Lowe’s Joins Other Big Employers In Offering Paid Parental Leave

-The New York Times

In the absence of government policy on paid leave, more private companies are choosing to offer it.

Why Pay Is Lagging In A Tight Job Market

– The New York Times

Over all, average hourly earnings were only 2.5 percent higher in December than a year earlier, barely outpacing inflation. It’s part of a stubborn pattern that is one of the mysteries of a recovery now in its ninth year.

Unemployment May Fall To 3.5% In A Year

– Axios

The job market is becoming so tight that employers are being forced to cough up wage increases, the long lack of which has been a factor in U.S. political disaffection.

At Amazon’s New Checkout-Free Store, Shopping Feels Like Shoplifting 

– The Atlantic

Customers can walk in, grab what they want, and walk out-all while being monitored by a sophisticated system of cameras. Given what’s already known about automation, labor economics, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s appetite for expansion, there’s little reason to believe the company won’t scale up the innovations tucked into its new convenience store. By further easing the buying process and collecting even more consumer data, Go’s underlying technology is a logical next step in Amazon’s brick-and-mortar retail pursuits.