year-end; 18% are already actively looking.
The most common reason cited for considering a move was a desire for better work-life balance or a more manageable workload, at 38%.
Limited opportunities for career advancement followed at 35%; better benefits and perks at 34%; feeling underpaid at 29%; and wanting greater remote access at 28%.
53% of respondents said job security was extremely important when evaluating career decisions; 39% described it as very important.
Among those not planning to leave, 49% cited feeling fulfilled in their current job, and 49% cited workplace flexibility as a reason to stay.
Read more via Staffing Industry Analysts
Meal programs have moved from a nice-to-have perk to a standard part of the employee benefits mix, with expectations and budgets both rising, according to a DoorDash survey of 1,019 U.S. office administrators, finance managers, and HR and benefits leaders.
54% of respondents say meal program expectations have risen, along with their cost; the average monthly meal budget per eligible employee is now $425, or $21 per day.
44% of companies ranked employee satisfaction as their top meal program priority, compared with 31% who said cost.
46% of decision-makers now compare meal benefits against established offerings like commuter benefits, wellness perks, or phone stipends.
A separate ezCater survey found that 66% of workers expect a recurring food benefit like daily or weekly meals; food perks ranked second among incentives to return to the office, behind flexible work hours.
About three-quarters of respondents make meal reimbursement available regardless of location; 71% offer discounts and memberships; 67% offer meal credits or stipends.
Read more via Facilities Dive
A study of 7,704 employees at a large health care organization found that fully remote workers reported the highest levels of workplace well-being, while fully onsite workers reported the lowest, challenging the core argument behind return-to-office mandates.
The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, tracked employees across three arrangements: roughly one-fourth fully remote, one-fourth hybrid, and about half fully onsite.
Remote workers also showed little evidence of feeling less connected to colleagues or workplace culture; they were slightly more likely to use language related to teamwork, inclusion, and support.
One year after the initial survey, workers with higher well-being were less likely to have left the organization, meaning remote workers were associated with higher retention.
Our findings challenge the idea that simply bringing people back into a building will automatically make them more engaged, connected, or likely to stay."
Researchers attributed higher well-being among remote workers in part to greater control over their environment and reduced commute-related stress.
The researchers caution that face-to-face interaction still has value, particularly for workers early in their careers who are still building relationships.
A separate survey found that one in five HR professionals admitted their company's in-office policy was intended to encourage employees to quit.
Read more via Fortune, Inc.
A meta-analysis of more than 200 studies found that workplace first impressions form quickly, are driven more by communication style and physical appearance than by resume content, and can influence hiring, promotions, and workplace relationships for weeks or months afterward.
Researchers at the University of Florida combined 204 independent samples from 145 studies to identify patterns across different jobs, countries, and education levels.
The three strongest factors driving first impressions were communication style, physical appearance, and content cues; content cues, meaning the substance of what's written or said, were the weakest of the three.
First impressions tended to produce a broad positive or negative overall judgment rather than independent assessments of individual traits like competence or warmth.
While their influence weakened over time, first impressions impacted how people perceived one another more than a month later.
First impressions were tied to both hiring and performance evaluations and to relationship outcomes, including whether colleagues sought someone's advice or wanted to work with them.
Researchers say employers can't prevent first impressions from forming but can limit their influence through structured interviews and multiple decision-makers.
Read more via University of Florida
