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In this issue of ACWI Advance we take a closer look at these stories:
- Biden Vax Orders Stir Turmoil
- Electric Vehicle Tax Can Work
- New Relocation Incentive Offers
- Choosing Frozen Over Fresh Food
- Workers Not Paid Enough?
- Wage Inflation Is on the Rise
- Record Holiday Sales Forecast
Send your company news to Editor David Sparkman at [email protected], and please understand that there is no cost to you when we use your news in this newsletter.
Biden Vax Orders Stir Turmoil
After a long wait, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) enforcing President Biden’s mandate requiring private employers of more than 100 workers to have all of them vaccinated against Covid 19 no later than Jan. 4, 2022.
The Republican governors of more than a dozen states immediately filed suit to overturn the new standard, asserting that the order was unconstitutional.
Truckers Exempt From Vax ETS?
Immediately following the issuance of the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring tens of millions of workers to be vaccinated against Covid 19, Secretary of Labor Matt Walsh sowed confusion by claiming that most truck drivers will be exempted from it.
“The ironic thing is most truckers are not covered by this, because they’re driving a truck, they’re in a cab, they’re by themselves, they wouldn’t be covered by this.,” Walsh declared in a television interview he gave the day the ETS was announced.
New Relocation Incentive Offers
States and localities are using economic incentives to entice both new and remote workers to relocate to their small towns and urban areas and to do so on either a short-term or permanent basis.
“These incentives augment employer efforts to attract the right employee talent to the right place,” according to attorney Nicole M. Lacoste Folks of the law firm of Gordon Feinblatt.
Choosing Frozen Over Fresh Food
According to Deloitte research on consumer fresh food purchasing trends, frozen products are gaining an advantage in the food fight to capture growth in at-home consumption.
“Consumers are worried the fresh food on store shelves isn’t as fresh as it used to be,” the researchers said, noting that “60% say the time between buying and spoiling has gotten shorter recently. Meanwhile, three in four consumers say storing frozen food is convenient.”
Workers Not Paid Enough?
Many workers feel overdue for a pay raise, finds new research from the personnel staffing firm of Robert Half. According to its 2022 Salary Guide, companies will need to enhance their compensation strategy or risk losing top talent to competitors.
“In this tight labor market, increasing salaries is table stakes for employers,” said Half’s Senior Executive Director Paul McDonald. “Companies must regularly revisit pay ranges and discuss career paths with employees to align on expectations.”
Wage Inflation Is on the Rise
A survey found that found most employers, 90%, believe it will be somewhat or very challenging to implement the Biden mandate that employers with 100 or more workers require them to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.
Conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management in late September, it also found that 80% of human resources professionals polled are concerned about the time needed for enforcing or tracking employee vaccination and test status.
Record Holiday Sales Forecast
“Holiday spending has the potential to shatter previous records,” announced the National Retail Federation, which forecasts that November and December holiday sales will grow between 8.5% and 10.5% over 2020, to a total between $843.4 billion and $859 billion.
This year’s numbers (which, as usual, exclude sales from automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants) compare with a previous high of 8.2% in 2020 to $777.3 billion and an average rise of 4.4% over the past five years, according to the forecast.
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