Workspan Daily News Bytes for Nov. 28, 2025

Delayed BLS Report Shows U.S. Added 119,000 Jobs in September

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its September jobs report on Thursday, Nov. 20, after a near seven-week delay due to the federal government shutdown, which ended on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

The BLS data showed the U.S. economy added 119,000 jobs in September. CNN reported economists were expecting 50,000 jobs to be added. However, the unemployment rate rose to 4.4%, the highest it’s been in nearly four years.

In September, healthcare added 43,000 jobs, and employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up, adding 37,000 jobs. Social assistance employment added 14,000 jobs, reflecting continued job growth in individual and family services (+20,000).

Declining sectors in September included transportation and warehousing (-25,000), warehousing and storage (-11,000), couriers and messengers (-7,000), and federal government (-3,000).

Employment showed little or no change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; information; financial activities; professional and business services; and other services.

Average hourly earnings increased 0.2% for the month and 3.8% from a year ago, compared to respective forecasts of 0.3% and 3.7%.

“September’s jobs report shows the labor market still had resilience before the shutdown, beating payroll expectations, but the picture remains muddy with August jobs revised to a job loss and the unemployment rate increasing,” said Daniel Zhao, the chief economist at career website Glassdoor. “These numbers are a snapshot from two months ago and they don’t reflect where we stand now in November.”

The BLS is scheduled to publish a combined October and November Employment Situation news release on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Report Finds Number of Employees with Caregiving Duties Increasing

Among all full-time working Americans, 43% are juggling caregiving duties and a job, according to a new report from Guardian Life Insurance. This represents a 13% increase from prior years, when 38% of full-time employees reported having caregiving responsibilities in 2019.

In 2023, Guardian found that 56% of full-time workers who were also caregivers were women, while 44% were men. In the 2025 report, Guardian found that men now make up 57% of full-time working caregivers, with women comprising the remaining 43%. Because Guardian only surveys full-time working Americans, it’s possible the number of women forced to leave the workforce because of the work/caregiving balance has increased.

Other key findings from the report include:

5% of Baby Boomers, 39% of Gen X, 51% of millennials and 38% of Gen Z employees identify as having caregiving responsibilities.
20% of caregivers say their caregiving responsibilities have negatively impacted their household’s financial confidence.
Only 36% of caregivers report “very good” mental health.
Caregivers are 48% more likely to have experienced increased anxiety and depression over the past year.
Of caregivers who took a paid leave of absence from work, 37% said that it was due to mental health needs.

Retirement Balances Hit Record High; Roth Options Generating Interest

Average 401(k), individual retirement account (IRA) and 403(b) account balances reached record highs during the third quarter, driven by consistent savings and positive stock market performance. This is according to Fidelity Investments’ latest U.S. retirement analysis report, released Thursday, Nov. 20.

The Fidelity data showed average account balances of:

$144,400 for 401(k)s
$137,902 for IRAs
$131,200 for 403(b)s

The average 401(k) balance increased 5% from its previous record high in Q2 and marked the sixth quarter-over-quarter average balance increase in the last eight quarters (since Q3 2023). Despite ongoing concerns about U.S. economic strength, both 401(k) and 403(b) participants were able to maintain steady savings rates through the third quarter.

Of note, Roth savings vehicles are increasing in interest among retirement savers, particularly among younger generations, likely in large part due to their tax efficiency over the long term. The Q3 data showed 20% of Gen Z 401(k) participants are choosing to contribute to a Roth 401(k). Similarly, Roth IRAs continue to be the IRA of choice among younger savers, with Gen Z investing 95% of their contributions in Roth accounts (rather than a traditional IRA).

“Americans are continuing to exhibit impactful savings behaviors such as staying the course and focusing on long-term goals, which clearly is having a positive effect on retirement savings,” said Sharon Brovelli, the president of workplace investing at Fidelity Investments. “To see balances and saving behaviors increase across all savings vehicles is encouraging, especially as savers continue to navigate an uncertain economic environment.”

Direct-to-Employer Model for Obesity Management Meds Announced

Waltz Health, a digital health company headquartered in Chicago, recently announced it will launch a direct-to-employer access model for obesity management medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, starting on Jan. 1, 2026.

According to the announcement, “The first-of-its-kind program is designed to give self-insured employers a new pathway to deliver coverage for these medicines with clinical safeguards, transparent pricing and end-to-end employee support. The model will be available directly to employers and through the consulting channel as part of broader benefits strategies.”

The model will integrate fixed pricing with a fulfillment and support ecosystem that aligns with each employer’s existing benefit structure. Waltz Health will provide real-time eligibility screening, pharmacy routing, prescription adjudication and ongoing patient engagement.

“Obesity management medicines are driving a major shift in care expectations, and employers are actively searching for solutions that make coverage both clinically responsible and financially viable,” said Mark Thierer, Waltz Health’s co-founder and CEO. “This model equips employers with the structure and visibility they need, while offering employees a seamless experience and a covered benefit they can actually use.”

Ohio Company to Pay $2 Million in EEOC Sex Discrimination Lawsuit

Glunt Industries, Inc., a machining company based in Warren, Ohio, will pay $2 million and provide other relief to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

According to the Friday, Nov. 21 EEOC announcement, the suit charged that Glunt engaged in sex discrimination when the company denied production jobs to a class of women since at least 2018. In addition to systemically not hiring women, the EEOC alleged that Glunt failed to provide women’s restrooms on the plant floor in any of its facilities.

Glunt also discriminated against its HR director and retaliated against her for her role in hiring two women for project manager positions, leading to her separation. Glunt then fired the women and hired men to fill their positions, according to the lawsuit.

Under the two-year consent decree resolving the lawsuit, Glunt will pay $2 million in monetary relief to be distributed by the EEOC to Glunt’s former HR director, the two women who were discharged from project manager positions, and a class of women who applied for production positions at Glunt and were not hired.

Figures and Facts of the Week

20: The percentage of American workers who lost pay, lost a job or had hours cut, and then turned to gig platforms to make up the difference, according to recent Goldman Sachs research.
65: The percentage of U.S. workers who want training to build artificial intelligence (AI) skills and confidence, according to a study by Cornerstone OnDemand Inc., a workforce agility solutions platform.
68: The percentage of employers that said time-to-fill for open roles steadied in 2025 (while 35% saw increases), according to a new report from staffing and recruiting firm HireQuest.
70: The percentage of retailers who plan to hire more frontline workers during this holiday shopping season compared to last year, according to an annual survey by Accenture, a professional services company.
82. The percentage of business leaders who reported executives will receive bonuses this year. The Resume.org survey of 1,008 business leaders also reported 31% of organizations will lay off employees before the end of the year, and 69% of survey respondents will use AI to determine which roles to eliminate.

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