Some 860,000 more Americans applied for first-time unemployment benefits last week. The figure represents a slight reduction from the previous week but the overall number of claims remains a concern, with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell commenting "it's a long way from maximum employment."

Software startup BrightHire has received $3 million in seed funding this week, and Wharton School professor Adam Grant, who will be advising, describes it as "the most compelling platform I've seen to help companies run fair and inclusive hiring processes." Among the platform's features are data analytics uncovering bias in recruiting patterns and the automatic recording of interviews to challenge hiring managers' initial reactions to candidates.

Walmart will overhaul leadership roles in its stores as it focuses further on digital operations and tries to retain more of its workforce, and the retailer's revamp will mean raises for approximately 165,000 employees. Starting wages for deli and bakery workers will increase by $4 an hour in October -- other workers will see a $1 an hour pay bump -- and Walmart US COO Dacona Smith said all associates "will have more room for career and pay growth" as the company introduces additional cross-training opportunities.

Hard times can help people rethink their worldviews and how they should live their lives, writes LaRae Quy, who recommends taking a page from philosophers such as Socrates and Epictetus. Even as you name and write down your obstacles, remember that people need "five positive bits of information to overcome the impact of one negative bit."

A video that went viral on TikTok and has now attracted more than 4.9 million views on Twitter has intrigued social media users with the "envelope" egg-cooking technique. The resulting egg is served in a neat, folded package, which social users have tried to emulate with varying success.