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In the Workplace
Meta workers are accusing the company of using AI to conduct discriminatory layoffs. A federal suit alleges that the company relied on a "constellation" of internal AI systems -- which weighed metrics like productivity, output and token usage -- to conduct its mass layoffs in May. The plaintiffs, a group of former and current employees, claim this effectively targeted those who missed work or took leave for medical reasons.
Keeping up with AI at work without losing your mind can be tough. But taking a breath, leaning in to human skills and learning to think like a manager are a few places to start, says Callum Borchers. Hear more advice, plus the testimony of one founder and Claude power-user, on a new episode of The Journal podcast.
Two million workers are still locked out of jobs. The U.S. job market is improving, but it has left behind the long-term unemployed. The number of Americans out of work for 27 weeks or more hasn't meaningfully budged since last summer, hovering near the highest level since late 2021.
Management & Leadership
More U.S. workers are testing positive for marijuana, and fewer employers are concerned. Once a standard part of onboarding, testing new hires for cannabis is falling out of style in most industries. New state laws around the drug have simultaneously boosted consumption across the country and made it legally complicated for some employers to stick to the tests.
White-collar men are obsessed with the perfect lawn. For a lot of office workers -- OK, mostly middle-aged male office workers -- a manicured lawn is as much a status symbol as a luxury car in the driveway, writes Callum Borchers.
One mind-bending startup accepts about 100 times fewer applicants than Harvard University. Bending Spoons, a Milan-based tech company that recently went public, hired a microscopic 0.04% of those who applied last year. Its process puts applicants through rigorous tests measuring reasoning, judgment and speed, and quantitatively grades interview responses.
The Big Number
The approximate number of people in the U.S. age 50 and older who held student-loan debt as of the first quarter of 2026. The debt is forcing many would-be retirees to stay put in their jobs longer than they expected to.
State of the Workforce
AI might actually help solve the next labor crisis, according to some researchers. Crackdowns on immigration combined with a declining fertility rate may result in an unprecedented shortage of workers in the coming decades. In that case, the productivity-boosting potential of AI could be a saving grace to GDP growth.
Some New Yorkers wait years to get a near-minimum-pay job as a subway cleaner. The work is grueling, physically demanding and often downright gross -- but it's also a beacon of stability in an uncertain job market, providing solid benefits and a foot in the door for those who hope to move up in the ranks.
He earns $33 an hour as a Costco cashier, and he's retiring a millionaire. Tony Barzar, who has been with the company for four decades, is one of its secret weapons: highly skilled at customer service and a mentor to new employees. Costco spends more than its peers to keep such workers around.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 15, 2026 10:55 ET (14:55 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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