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Construction Firms Add 11,000 Jobs in June

William Attardi on July 6, 2026

Construction firms added 11,000 jobs in June and 64,000 over 12 months, as pay for craft workers climbed faster than for production workers overall, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government data. Association officials cautioned, however, that future construction job gains are at risk unless Congress acts quickly to pass new highway and transit legislation before the current law expires on Sept. 30. Construction employment totaled 8,331,000 in June, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 11,000 from May. Over the past 12 months, the industry has added 64,000 jobs, an increase of 0.8 percent, outpacing the 0.3 percent increase in total nonfarm payroll employment. Gains in the industry were concentrated in nonresidential construction, with the steepest growth rate occurring in heavy and civil engineering construction, the sector that employs many highway and transit construction workers. Nonresidential firms added 19,900 employees in June and 113,400 positions or 2.3 percent over the past 12 months. Construction Firms Add 11,000 Jobs in June – tEDmag

Manufacturers Test AI-Translation Tech to Improve Worker Communications

William Attardi on April 7, 2026

To more effectively communicate with workers who speak little to no English, a growing number of U.S. manufacturers are leveraging translation technologies driven by artificial intelligence. They are also using real-time translation tools to improve safety and compliance with regulatory standards. Manufacturers employ roughly 1 million foreign-born workers, representing about 20% of the industry, according to 2024 U.S. Census Bureau data. Manufacturers test AI-translation tech to improve worker communications | Manufacturing Dive

Super Bowl Monday Could Sideline 26M Workers, Cost Billions in Lost Productivity

William Attardi on February 5, 2026

When the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots face off this Sunday for Super Bowl LXat Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, both teams will be hoping to break some football records. But another type of record could be set in the wake of the big game: Super Bowl Monday could set a record for the second straight year for U.S. employees who plan to miss work, according to UKG’s annual Super Bowl Fever Absenteeism Survey. An estimated 26.2 million employed Americans say they will miss work the day after the big game, surpassing 2025’s record-setting 22.6 million employees and potentially costing upwards of $5.2 billion in lost work and productivity. Super Bowl Monday Could Sideline 26M Workers – Facility Executive Magazine

Walmart CEO Issues Wake-Up Call on AI

William Attardi on September 30, 2025

Walmart executives aren’t sugar coating the message: Artificial intelligence will wipe out some jobs and reshape the company’s workforce.  For now, Walmart executives say the transformation means the size of its global workforce will stay roughly flat even as its revenue climbs. It plans to maintain its headcount of around 2.1million global workers over the next three years, but the mix of those jobs will change significantly, said Donna Morris, Walmart’s chief people officer. What the composition will look like remains murky.  Though there is plenty of anxiety among workers and leaders, many executives say the U.S. labor market remains healthy and they don’t anticipate widespread unemployment because of AI.  89qCx6UzCDStQHAyWTf5-WSJNewsPaper-9-29-2025.pdf

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”