August 10, 2026

Presented By

Welcome back! Labor Day is just four weeks away. Have your employees taken their PTO? You don’t need us to tell you how important it is to take time off. But if you do need help encouraging employees to put up their OOOs, be the change you want to see in your organization and do the same. Employees see, employees do.

In today’s edition:

📉 Jobs in July

👀 Mind the gap(s)

💸 Health is wealth

—Paige McGlauflin, Kristen Parisi, Courtney Vien

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Jobs report miss

Morning Brew Design

The US economy unexpectedly lost jobs in July, the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, further dashing hopes that the summer months would warm the cooling labor market.

Diving into the data. Total payrolls for July declined by 23,000 from the month prior, significantly below the gain of 95,000 that economists predicted. Additionally, jobs gains for May and June were revised down, from 129,000 to 63,000 and 57,000 to 20,000—that’s 103,000 fewer than first reported.

The unemployment rate fell slightly, from 4.2% in June to 4.1% in July, and was down from 4.3% year over year. But that was likely tied to a decline in the labor force participation rate, which fell to 61.4%, continuing its downward slide since May. Two months of data isn’t enough to declare a trend, but Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor’s chief economist, noted that “the decline in labor force participation is a more concerning indicator that workers are giving up on finding a job.”

Zoom out. Despite concerning topline numbers, there are signs that the labor market is stable. Looking ahead, HR leaders should craft their talent strategies to be resilient and adaptive to uncertainty. It’s difficult to gauge which direction the labor market is headed when turnover is slow, Zhao said.

For more on what HR needs to know about the latest jobs report, keep reading here.—PM

Sponsored By SixFifty

It’s like summer camp for HR

Think compliance training is boring? SixFifty’s Compliance Camp shows that it doesn’t have to be.

This four-part employment law webinar series helps HR pros:

sharpen key compliance skills
learn from employment law experts
earn up to four SHRM and HRCI recertification credits

Here’s where it gets good, though: The whole series is summer camp-inspired. So you can get excited for campfire-style panels, scary stories, obstacle courses, and more.

Along the way, you’ll get actionable guidance on how to improve policies, documentation, internal alignment, and compliance processes. You’ll even have opportunities to participate in giveaways throughout the series.

Sound better than your last compliance training? Gear up and register for Compliance Camp.

DEI

Stalled out

Anna Kim

While women spent decades making progress in corporate America, new research indicates a widening gender pay gap and new hurdles for advancement.

Widening pay gap? Some 63% of women said they would feel pressure to accept a lower-paying job after a layoff, compared to 52% of men, according to a recent Glassdoor survey seen by Bloomberg. That could exacerbate the pay gap that’s been widening since 2024, the Economic Policy Institute reported.

“In a weakening labor market, it’s the most exposed workers who are going to feel it the hardest, and they’re going to feel it first,” Chris Martin, senior economist at Glassdoor, told Bloomberg.

The gap is worse for Black women. While Black women in the US are just as likely to have advanced education as white men, the average Black woman makes 69% of what the average white man earns, according to a recent report from The 75 Million.

For more on the challenges facing women in the workforce, keep reading here.—KP

Sponsored By Wellhub

Protect your people. As AI transforms the workplace and productivity, leaders are focusing on how to protect their teams from AI burnout. Join Wellhub + an expert panel as they chat about the human reality behind AI adoption, how it affects workplace wellness, + how employers can help. Register for the session.

TOTAL REWARDS

Lower blood sugar, lower weight, lower cost

Tom Samuelson

Metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes can be expensive for employers to cover, especially if employees are prescribed GLP-1s, which can cost $1,000 to $1,500 per person per month. Startup Twin Health aims to change that. Its technology, offered to employers, uses a combination of AI and wearable devices that track metrics such as blood sugar, weight, and activity levels to create “digital twins” of employees with metabolic conditions. Employees receive health coaching and can view meal recommendations and health data on an app.A Cleveland Clinic study found that, over one year, 71% of diabetics using Twin Health were able to lower their blood sugar. The percentage using GLP-1s dropped from 41% to 6%.

Twin Health, founded in 2018, has nearly 200 companies as customers, including giants like Blackstone and Walmart. A Series E round last year brought in $53 million, taking the company’s valuation to $950 million. But its business model rests on a proposition more closely associated with law firms than health care startups: In some cases, Twin Health doesn’t get paid unless employees enrolled in the program reach certain benchmarks, such as lower weight or blood sugar, or using fewer medications.

For more on Twin Health, keep reading on CFO Brew.—CV

Sponsored By Stream

Well-spent OOO. Don’t miss Stream’s FinWell ’26. Check out keynotes from Stephanie Land, author of Maid (now a Netflix hit) and Jennifer Weinstein, author of Benefits Burnout + VP Benefits at Albertsons Companies. Head to breakouts on open enrollment, HR tech, + data from 7k+ front-line workers. Plus, a lucky few will get travel support.

Level up your career with these resources from our sponsors!

Don’t just track compliance training completion. Prepare your people for real-world situations with decision-ready compliance

Money talks: What Maine’s new pay transparency laws mean for current employees

work perks

A desktop computer plugged into a green couch.

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Some 68,000 job seekers attended a job fair in north Texas where 670 employers were looking to hire, illustrating the challenges workers are facing amid the tight job market. (CBS News)

Quote: “Instead of asking ‘how do I file a form to request my vacation’ from our employee agent, they’re telling the employee agent, ‘hey I’m taking a vacation, you need to enter this form for me, and here’s the details.’”—Joe Inzerillo, president of enterprise and AI technology at Salesforce, on how AI agent usage is evolving (CIO)

Read: Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez introduced legislation that would authorize the Department of Health & Human Services to study and develop workplace reforms to prevent suicide in the construction industry. (Construction Dive)

Learn and earn: SixFifty’s employment law webinar series allows you to earn up to four SHRM and HRCI recertification credits. And with a summer camp-inspired structure, it’s more engaging than your average training. See for yourself.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

Share the Brew

Share the Brew, watch your referral count climb, and unlock brag-worthy swag.

Your friends get smarter. You get rewarded. Win-win.

Your referral count: 0

Click to Share

Or copy & paste your referral link to others:
hr-brew.com/r/?kid=9196cb13

Written by Paige McGlauflin, Kristen Parisi, and Courtney Vien

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

Get smarter in just 5 minutes

Business News: Morning Brew
Tech & AI News: Tech Brew
Markets News: Brew Markets
Real Estate News: The Playbook
Money & Career: Bossy

Take The Brew to work

Interested in podcasts?

Check out People Person on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

ADVERTISE//CAREERS//SHOP//FAQ

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here.
View our privacy policy here.

Copyright © 2026 Morning Brew Inc. All rights reserved.
22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011

☕️ Surprisingly sluggish