Workspan Daily News Bytes for Sept. 11, 2026

Healthcare Cost Rise Forcing Employers to Examine GLP-1 Coverage

Nearly 80% of employers report that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications are driving an increase in their company’s healthcare costs, according to a new survey report released by Business Group on Health, a health- and benefits-focused nonprofit organization.

While most employers cover GLP-1s for diabetes, 67% of surveyed employers currently cover GLP-1s for weight management. However, of those covering GLP-1s for weight management, only 72% said they were likely to continue that coverage in 2027, while 10% said they likely would not. (Health insurer Cigna announced in June it would stop covering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, including Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, in its employee health plan effective July 1. Since then, more than 450 Cigna employees have signed a petition writing how GLP-1s have benefited their lives.)

Additional findings from Business Group on Health report include:

87% of surveyed employers anticipate that the availability of an oral GLP-1 medication will result in higher demand for the drugs overall, and only 9% of employers anticipate a decrease in price.
When it comes to how much employees pay for the medications, 83% of surveyed employers use the same standard cost-share arrangement as they do for other medications.
Nearly 80% of employers involve their executive leadership in GLP-1 coverage decisions.

“Our findings show the tremendous concern employers have regarding these medications from a cost and financial viability perspective,” said Ellen Kelsay, the president and CEO of Business Group on Health. “Against the backdrop of anticipated double-digit healthcare cost increases, fueled to a large degree by GLP-1s and overall prescription drug costs, companies cannot ignore the reality that GLP-1s have significant implications for healthcare budgets and overall affordability.”

New Skilled Trades Coalition Aims to Develop 1 Million Workers

On Sept. 1, the Lowe’s Foundation announced it was launching the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition to help train and develop 1 million people for skilled trades careers by 2035. The move comes amid a significant skilled trades labor shortage in the U.S.

According to the announcement, the coalition will bring together more than 75 educators, businesses, workforce organizations, corporate leaders, industry vendors and stakeholders across the skilled trades, including corporate leaders NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier, General Motors, DEWALT and Duke Energy.

Coalition members will work together to shape the future of the skilled trades workforce and collectively amplify their impact with three primary goals:

Change the perception of careers in the skilled trades by challenging outdated narratives that position college as the default path to success. Through storytelling and greater awareness, the coalition will “elevate the craftsmanship and pride that define professions” and help more people see the skilled trades as an equal path to a successful future.
Invest, connect and scale proven training and credentialing solutions by bringing together educators, businesses, workforce organizations, corporate leaders, industry vendors and other stakeholders to address shared workforce challenges and expand what works. Through case studies, pilot programs, playbooks and shared approaches informed by labor market insights and employer needs, the coalition will accelerate peer learning and help more organizations adopt and scale solutions for preparing qualified skilled trades talent without starting from scratch.
Collectively measure progress from training to employment by establishing shared measures that help the coalition understand what’s working, identify gaps and track outcomes across the workforce ecosystem. Across construction, automotive manufacturing, telecommunications, energy industry, HVAC, technology and financial services, the coalition will use these insights to strengthen connections between training providers and employers, improve pathways to in-demand jobs, and help more people translate their training and credentials into meaningful, long-term careers.

Commuting Costs, Length Are Impacting U.S. Workforce

Forty-nine percent of U.S. workers said commuting costs or length have influenced them to reject a job opportunity, according to a new commuting report by employment website Monster.

Seventy-five percent of the respondents said rising living costs have made work-life balance or commute flexibility more important when looking for a job, including 37% who said it has become significantly more important.

When asked what would persuade them to accept a job with a commute at least 20 minutes longer than they prefer:

32% of the respondents said they would require a pay increase of at least 20%.
10% would accept at least 10% more pay.
11% would accept a hybrid schedule with remote workdays.
9% would want gas reimbursement or commuter benefits.
4% would accept stronger long-term career growth opportunities.
4% would accept better healthcare or overall benefits.

Meanwhile, for 30% of workers, none of these incentives would be enough to make a significantly longer commute worthwhile.

Among workers currently searching for a job, 65% said rising gas prices have changed what they look for. As a result:

23% are prioritizing jobs closer to home.
20% are prioritizing remote positions.
17% are focusing more heavily on salary or pay.
5% are applying to fewer fully in-person roles.
35% said rising gas prices have not changed what they look for.

Many of the surveyed workers believed employers should share at least some of the commuting cost. For instance:

68% believe employers should help offset commuting expenses for at least some employees required to work on-site.
36% believe commuter assistance should be available to all on-site employees.
19% said it should specifically go to employees with long commutes.
13% said employers should provide assistance during periods of high gas prices.
32% believe commuting costs should remain the employee’s responsibility.

Higher-Ed Turnover Has Stabilized, But Retention Risks Remain

Even as employee turnover has mostly stabilized, colleges and universities are facing critical retention challenges, with 1 in 4 higher-education employees indicating they may look for new job opportunities within the next year. This is according to a new report from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR).

Key findings from the report include:

In general, voluntary turnover rates have declined to pre-pandemic levels across employee groups. However, non-exempt staff have a higher turnover rate compared to 2019, the year directly preceding the pandemic onset.
Across all employee types, private institutions have higher rates of voluntary turnover compared to public institutions. Small institutions report the highest rates of employee turnover, followed by medium-sized and then large institutions.
Voluntary turnover generally decreased as an institution’s average salary increase percentage rose. However, the analysis was only significant for exempt staff. The lack of a significant relationship between percentage changes in salary and turnover for other groups suggests salary increases alone might be insufficient for incentivizing retention.
For the most part, voluntary turnover was highest at institutions with smaller total expenses and lowest at those with larger expenses. However, for faculty, there was little difference in turnover rates based on total expenses.
Median years in position for specific higher-ed areas showed concerning trends. The new report focused on three areas of concern: facilities, operation and public safety; academic affairs; and student affairs. Many positions in these areas have a median of just two to three years in a role.

Figures and Facts of the Week

50,000: The number of jobs German automaker Volkswagen recently announced it was going to cut due to global competition, changing demands and technological shifts. The latest announcement adds to the 50,000 job cuts that were already approved in July, bringing the total job reductions to 100,000.
74: The percentage of global HR leaders who believe managers are already using artificial intelligence (AI) to write performance reviews, according to a new report by HR platform Lattice. Most view this positively, citing faster completion (76%), better review quality (64%) and higher completion rates (64%).
60: The percentage of onboarding materials American employees thought were truly necessary or important to their role, according to a survey by software company Adobe. While 56% of the employees surveyed said they retained more than half of their onboarding materials, 44% retained about half or less.
45: The percentage of U.S. business leaders who said their organization has an established management practice for continuously reviewing and improving work as AI and business needs evolve, according to new research from Eagle Hill Consulting.
33: The percentage of survey respondents who described their organization’s reward and recognition program as effective, according to new research by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services and employee experience and recognition platform Achievers.
16: The annual turnover rate percentage of chief human resources officers (CHROs) or chief people officers (CPOs) at Fortune 200 companies in 2025, the highest level since 2019, according to a new report from consulting firm Talent Strategy Group. The findings suggest an average CHRO tenure of about 6.25 years.