AGP Executive Report

Leadership & Succession: Domino’s named COO Joe Jordan as CEO effective Oct. 1, 2026, as Russell Weiner shifts to Executive Chairman; RPC also announced CEO Ben M. Palmer will retire by end of 2026, with a successor search underway. Pay & Retention: A senior living workforce report finds purpose helps, but non-competitive pay is the top reason workers leave, with fair pay and feeling valued tied to job satisfaction. Healthcare Jobs & Investment: McKesson picked Moore, Oklahoma for a highly automated regional distribution center, aiming to modernize capacity and create 200+ jobs. Workplace Rights: A multi-state coalition led by Pennsylvania’s Shapiro administration is pushing back on a proposed federal joint employment rule that critics say would make wage theft harder to address. Hiring & Training Pipelines: Indiana’s Ivy Tech partnership and other programs highlight dual-credit and hands-on career exploration for students; Fastenal backs a local workforce initiative. Labor Courts: California judges allowed Tesla “yard hostlers” to pursue wage dispute lawsuits, treating them as transportation workers exempt from arbitration. Career Mindset: Deloitte reports Gen Z and millennials increasingly prefer steady progress over rapid title-chasing, citing burnout and work-life balance as major barriers.

AI Restructuring: Oracle disclosed 21,000 job cuts over 12 months, linking reductions to AI adoption and ongoing tech layoffs. Workforce Equity: Egypt’s women are 53% of graduates but only 29% of the workforce; a platform analysis of 5.4M applications found women get slightly more views and interview invites, pointing to structural barriers. Youth-to-Work Pressure: Wales warns NEET numbers are rising even as employers report skills shortages, with fewer entry routes and work experience. Pay & Benefits Safety Nets: The UK DWP says some ESA claimants won’t lose payments during the Universal Credit migration if they need help managing claims. Living Wage Momentum: UK coverage highlights the real Living Wage’s 25-year impact on pay rises and low-paid workers. Job Creation via Skills: Ghana’s World Bank forum stresses finance, mentorship and practical skills as key SME constraints. Employment Cost Cuts: Taraba reduced street sweepers’ pay from N15,000 to N10,000 to expand sanitation staffing. Creative Economy Jobs: Bangladesh will launch “Created in Bangladesh” to grow the creative sector and target 500,000 new jobs.

Workforce Funding (Jordan): Jordan’s Ministry of Labour will add JD 1 million in interest-free loans (up to JD 3,000 each) for vocational graduates launching small home-based projects, aiming to turn training into self-employment. Collective Bargaining (Fiji): Fiji Pine Group and the National Union of Workers signed a new master agreement to stabilize salary structures and improve worker welfare across multiple companies. Pay & Compliance (US): A proposed class action says Stop & Shop violated Massachusetts’ Wage Act by not paying terminated workers what they’re owed on their final day. Education-to-Work (US): Maine public universities report record summer enrollment (12,610 students) tied to workforce needs and degree pathways. Youth Employment Pathways (US): Tennessee is a phase-one semifinalist for a $15M “Talent Marketplace” challenge to connect learners, credentials, and employer job data. Career Access & Inclusion (Kenya): A viral video shows a job seeker claiming she’s been overlooked at a househelp agency, sparking debate about hiring bias. Social Protection & Jobs (Brazil): UNHCR says asylum requests in Brazil rose 11% in 2025, with renewed focus on access to work and entrepreneurship for refugees. Skills & Career Guidance (India): Arunachal Pradesh held APEDP 5.0 awareness and career counselling for students, with applications due July 20. Community Workforce Hub (US): OASIS Center International opens Café OASIS in Santa Ana as an arts education and workforce development social enterprise.

AI & Jobs: A new Mercer survey finds 99% of CEOs expect AI-driven workforce reductions in the next two years, while only 32% say they’ve figured out how to blend human talent with AI—plus an ECB study says AI’s impact on US jobs and wages has been muted so far, though junior roles in exposed sectors look vulnerable. Workplace Rights & Pay: Australia’s IEU alleges a school received $106.7M in grants and fees while reporting zero salary costs, classifying staff as “volunteers” under a church order—raising serious employment and child-safety concerns. Entry-Level Pressure: A Bangalore software engineer’s first Rs 1 lakh+ salary dilemma shows how family expectations can clash with saving and financial independence goals. Hiring & Skills Programs: Qatar is running a Graduate Career Path Forum to connect students with private-sector roles (HSBC HR included), while India’s PM-VBRY is depositing incentives for first-time job holders under a youth employment push. Employment Policy: West Bengal’s Budget promises 1 lakh government vacancies (33% for women) and boosts DA by 20% from Oct 1, 2026. Labor Market Signals: Korea reports job growth at large business groups is nearly flat, with top firms cutting headcount while Coupang adds roles.

Labor Market Update: Texas added 17,800 jobs in May to hit a new record 14,419,200 total nonfarm jobs, with total workers rising to 15,213,400—an early signal of momentum after April’s civilian losses. Workplace Rights: California-based Obsidian Entertainment faces a class action alleging wage-and-hour violations, including unpaid minimum wages and overtime. Pay & Fairness: A Tennessee unemployment report held at 3.6% for a fourth straight month, while other coverage flags how low wages and hiring barriers keep job seekers stuck. Career Pathways: Madison’s “Built from the Block” event connected youth with trades, police and fire careers after a violent 2023 backdrop. Skills vs Credentials: Sri Lanka’s education debate turns to AI-era readiness—questioning whether memorization-heavy systems actually prepare students for real work. Youth & Housing: New Zealand’s Tauranga gets homelessness funding, but local leaders warn it must address root causes, not just visibility. Policy Pressure: UK PM Keir Starmer faces mounting calls to resign as Labour tensions rise.

Public Sector Hiring Crunch: Estonia’s police and rescue agencies warn of staffing gaps as retirements outpace new recruits, blaming low salaries and prompting wage protests. Local Government Jobs: Flintshire and Wrexham councils list openings across HR, education, social care, planning and support roles, with pay ranges and flexible benefits highlighted. Workforce Pathways for Youth/Disability: Ireland’s Power Up! coding and game-making course targets young people with disabilities, aiming to break barriers into digital creative jobs. Second-Chance Employment: Philippines’ PDEA says 2,798 Balay Silangan rehab graduates have secured employment or livelihood opportunities as of May, with 650 centers nationwide. Skills Demand Signals: Qatar’s labour ministry points to steady demand for accounting, HR, IT and engineering, using the Kawader platform to match job seekers to private-sector roles. Career Coaching Tip: A founder-cum-coach urges job seekers to ask about next steps and the role’s success criteria to move beyond the “application loop.” Leadership Pay Accountability: Japan Airlines’ CEO accepts a 30% pay cut for two months after an alcohol-related cabin crew incident, underscoring management responsibility. Job Market Pressure: Emergency service agencies say salaries are too low to fill employment gaps.

Workforce & Wages: Dow has begun notifying employees of global job cuts tied to its “Transform to Outperform” restructuring, targeting about 4,500 roles worldwide (including roughly 13% of its workforce). Skills & Training: Namibia’s Hardap governor backed Youth for Green Hydrogen scholarships, awarding 93 young people N$25 million for postgraduate study aimed at building a skilled workforce for the renewable energy sector. Job Matching: Tanzania is pushing the Fifth Tanzania-China Job Fair, promising 1,000 opportunities while stressing worker-rights protections for locals. Career Pathways: Red Deer Public Schools approved a three-year plan to expand career readiness, trades programming, apprenticeships, and work-experience options through 2029. Labor Market Pressure: Iraqis seeking asylum in Europe topped 806,593 applications since 2015, and a new “Find a Job” project is being launched to connect job seekers with employers and training. Local Hiring: Lapu-Lapu City’s job fair drew 830 applicants and produced 181 on-the-spot hires. Future of Work: A Texas drone academy founder argues FAA-certified skills and adaptability can beat the four-year degree model for emerging careers.

Inclusive Growth Policy: Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim told state-linked and private developers that every project approval must also create real opportunities for middle- and lower-income communities, warning that growth without inclusion widens divides. Agriculture Jobs Boost: India’s Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated Meghalaya’s Northeast’s largest organic spice processing unit in Ri-Bhoi, aiming to expand value-added farming and farmer income. Military-to-Civilian Careers: Sri Lanka’s defence and ports officials discussed smoother pathways for retiring naval personnel into merchant shipping roles, including globally recognized certifications. Workforce Protection: Telangana junior doctors and senior residents opposed a proposal to raise government medical faculty retirement age from 65 to 70, saying it could block recruitment and promotions. Consumer Credit Rules: The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas extended salary-loan repayment terms to seven years while tightening reassessments to prevent renewals without checking repayment capacity. HR/Recruitment Integrity: India’s MahaMetro warned Nagpur job seekers about fake recruitment sites, emails, and forged appointment letters tied to Metro hiring. Skills & Training Housing: The Kobasic Foundation pledged $1.4M to Build U.P.’s CTE housing partnership, giving students paid skilled-trades experience while building homes.

Youth Employment Push: South Africa’s Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) says it’s making progress “learning to earning,” with 5.9 million youth registered on SA Youth and 5.36 million on ESSA, plus 2.5 million temporary earning opportunities since 2020. Minimum Wage Watch: California’s July 1 minimum wage hikes roll out across multiple cities and counties, with higher industry-specific floors for healthcare and hospitality. Local Hiring & Training: New York’s “Made in NY” Media Academy at Queensborough Community College launches a music production bootcamp to connect trainees to jobs in creative industries. Workforce Risk From Mergers: Los Angeles County warns the Paramount–Warner Bros. deal could put 2,500 local jobs at risk, especially in corporate, tech and real estate roles. Skills Pathways: Georgia expands transfer access via a new articulation agreement between Technical College System of Georgia and Life University. Paid Opportunity Programs: Volkswagen Group Africa adds 675 trainees to its Youth Employment Service, investing about R40m annually to build employability. Career Transitions: A Florida city begins searching for a new city attorney after a contract wasn’t renewed, with HR already activated for the replacement.

Wage Support for Transport Workers: The Philippines’ DOLE and LTFRB launched TUPAD Tuloy Pasada 2026, targeting 1,474 transport workers in Eastern Visayas with over P14.4M in temporary wage assistance as fuel costs bite. Youth Skills-to-Jobs Push: South Sudan signed an MoU with IOM to help 10,000+ young people through vocational training and job skills. Disability Employment Funding: Canada extended the InterActions program in Prescott-Russell, adding 20 participants (total 137) with $164,000 in support for person-centred employment coaching. Domestic Work Pay Rise: Tanzania’s revised minimum wages for domestic workers took effect in 2026, lifting pay for live-in and live-out workers but sparking mixed reactions from employers and unions. Job Matching for Repatriated Workers: The Philippines reported 5,480 repatriated OFWs hired via the National Reintegration Network, with thousands more referred to government agencies. Workforce Development via Employers: A UK DWP youth recruitment event at Grangemouth Stadium connected 75 young jobseekers with employers and support partners. Wage Theft Probe: India’s Nagpur Municipal Corporation payroll fraud investigation is expanding beyond one zone, with alleged tampering to fund fictitious workers.

Restructuring Shock in Spain: Magnific (formerly Freepik) opened an Employment Regulation File that could cut 111 jobs out of 337 as it shifts toward AI content generation, with unions rejecting the scale and rationale. Care Work as Economic Policy: A new push argues India’s “care economy” is undervalued and undercounted despite driving a big share of GDP and enabling paid work—calling for better support for unpaid caregivers and care workers. Wage Theft Claims in Nigeria: 12 former expatriate employees of Dantata & Sawoe accuse the firm of withholding €380,000 and $3,500 in unpaid entitlements after terminations. Workplace Rights Under Pressure: Kenya’s court jailed Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and officials for contempt after ordering reinstatement of 595 employees. Hiring & Career Pathways: OSF Saint Katharine held a night-shift nurse hiring event; Sharjah approved a 3,000-job plan for citizens; and North Carolina passed the Worker Safety Act to modernize retaliatory employment discrimination complaints.

UK Labour Market: The UK unemployment rate dipped to 4.9% while new recruits hit the lowest level in five years, and private-sector wage growth slowed—signaling firms are still cautious. Workplace Reform: The Bahamas says labour law overhauls are nearing completion, with new Employment and Industrial Relations Acts aimed at modern protections and stronger enforcement. Job Security & Hiring Signals: A biopharma-focused report warns that layoffs often follow shifts in prioritization, cash runway, and delayed programs—not just generic cost-cutting. Visa & Mobility: New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category rules simplify wage thresholds and add a grace period, effective Aug. 24, 2026. Civil Service Pathways (Philippines): The CSC approved extra points for eligible OFWs who fall short on the Career Service Exam, aiming to open doors to regular government appointments. Local Opportunities & Training: Georgia reported 5 million jobs in May, while youth unemployment concerns persist in Canada’s Windsor. Scam Alert (AirAsia): AirAsia warned of a fake recruitment site impersonating its careers portal and charging “processing fees.” Career Switching: A former UX writer in the UK is launching a deli and plans to hire locally once open.

Youth Employment & Skills Pipeline: San Bernardino is expanding a summer workforce readiness program linking high schoolers with local employers and city departments for paid work, mentorship, and training in resumes, interviewing, workplace communication, and financial literacy. Career-Ready Facilities: Pensacola’s Fricker Resource Center demolition is underway for a $10M upgrade adding a career lab, senior center, and STEM lab, funded by state/federal grants plus local option sales tax. Workforce Access via Transportation: A new CTE-focused discussion highlights how districts are solving the “getting there” barrier for off-campus internships and work-based learning. Labor Pressure in Aviation: Horizon Air flight attendants authorized a strike with 99.8% support, escalating contract talks as they seek better pay, benefits, and work rules. Healthcare Hiring Support: Great River Health Foundation and Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center auxiliaries awarded $60,500 in scholarships to students pursuing healthcare careers. Skills Gap & NEET Risk: UK charity Enginuity warns engineering/manufacturing shortages could worsen NEET rates and increase benefit pressure unless skills gaps are closed. HR/Payments Ecosystem: OneSource Virtual added three new board members to guide growth for its Workday-focused HR and payments services. Workplace Discrimination Case: A jury awarded $1.6M+ to a former Mount Washington city planning director, finding sex discrimination in her termination.

Workforce & Skills: Richmond borough employers teamed up to discuss how new apprenticeship reforms could widen routes into training and local jobs, with Growth and Skills Levy changes a key focus. Education-to-Work Access: A CTE access story highlights how transportation can block internships and work-based learning—and how solving rides can boost participation. Hiring & Career Services: Great Bend Post is promoting a free local “Employment Wall” for job listings, plus paid sponsored placements for employers. Adult Learning & Mobility: Liberia’s education minister called for an overhaul of adult literacy so learners get accredited qualifications that lead to employment and entrepreneurship. Retirement & Pay: Ireland’s auto-enrolment pension scheme is urging eligible workers to pause before opting out, warning of lost employer and state top-ups. Labor Markets Abroad: South Korea unions want a higher retirement age to avoid an income cliff before pension eligibility. Global Labor Policy: The ILO launched a Just Transition Policy Gateway to connect employment, skills, social protection, and environmental goals.

Workforce Access & Equity: A $5M “Industry Ready NY” push is expanding a Broome-Tioga BOCES model statewide, using hands-on learning, mentors, and real employer pathways to boost career placement. Minimum Wage & Worker Rights: Oklahoma’s minimum wage ballot fight spotlights a $7.25-to-$15 push by 2029, framing it as a dignity and opportunity issue for full-time workers. Workplace Compliance: Montana’s newly enacted LEGAL Act aims to strengthen enforcement of employment eligibility verification, giving the state a clearer role and a way to report violations. Mental Health Hiring Crunch: Outpatient therapy providers say recruiting is getting harder as demand rises and clinicians seek less friction and better support. Education-to-Work Transport Barrier: A new look at CTE access argues transportation is a structural hurdle—and highlights districts that solved it to grow internships and work-based learning. Local Hiring Events: Veterans in Oregon can tap June job and resource fairs in Hermiston and La Grande. Housing & Jobs Link: Edmonton’s Mikisew Commons plans 180 affordable units (and 438 total) in an Indigenous-led development designed to support long-term affordability. Career Advice & Culture: A workplace leadership column warns that constant chat noise and emoji clutter can derail productivity. AI & Careers: Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s graduation message avoided AI specifics but doubled down on mindset and choices as the real career drivers.

Workforce Training & Skills: Meta says it will invest $115M in free data-center trades training via “America’s Workforce Academy,” aiming to feed the AI infrastructure boom with industry credentials and job pathways. AI & Hiring: PwC’s AI Jobs Barometer warns of a two-speed labour market, where roles needing human judgment and leadership are growing faster and paying more than “democratised” tasks. Youth Employment Pressure (South Africa): As Youth Day marks 50 years since Soweto, multiple reports highlight persistent youth unemployment and the need for earlier, cradle-to-career support—not last-minute job-seeking fixes. Career Pathways in Schools: A new push for career-focused education starts earlier, with BTACS seeking to expand into middle school, while other coverage argues K-12 schools must help students plan beyond “college for all.” Paid Leave & Family Policy: Ireland’s paternity leave reform debate heats up after Movember research finds fathers face major income losses and workplace culture barriers. Local Workforce Programs: Michigan’s Target Huron launches a regional RISE initiative linking students to credentials and internships before graduation. Labour Market Signals: Hong Kong tightens local hiring rules for imported workers in food and beverage, using a tiered vetting mechanism. Migration Reality Check (Philippines): An OCTA survey finds 57% of Filipinos would work or live abroad for better jobs and wages, reframing migration as a competitiveness problem.