Wages have fallen for jobs that used to pave a pathway to the middle class for people without a college degree, according to a Washington Post analysis. The report focuses on six industries and analyzes factors that have led to their decline, including digitization and increased foreign competition. The Washington Post (tiered subscription model) (9/4)
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Recruiting & Retention
4 hiring practices that need to change Reddit users have discussed work and hiring customs that are ripe for change. Four stand out: the cover letter, "ghosting" a job candidate after an interview, ambiguity about salaries and stalking potential hires on social media. ERE Media (9/4)
Student debt increasingly affects older people Families headed by 45- to 54-year-olds are making up a bigger portion of people with student loans, says Craig Copeland of the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Almost 24% of these families had student debt in 2016, compared with almost 6% in 1992. ThinkAdvisor (free registration) (9/4)
Path to Workforce
Study: Majority of students are nontraditional Nearly three-quarters of undergraduates enrolled in college qualify as nontraditional students, according to a study from RTI International, a think tank in North Carolina. Researcher Alexandria Walton Radford found that such students tend to attend part time, work full-time jobs and have a child or other dependent. National Public Radio (9/4)
The HR Leader
Sabbaticals come with risks Sabbaticals may be a good way for large companies to keep top talent, although there is the risk that the employee's skills will erode or that the person won't come back, says Scott Dobroski of Glassdoor. CNBC (9/2)
Be silent, if you choose; but when necessary, speak -- and speak in such a way that people will remember it.