Prisoners in at least 17 states plan to go on a three-week work and hunger strike to protest what they call unfair labor and wage practices. Prison officials say jobs give inmates work skills, but prisoners say that they are exploited and that low wages keep them from meeting financial obligations or paying for necessities in prison.

Hiring managers should ask job candidates what their dream job would be, says LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner. This question provides a clearer picture of who the job candidate is and provides an indication of whether the position is a good fit for the candidate, he says.

If Amazon pursues plans to create employee health clinics, it will join a nationwide trend among large employers, according to Mercer data. David Keyt of Mercer said clinics that provide primary care potentially could be cost-effective ways to address larger health problems, such as inadequate access to routine care and pharmacy costs.

The next generation of foreign-born computer scientists might avoid the US if the country makes them feel unwelcome, said Andrew Moore, dean of Carnegie Mellon University's computer science school. "If we appear to have a society which doesn't welcome folks from elsewhere then of course any sane brilliant scientist will end up going to Canada or Singapore or Zurich because they'll be able to get the best of both worlds," he said.