Workspan Daily News Bytes for June 27, 2025

New Retirement Report Lists Uncertainties in Each Generation

Sixty-eight percent of workers across generations feel they could work until retirement and still not save enough to meet their needs, according to a new report by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. The survey included responses from 5,493 U.S. adults.

Among Gen Z workers (those born 1997 to 2012) who are age 18 and older, the survey found their current financial priorities include:

Paying off debt (55%)
Saving for a major life event (46%)
Just getting by to cover basic living expenses (41%)
Building emergency savings (40%)
Saving for retirement (32%)

Despite these competing priorities, 76% of Gen Z workers are saving for retirement through 401(k) or similar employer plans and/or outside the workplace — and they started saving at age 20 (median). Those participating in a 401(k) or similar plan currently contribute 15% (median) of their annual pay.

Gen Z workers have saved $31,000 (estimated median) in total household retirement accounts and only $2,000 (median) in emergency savings. Meanwhile, 26% have dipped into their retirement savings by taking a hardship withdrawal or early withdrawal from a 401(k) or similar plan or individual retirement account (IRA).

Among millennial workers (those born 1981 to 1996), the survey found:

59% indicate debt is interfering with their ability to save for retirement.
58% are still financially recovering from the pandemic and its aftermath.
49% indicate they are having trouble making ends meet.

Millennial workers’ current financial priorities include:

Paying off debt (62%)
Saving for retirement (55%)
Building emergency savings (46%)
Supporting children (43%)
Saving for a major life event (40%)

Eighty-five percent of millennial workers are saving for retirement in a 401(k) or similar plan and/or outside the workplace. They began saving at age 26 (median). Those participating in a 401(k) or similar plan currently contribute 10% (median) of their annual pay.

Millennial workers have saved $65,000 (estimated median) in total household retirement accounts and only $5,000 (median) in emergency savings. Almost 24% have taken a hardship withdrawal or early withdrawal from a 401(k) or similar plan or IRA.

Only 18% of Gen X workers (those born 1965 to 1980) are very confident they will be able to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle, and just 23% “strongly agree” they are building a large enough retirement nest egg.

Thirty-nine percent expect to retire at age 70 or older or do not plan to retire, and 56% plan to continue working in retirement.

Eighty-two percent of Gen X workers are saving for retirement in a 401(k) or similar plan and/or outside the workplace. They began saving at age 30 (median). Those participating in a 401(k) or similar plan currently contribute 10% (median) of their annual pay.

Gen X workers expect their primary source of retirement income to come from:

Self-funded savings (50%), including 401(k)s, 403(b)s and IRAs (39%)
Social Security (28%)
Other savings and investments (11%)

Gen X workers have saved $107,000 (estimated median) in total household retirement accounts and $6,500 in emergency savings. Seventeen percent have dipped into their retirement savings by taking a hardship withdrawal or early withdrawal.

Fifty-seven percent of Baby Boom workers (those born 1946 to 1964) expect to retire at age 70 or older or do not plan to retire.

Their greatest retirement fears are:

Declining health that requires long-term care (49%)
Outliving their savings and investments (44%)
Social Security will be reduced or cease to exist in the future (44%)

Baby Boom workers expect their primary source of retirement income to come from:

Social Security (39%)
401(k)s, 403(b)s and IRAs (30%)
Other savings and investments (11%)
Continued work (7%)
A company-funded pension plan (7%)

Eighty-five percent of Baby Boomers are saving for retirement in a 401(k) or similar plan and/or outside the workplace. They began saving at age 35 (median). Those participating in a 401(k) or similar plan currently contribute 10% (median) of their annual pay.

Baby Boomers have saved $270,000 (estimated median) in total household retirement accounts and $20,000 (median) in emergency savings. Twelve percent have taken a hardship withdrawal or early withdrawal from a 401(k) or similar plan or IRA.

Just 27% of Baby Boomers have a written financial strategy for retirement, and only 38% have a backup plan for income if forced into retirement sooner than expected.

WTW Survey: M&A Deals Expected to Increase

A majority of companies (54%) expect merger and acquisition (M&A) deal activity to increase despite a record slow start for 2025, according to a survey of more than 80 senior HR professionals based in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Conducted by global advisory, broking and solutions company WTW, the survey found only 19% of respondents anticipating deal activity to decrease. However, 65% feel less than fully prepared to handle their deal portfolio, citing data completeness as their top due-diligence challenge (66%).

The survey also found 78% of respondents identified key talent with unique or special skill sets below executive level as their highest due diligence priority. The leading metric for integration success was retention of non-executive talent (50%). This was 21% higher than leadership retention (29%). However, resource constraints are rising at a greater rate than culture and technology challenges, with 74% of non-U.S. and 54% of U.S. companies stating that aligning cultures remains the overall top challenge.

Meanwhile, 65% believe generative artificial intelligence will impact the deal-making process within the next two years. But full buy-in to the value proposition is not there yet, with most in “wait and see” mode rather than being early adopters.

Report: 93% of Neurodivergent Individuals Face Hiring Bias

According to a new Neurodivergence in the Workplace Report by career-builder website Zety, 93% of neurodivergent employees believe hiring practices like timed tests or unstructured interviews work against them. The survey featured responses from nearly 900 neurodivergent U.S. workers.

Additional key findings from the report include:

93% have experienced burnout related to a lack of support for their neurodivergent needs.
88% feel they must work harder than neurotypical peers to be seen as equally competent.
51% have been subjected to jokes or insensitive comments.
46% adjust their communication or behavior daily to align with workplace norms.

Only 5% of respondents said they had never experienced negative or biased treatment related to their neurodivergence. The majority have faced exclusionary or discriminatory behavior:

53% were left out of meetings or important projects.
51% were subjected to jokes or insensitive comments.
49% were micromanaged based on inaccurate assumptions.
43% faced disciplinary action for behaviors tied to their neurodivergence.
32% were denied promotions or growth opportunities.
24% felt compelled to overperform to be seen as capable.
24% experienced social isolation or a lack of manager support.

Amazon Orders Corporate Employees to Relocate

As reported by Bloomberg and The Seattle Times, Amazon is ordering some corporate employees to move closer to their managers and teams. When Amazon chief executive officer Andy Jassy ordered employees to return to the office five days a week earlier this year, there was no requirement that they move to specific offices. Now, workers are being told to relocate to such cities as Seattle; Arlington, Va.; and Washington, D.C.

Amazon employees have been sharing information about the relocation mandate on the company’s internal Slack channels, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg. One employee said their manager informed the team of the need to relocate and told them they had 30 days to make a decision. Then, they had 60 days to either resign or begin their relocation process, according to the person, who said they were told there would be no severance for employees who resigned in lieu of relocating.

“For more than a year now, some teams have been working to bring their teammates closer together to help them be as effective as possible, but there isn’t a one-size-fits all approach and there hasn’t been a change in our approach as a company,” said an Amazon spokesperson. “We hear from the majority of our teammates that they love the energy from being located together, and whenever someone chooses to or is asked to relocate, we work with them to offer support based on their individual circumstances.”

Ford to Bring Salaried Workers Back to Office 4 Days Per Week

Ford Motor Company will bring most of its global salaried workforce back to the office four days a week, according to reports by Reuters and the Detroit Free Press. On Wednesday, June 25, the automaker notified employees of the updated policy, which will take effect on Sept. 1.

In a statement provided to Reuters, a Ford spokesman said, “Many of our employees have been in the office three or more days per week for some time now. We believe working together in person on a day-to-day basis will help accelerate Ford’s transformation into a higher growth, higher margin, less cyclical and more dynamic company.”

CareerBuilder + Monster Files for Chapter 11, Sells Assets

CareerBuilder + Monster on Tuesday, June 24 said it had initiated a court-supervised sale process to “maximize value” and “seamlessly transition ownership” of its businesses.

Specifically, the company:

Entered into an asset purchase agreement with JobGet Inc. for the sale of the company’s job board business, which provides a talent marketplace connecting employers with job candidates;
Entered into an asset purchase agreement with Valnet Inc. for the sale of Monster Media Properties, which is comprised of military.com and fastweb.com; and,
Entered into an asset purchase agreement with Valsoft Corporation for the sale of Monster Government Services, which provides human capital management software services to state and federal governments.

To facilitate the sales, the company initiated a voluntary Chapter 11 process in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

“For over 25 years, we have been a proud global leader in helping job seekers and companies connect and empower employment across the globe. However, like many others in the industry, our business has been affected by a challenging and uncertain macroeconomic environment,” said Jeff Furman, the CEO of CareerBuilder + Monster. “In light of these conditions, we ran a robust sale process and carefully evaluated all available options. We determined that initiating this court-supervised sale process is the best path toward maximizing the value of our businesses and preserving jobs.”

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