The US has a serious skills gap, particularly for middle-skill jobs, and government retraining has failed to keep pace, Jeffrey Selingo writes. Selingo details four trends that have kept workers from pursuing retraining and that have discouraged some men from rejoining the workforce.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued a statement saying it isn't considering a regulatory change that would force holders of expiring H-1B visas to leave the US while they wait for green cards. "Even if it were, such a change would not likely result in these H-1B visa holders having to leave the United States because employers could request extensions in one-year increments," the agency said.

Corporate wellness programs in 2018 will become more holistic and continue to tap into consumer technologies, such as wearables and virtual reality, to improve employee health, industry experts said. Some companies are offering DNA testing kits and more will use incentives and gamification to increase wellness program participation.

The US Senate and House of Representatives have each moved to encourage women to take up careers in aviation. The Senate bill, called the Promoting Women in the Aviation Workforce Act of 2017, encourages aviation industry leaders to support women to pursue aviation careers, while the House's recently passed Women in Aerospace Education Act increases fellowship and grant opportunities for women.

HR should consider policies regarding the use of emoji in office messages, lawyers say. Some emojis can be offensive or construed as harassment and may give the impression the sender lacks competence or seriousness.