Outstanding student loan debt is weighing down many older workers, affecting their ability to save for retirement, according to research from the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at the New School for Social Research. People who did not finish their degree program are more likely to be financially unstable and those who default on their loans face having their Social Security benefits garnished.

Recruiters should develop strategies for meeting the growing need for prompt engineers, who guide generative AI tools on how to interact with users meaningfully, say economists and analysts, who recommend HR leaders focus on skills-based hiring and look internally for employees who could be trained to do the job. "HR managers need to look for candidates who are willing to keep learning and stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the field," says Julia Pollak, chief economist for ZipRecruiter.

A Bisnar Chase poll spotlighted which international labor laws and benefits employees wish would be implemented in the US, including provisions for job security, flexible work arrangements, leave benefits and work-life satisfaction. Countries currently ranking highly in terms of employee-friendly policies include Germany, France and Denmark.

Workplace leaders increasingly fear that AI might "pose a risk to the human experience," writes Amelia Dunlop of Deloitte Digital. In this commentary, Dunlop covers four areas of potential conflict, including how over-reliance on AI might hamper "the accuracy, thoroughness, and diversity of thought needed for high-quality work."

Employers should review their policies regarding employee conduct as political conversations heat up during the run-up to the US presidential election, say HR leaders, who recommend encouraging open discussions while defining what constitutes unacceptable behavior and training managers on how to handle disputes. "If it becomes an insulting conversation, if it becomes a conversation that's discriminatory or harassing or you don't feel like you can be in a safe space with that person, that's where it rises to the level of not being OK," says ​Kelly Mendez-Scheib, chief people officer for Crunchbase.