Workspan Daily News Bytes for Sept. 18, 2026

Amazon Raises Hourly Starting Pay to $20

Online retailer Amazon announced on Wednesday, Sept. 16, it was bumping up its minimum starting pay for U.S. full-time core operations roles to $20 per hour, with average pay reaching nearly $24 per hour. The pay increase represents a $1 increase from its starting level.

The company also announced a new lifetime banking benefit for employees called Day 1 Financial — a membership in First Tech Federal Credit Union that provides qualified employees and their families with banking services they can keep for life.

Additionally, all Amazon employees in the U.S. will have access to new grocery benefits starting in October including an uncapped 10% off eligible fresh groceries and everyday essentials on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market Online, plus 20% off in-store at Whole Foods Market.

Most Gen Z Workers Would Switch Jobs for Better Pay, Benefits and Development

Fifty-five percent of American Generation Z professionals plan to look for a new job by year-end, up from 32% one year ago, according to new research by consulting firm Robert Half.

The reasons? Fifty-three percent of the respondents believe changing employers could offer greater earning potential, while 56% want stronger perks and benefits, and 50% cite limited advancement opportunities in their current role.

When asked what top benefits and perks they considered when evaluating offers, the surveyed Gen Z workers said:

Health insurance (65%)
More flexible work schedules (60%)
Commuter benefits (57%)
401(k) savings plan (53%)
Dental insurance (52%)
Free or subsidized meals (52%)
On-site professional development or training opportunities (49%)

Build an AI-Shaped Organization by ‘Remixing’ Tech and Human Work

By 2029, 30% of employees laid off due to replacement by artificial intelligence (AI) will be rehired, according to a new report by research firm Gartner.

“When business and IT executives look back on the early AI-era, they will realize their greatest mistake was believing that work automation was the point, when workforce amplification was the opportunity,” said Tori Paulman, a vice president and analyst at the firm.

The most effective organizations will resist the temptation to automate every task and delegate every decision to AI, according to Gartner. Instead, they should develop a “talent remix” strategy that uses AI to reshape roles and redirect workers from less productive work to new opportunities, said Paulman.

To achieve that, Gartner’s report identified four shifts that will shape the future of work:

Expand human capability through the human-AI relationship: The most successful companies will use AI to strengthen employees’ judgment, creativity, leadership and decision making rather than replace them.
Empower an AI-ready workforce that adapts (not just adopts): Future-ready organizations will invest in building AI literacy, AI-enabled skills management, digital dexterity and workstyle analytics among their workforce, and ensure their executives are “AI savvy.”
Deepen context, judgment and meaning: Future-ready companies will design systems that strengthen decision quality, maintain human oversight and ensure workers understand not only how a process is performed, but also why it is performed that way.
Build a foundation for compound value: Long-term success will depend on going beyond the adoption of everyday AI tools by creating the conditions where each use case is faster, less expensive and safer than the one before it.

Amazon Sued for Allegedly Discriminating Against Pregnant Workers

As reported by Reuters, four former Amazon warehouse employees are suing the online retailer, claiming the company routinely violated federal and New York worker-protection laws by denying pregnant workers basic accommodations such as chairs, bathroom and water breaks, and time off for prenatal appointments.

The complaint, filed on Sept. 8, said Amazon threatened and regularly fired pregnant employees who missed too much work, and illegally demanded medical documentation from those seeking accommodations. It said these actions violated the ⁠federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York labor law.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company provides pregnancy-related accommodations to tens of thousands of employees annually, and approved more than 99.9% of requests in the last year.

The lawsuit seeks lost pay and benefits, punitive damages, and an injunction against discrimination against pregnant employees.

More Workers Are Feeling Overwhelmed by Learning and Using AI

Forty-four percent of U.S. employees are feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to learn and use AI at work, according to a new survey by career website Resume Now.

When asked about AI confidence at work, respondents said they were:

Not confident at all: 21%
Not very confident: 21%
Somewhat confident: 36%
Very confident: 22%

When asked how much their employer expects them to use AI as part of their job, respondents said:

They're expected to use AI in their day-to-day work: 17%
AI use is encouraged but not required: 23%
AI use has come up, but no real expectation has been set: 18%
There's no expectation to use AI at their job: 42%

When asked how likely it was they would spend their own money to learn AI skills, respondents said they were:

Very likely: 10%
Somewhat likely: 20%
Not very likely: 22%
Not likely at all: 27%
Not worried about falling behind: 21%

Figures and Facts of the Week

25 million: The amount in U.S. dollars IT consulting firm Accenture has agreed to pay to settle U.S. government allegations over diversity practices. According to news reports, the U.S. ⁠Department of Justice had alleged Accenture took race and sex into consideration when it made hiring and promotion decisions to achieve demographic goals. Accenture said it complied with applicable laws ⁠and that the resolution agreement did not constitute an admission of liability.
6,736: The average amount in U.S. dollars that American workers spend a year going into the office, according to data analyzed by career website Resume.io. For working parents who pay for extra childcare while they’re in the office, the annual amount rose to $16,538.
1,300: The number of people who applied in July to be a clue writer on the game show “Jeopardy!” It was the first opening of its kind in 42 years. According to news reports, applicants had to take the same online quiz as potential contestants, plus compose more than a full show’s worth of categories and clues.
69: The percentage of employed women in the U.S. who said menopause symptoms significantly disrupt their work performance, according to a Working Through Menopause Report by career website LiveCareer.
60: The percentage of HR leaders who are using AI throughout the entire talent acquisition process, according to a report by ICIMS, an HR and recruitment software company.
40: The percentage of global business and HR leaders who say their organizations are effective at building sufficient bench strength for critical roles, according to a new study by research and consulting firm i4cp.
30: The percentage of U.S. workers who feel undervalued or completely overlooked based on their workplace contributions, according to a new report by career website ResumeBuilder.com.
25: The percentage of American 401(k) plan participants ages 25 to 69 who are carrying student loan debt, according to a new study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The survey also showed younger participants were substantially more likely to have student loan debt: 35.7% of participants aged 25 to 29 held student loan debt, compared with 20.8% of participants aged 40 to 44 and 12.9% of participants aged 55 to 59.

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