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New H-1B applications to cost $103,265

09/07/2026
The Department of Homeland Security is updating the cost and scope for filing an H-1B petition. Soon, employers will have to pay a $103,265 fee with each petition to sponsor a foreign worker for one of the limited number of visas available. The proposal is open for public comments until September 25 and goes further… View Article

Job openings jump unexpectantly

09/07/2026
On Friday, September 4, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced surprising data on job openings. While analysts expected far lower numbers, DOL says that nonfarm payrolls jumped by 162,000 in August, well ahead of the expected number of 53,000. The unemployment rate was steady at 4.1%, as expected. The jobs number reflects a reversal of… View Article

Feds to contractors: No more disabilities questions

08/31/2026
For years, federal contractors have used Form CC-305 to invite applicants and employees to self-identify as disabled. But that’s no longer required after September 20. The office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published a final rule in the Federal Register on August 21, 2026 that eliminates the collection on disability from applicants and employees,… View Article

$100K H-1B visa fee halted – for now

08/24/2026
Last September, President Donald Trump issued a presidential proclamation raising the fee employers pay to sponsor a foreign worker for an H-1B visa to $100,000. The dramatic rise from about $5,000 in 2024 prompted litigation. The proclamation will expire on September 20, 2026 unless the administration extends or reissues it. Pending lawsuits. In June 2026,… View Article

Survey says lack of teen workers may be easing

08/24/2026
It’s nearing the end of summer so employers may not be looking for many temporary seasonal workers. But new research from the Pew Research Center indicates that when compared to last year, more teens did take summer jobs this year. Last year, just 33.8% of teens between 16 and 19 held jobs for at least… View Article

Federal contractor? Vetting remote IT hires crucial

08/17/2026
Last year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed criminal charges against a Maryland man accused of assisting foreign IT workers posing as U.S. citizens with obtaining remote IT jobs in the U.S. All told, the man, Minh Phuong Ngoc Vong, managed to place North Korean IT workers operating out of China in at least 13… View Article

OpenAI settles claim it avoided recruiting Americans

08/17/2026
One of the few ways citizens of other countries can receive permanent residence status and a path to citizenship is through the PERM program. PERM stands for Program Electronic Review Management, which is a DOL process that employers use to hire foreign workers when they cannot find qualified, willing and able U.S. workers to take… View Article

Jobs and workforce participation rate fall

08/09/2026
In a bit of bad news, the latest figures from the Department of Labor (DOL) show that the number of new jobs created and the workforce participation rate both fell in July. While analysts expected a job gain of about 80,000 positions, the DOL reported that jobs fell by about 23,000 positions. The unemployment rate… View Article

HR professionals: Check your privilege?

08/09/2026
A recent study sheds light on why some applicants or employees do better than others when negotiating a starting salary or pay increase. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management conducted a research study that included 1,100 human resource professionals confronted with applicants who were told they could negotiate their compensation. The study,… View Article

Surveys suggest hybrid model best suits employers, workers

08/09/2026
Every year, the law firm Littler conducts an extensive employer survey designed to identify what worries employers most. This year, the Littler Annual Employer Survey Report revealed widespread worries about flexible work arrangements like telework, hybrid work and return-to-office policies. The main finding was that efforts to bring employees fully onsite have flattened and the… View Article