HR Roundup: Job Quits Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels

• Federal data show that as of last November, the number of Americans voluntarily leaving their job had returned to pre-pandemic levels, as illustrated by this infographic.
• According to a new survey, 65% of Dayton-area manufacturers identified rising labor costs as a top concern.
• A new study finds the cost of employer-sponsored health benefits has increased much faster than employee pay since the late 1980s, and likely reduced wages by an average of about $9,000 a year by 2019.
• More than half (51%) of workers say fully paid health insurance premiums top their benefits wish list, a CNBC survey finds. (Gen Z workers value free food just as much as fully paid health care premiums.)
• OMA Connections Partner Calfee has summarized the latest guidance from the IRS on the federal SECURE 2.0 Act and changes to employers’ retirement plans.

Meanwhile, the Manufacturing Institute reports the average hourly earnings of U.S. production and non-supervisory workers in manufacturing has jumped 5.8% over the past 12 months — the most since April 2022, which was a 40-year high. 1/18/2024