Batteries are powering a significant shift in how we go about our daily lives, ranging from the devices we carry to electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Batteries play a critical role across key sectors from data center infrastructure, military, and microgrid applications to consumer electronics and more. But as demand surges, so does end-of-life material that needs to be managed.
Beyond serving as compact energy sources, batteries also represent a domestic source of essential critical minerals. To fully realize their value, it is crucial to close the loop at end-of-life by recovering these minerals and strengthening the supply needed to support a rapidly expanding battery market. To responsibly manage battery materials at end-of-life, extended producer responsibility (EPR) for batteries becomes essential.
BATTERY RECYCLING INDUSTRY: GROWTH TRAJECTORY
In the U.S., battery EPR laws are being enacted at the state level, leaving battery producers, automotive original equipment manufacturers, and energy storage operators to navigate complex regulations, which vary by state. In states that have passed laws and those with active legislation, jobs will be created to manage these requirements, and we will see an increase in economic activity through the creation of closed-loop supply chains.The battery recycling industry will continue to grow, and battery EPR regulation will only fuel that growth through the creation of a more responsible system to ensure batteries are recycled.When systems are in place that require companies to recover batteries at end-of-life, we will significantly improve our ability to reclaim valuable materials. This applies to all battery chemistries, whether lithium-based or alkaline batteries containing zinc and manganeseyes, alkaline batteries can be recycled, and the recovered minerals from those alkaline batteries can be reused as micronutrients in fertilizers.
The groundwork has already been laid, and when you look at battery recycling as a whole, the value of recovering these materials is substantial. That value extends beyond financial benefits to include reduced geopolitical risk, improved logistics and supply chain resilience.
THE NATIONAL CHALLENGE
The country must address what happens to a battery when its no longer usable. Ultimately, through EPR legislation, we can make it a priority to recover critical minerals and increase the nations ability to produce battery-grade materials. In 2024 alone, the U.S. imported more than one billion batteries. These batteries are made of valuable materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. EPR laws are designed to track a batterys life cycle and, if done right, can help us take advantage of these materials once they are in the U.S. by recycling and reusing the minerals domestically to produce new batteries.
STATE LEADERSHIP
Battery recycling benefits everyone. Recyclers, producers, legislators, consumers, and the nation must work together to strengthen domestic supply chains, enhance national security, and keep batteries and the critical minerals they contain within U.S. borders.
When states introduce EPR bills, they will vary based on battery format or size, but several core principles should remain consistent:
Collection: In addition to standard collection sites, expanding to independent collection points increases accessibility. Recycling opportunities must be available to everyone, not limited to a specific group or location.
Avoid forfeiture requirements: The battery industry functions as a unified ecosystem, and the goal is to build a closed-loop supply chain. Restricting who can recycle and process the batteries after they are collected jeopardizes existing business models and risks harming the broader industry.
Transparency: Full visibility across the entire process from initial recycling through to metal recoveryis essential. Without transparency, innovation within the industry will stagnate.
EDUCATION & ACCESS
To better implement battery EPR laws, we must enhance consumer education on battery recycling. Many people do not understand how to handle and dispose of used batteries properly. For example, a recent study focused on lithium batteries found that nearly 40% of people do not know they can be recycled, and more than 60% do not know where or how to recycle them.
Lithium batteries are far too prevalent in our daily lives for consumers not to have resources and access to responsible recycling.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I am hopeful that as battery recycling becomes more mainstream and visible to consumers, a larger collection network with increased access will be available, and end-of-life batteries can be properly recycled and processed to recover the critical minerals effectively.
And not only is battery EPR a foundation for this and a stronger, more sustainable supply chain, it supports national security and ensures that we in the U.S. increase our global competitiveness through innovation and the domestic sourcing of critical minerals.
David Klanecky is the CEO and President of Cirba Solutions.
Gen Z is aging into the life moments that define entire industries. As this generation moves through milestones like marriage, homeownership, and family planning, theyre quickly becoming a core target market not just for weddings, but for a wide range of service-based businesses. What matters for these small businesses is how Gen Zs arrival, set against todays economic backdrop, is reshaping expectations for how they serve their customers.While about one in three couples on The Knot in the U.S. are Gen Z, the majority are still a few years away from the peak marrying age of 33. We do know, however, that they are interested in doing so, with 69% of unmarried adults ages 1834 saying they want to get marrieda nearly 10% increase since 2017.
As this new generation prepares to celebrate one of lifes most meaningful moments, there will be a major shift in how small businesses are expected to deliver. We are seeing that Gen Z consumers expect more personalization, deeper authenticity, and faster digital-first communication, often alongside less flexibility in spending.
Gen Z might be working with smaller budgets, but its not because they lack the desire to invest in their weddings. Rather, it is most often attributed to their current earnings potential. Due to their age, they have not had time to acquire the same amount of funds as millennials. Many Gen Z couples are being intentional about where they spend, investing in the parts of their day that matter most to them and finding creative ways to simplify or scale back elsewhere.
For wedding professionals, this shift is already changing the reality of their work. Vendors are serving clients who want thoughtful, high-touch experiences, quick responses, personalization, and visuals that feel Pinterest-worthy, even as overall budgets are more constrained. That often means finding new ways to package services, streamline processes, or rethink how value shows up for each couple.
For businesses looking to serve this shifting clientele, intentional adaptation is key. Small businesses should make these four moves now to navigate this market shift.
1. Embrace AI to help with productivity, core processes, and content
AI and automation tools are table stakes for productivity and core processes, helping streamline communication, scheduling, content, and lead management.
In fact, 77% of customers say they expect to interact with a business immediately when they reach out. For Gen Z customers especially, responsiveness is part of the experience, and falling behind on response time can mean losing business before a conversation even begins.
Businesses that use AI thoughtfully to handle administrative work free themselves up to focus on what drives loyalty: creativity, care, and human connection. AI-assisted replies can help you respond quickly with personalized recommendations to start the conversation and save time.
2. Keep pace with trends and provide personalization
When it comes to weddings, couples want celebrations that feel of-the-moment, yet deeply personal. For wedding vendors, this means being aware of the trends that are impacting planning decisions and simultaneously translating them in a way that feels truly unique and personal to the couple.
No matter what your industry is, its important to maintain a balance between being trend-forward and creating personalized experiences.
3. Dont go it alonelean into community and upskilling
Change can feel isolating for small business owners, especially when customer expectations are shifting quickly. The business owners who seem to navigate these moments best are rarely doing it alone. Theyre talking to peers, comparing notes, and staying open to learning new tools and approaches.
In weddings, we see this play out every day. Vendors share templates, swap tips on using AI to save time, and openly talk through whats working when it comes to pricing, packages, and client communication.
These conversations arent just about support, but also perspective. Learning from others who are facing the same challenges makes it easier to adapt with confidence.
4. Make your understanding of Gen Zs values your competitive advantage
Gen Zs expectations are high, but theyre also thoughtful and values driven. They care about authenticity, transparency, and purpose, and are often willing to spend on things that feel meaningful to them. For small businesses, this means storytelling and customer relationships matter more than ever.
Businesses that do this well tend to connect more deeply with younger customers. When customers understand the why behind what you do, price becomes part of a larger story, one thats more closely connected to value.
This matters because younger consumers arent brand-agnostic; theyre increasingly intentional about where they spend. In recent consumer surveys, Gen Zers say theyre willing to shop locally more often, signaling that values and community can meaningfully influence purchasing decisions alongside price and convenience. In other words, when business leaders feel budgets tightening amidst high expectations, leaning into what makes your offering distinct can turn pressure into loyalty.
WHY THESE LESSONS EXTEND FAR BEYOND WEDDINGS
Whether you run a salon, creative studio, catering company, or consulting practice, you may already be seeing similar patterns. After many years of working with small businesses, one lesson stands firmly in my mind: Adaptability is one of the greatest advantages an entrepreneur can have. The businesses Ive seen thrive do so because they stay curious, embrace new tools, and meet clients evolving needs with empathy and creativity.
If you are a small business owner, take this moment as an opportunity to reimagine how you deliver value, connect with clients and your community, and build a business that can grow with the next generation. Gen Z may be shifting expectations, but with the right adjustments, they just may become the next area of growth for your business.
Raina Moskowitz is the CEO of The Knot Worldwide.
OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Health, a product that allows users to connect their medical records and wellness apps to the AI chatbot and get personalized health guidance.
The feature, unveiled on Wednesday, creates a separate space within ChatGPT for health questions and discussions, where users can collect data from their connected health apps such as fitness apps and store their health files.
Users can also connect to their electronic medical records through a partnership with b.well, OpenAI says. ChatGPT, then, does not have a direct integration with the MyChart patient records app from Epic, for example, but lets individual users make requests for their patient record data through integrations built by b.well. In practice, the patient will see a login through their provider’s portal, which often is a MyChart login page to authenticate into their account. In addition, users can connect ChatGPT Health to wellness apps including Apple Health, Peloton, MyFitnessPal, and Function Health.
OpenAI say more than 230 million people globally already ask health and wellness questions on ChatGPT each week. The company says it developed ChatGPT Health over two years in collaboration with more than 260 physicians who have practiced in 60 countries, collecting over 600,000 pieces of feedback on model outputs.
The new product gets its intelligence from a specialized OpenAI health model. In collaboration with doctors, the company also created an evaluation tool called HealthBench, which it uses to test the health model. Data in ChatGPT Health is protected using purpose-built encryption, OpenAI says, and health conversations in the Health space are not used to train OpenAI’s models. But privacy advocates remain concerned about the risks of sharing personal health data within a chatbot setting. “While OpenAI says that it wont use information shared with ChatGPT Health in other chats, AI companies are leaning hard into personalization as a value proposition, says the Center for Democracy & Technologys Andrew Crawford in a statement. Especially as OpenAI moves to explore advertising as a business model, its crucial that separation between this sort of health data and memories that ChatGPT captures from other conversations is airtight.”OpenAI says health consumers can use ChatGPT Health to prepare for doctor appointments, understand clinical test results, get diet and exercise advice, and evaluate insurance options based on their healthcare patterns. ChatGPT Health is not FDA-approved, so it’s not to be confused with real clinician diagnosis and treatment.
Right now, the new feature is available only to a small group of ChatGPT subscribers and free users. OpenAI plans to expand access and make Health available to all users on the web and iOS in the coming weeks. (You can sign up for the waitlist to request access.)
OpenAIs CEO of Applications Fidji Simo wrote in a blog post that she personally used ChatGPT to flag a potential medication conflict during a hospital stay last year, calling the experience an example of AI’s potential in healthcare.
Because Ive been dealing with a chronic illness for years, I had already uploaded a lot of my health records into ChatGPT, Simo writes. I asked whether I should be taking this antibiotic given my medical history, and ChatGPT flagged that this particular antibiotic could reactivate a very serious infection Id had a couple of years prior.
In the big picture, ChatGPT Health represents yet another front OpenAIs growing platform war with legacy tech players such as Apple, Google, and Meta.
If Nike hired Michael Jordan to work at headquarters, would you expect the marketing team to start sinking three-pointers?
Of course not. Hes extraordinary, but skill doesnt spread by proximity.
Here’s a better question: What do Nike employees need to know about basketball? The rules. Game duration. Equipment specs. Enough to design better shoes, write sharper campaigns, and forecast demand accurately.
They dont need to play in the NBA. And Nike doesnt need to hire NBA players to improve its business.
The same is true for AI. Most companies dont need extreme AI talent to unlock real efficiency gains. They need people across the organization to understand how AI applies to their work.
Until leaders get specific about which AI skills matter, where they live, and how they show up in day-to-day work, no amount of hiring AI experts will make an organization truly AI-enabled.
THREE TYPES OF AI SKILLS
AI skills arent a single capability. In practice, its three categories, each with its own learning curves, and business outcomes.
1. AI literacy: Everyones baseline
2. AI integration: Technical professionals everyday craft
3. AI creation: Specialists deep work
1. AI literacy is everyones job
I like to think of this as teaching the entire company how to drive with GPS. Not everyone needs to build the map. But everyone should know when the directions are reliable, when the route is risky, and when the system is confidently wrong.
First is AI literacy. Employees need to understand what AI can do, what it cant, and what it will do when it doesnt know the answer. Literacy prevents common failures: over-trusting outputs, under-using tools, and feeding poor context.
Second is AI tool fluency, which is role-specific. A marketer generating content, a recruiter screening candidates, and a support lead drafting responses all need different AI tools.
One reason I like IKEAs approach is that theyre treating AI literacy as every employee’s responsibility, and the companys responsibility to enable it. They equipped thousands of coworkers with Microsofts generative AI tools and gave them time to learn.
What did this look like in practice? Designers generate product visualizations, store managers create training presentations, and supply chain analysts draft forecasting reports.
Everyone, not just one department.
2. AI integration is a core skill for technical teams
If AI literacy is drive with GPS, AI integration is install the GPS into the car.
This is where engineering teams earn their keep. Integration skills include prompt design, system evaluation, and knowing when AI belongs in the flow.
Here is what this looks like when done as a system. Salesforce created an internal demo series called Thoughtluck Thursdays, where engineers show short, practical demos of how they integrated AI into their processes and then share patterns other teams can reuse.
Salesforces approach works because it creates repeatable templates and guardrails other engineers can ship.
3. AI creation is a specialty, not a company-wide requirement
AI creation is the ability to develop, train, and refine models. It requires deep expertise in data collection and preparation, model training, evaluation, and specialized techniques.
It is also the smallest cohort of most organizations.
If you are not building models as a core part of your product strategy, you do not need a large AI creation team. You need a small number of specialists, and the rest of the organization needs to become competent in usage and integration.
EXTERNAL HIRING HAS ITS PLACE
Let me be clear: External hiring isnt wrong. Its necessary when you need skills you genuinely dont have, especially in AI creation.
But hiring people with “AI skills” on their résumés cannot be your primary path to AI literacy and integration.
First, there is no established market for AI skills. The capabilities are too new, the demand is everywhere, and the talent pool is impossibly thin. Every company is chasing the same small group of people, and most of those people are already employed or starting their own companies.
Second, it is harder to teach someone the ins and outs of your business than to teach them how to incorporate AI into their daily work. The biggest returns come from reskilling the people who already understand your business, your culture, and your systems.
This is where hiring and training stop being separate motions and start becoming one system.
HR OWNS THIS
Dont get me wrong, IT teams are essential. They evaluate vendors, manage security, and integrate systems. But selecting the right tools doesnt determine whether AI changes how work gets done by the people doing the work.
Building the right skills does.
That’s why HR needs a seat at the table from day one to ask the right questions: Who gets trained first? How will we train them? Which roles evolve? How will performance be measured? Are there larger talent mobility needs?
Heres where to start:
1. Pick one team. Choose a group that’s already eager to experiment, has clearly defined processes already, and can measure impact.
2. Give them three months and a small budget. Let them explore AI tools relevant to their work. Provide training. Remove barriers. Measure what breaks and what works.
3. Share the results company-wide. The wins, the failures, the unexpected friction points. Make it real and specific.
Thats your AI strategy. Not a nine-figure hire or a top-down mandate or a hope that capability spreads. Build the skills where work happens, scale what works, and repeat.
Tigran Sloyan is the CEO and cofounder of CodeSignal.
President Donald Trump’s administration has introduced a new, inverted food pyramid with fewer food groups.
The new three-section food pyramid is part of the administration’s new nutrition policy announced Wednesday, which encourages Americans to eat whole or minimally processed foods, which it calls real food, and has been a longtime interest of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy’s policy interests also shine through on the initiative’s new website, realfood.gov, which features copy that reads like a MAHA manifesto. The National Design Studio gave the website a minimalist design that takes cues from consumer companies like Chobani and Sweetgreen, with clean, sans serif typefaces and playful illustrations.
The new pyramid
The original pyramid, released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1992, featured six sections. The new version is flipped and has three: protein, dairy, and healthy fats; vegetables and fruits; and whole grains. Sweets have been removed.
[Image: USDA]
“It’s upside down, a lot of people would say,” Kennedy said at a White House press conference. “But it was actually upside down before, and we just righted it.”
The new pyramid graphic makes do with fewer groups by combining categories from the original food pyramid. Whole grains, once included in the base of the original pyramid, now make up the smallest portion of the new version, while old categoriesfruits and vegetables, and meat and dairyare combined.
[Image: USDA]
The graphic is colorful, with eye-catching, painterly illustrations of example foods that might appear in a 1970s health food magazine. But the infographic is less successful as a piece of communication design. It’s not clear how literally the placement of foods within the graphic is meant to be. And although supporting documents about the new pyramid offer specific guidelines, like suggesting that saturated fat consumption should not exceed 10% of total daily calories, the new pyramid does not communicate specifics itself.
Users can hover over each section of the pyramid for additional information, but it doesn’t provide much. The pyramid doesn’t indicate how many servings of dairy or healthy fats you should have. And to determine your protein target, realfood.gov asks Americans to take on the additional step of first calculating their weight in kilograms. (Quite frankly, a lot of us don’t know what that is.)
The federal government’s new guidance, which gets updated every five years, also removes specific recommendations about daily alcohol consumption and only suggests to drink less. It also calls for more protein and full-fat dairy.
Government designers have worked to improve upon the food pyramid before. In 2005, an updated graphic made the food segments slice upwards instead of dividing the shape horizontally. In 2011, it ditched the pyramid altogether for MyPlate, a skeuomorphic representation of dietary guidelines that used a circular graphic to represent portions as they’d appear on a plate.
The new 2026 pyramid represents the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) priorities under Kennedy’s Health Department and comes two days after the agency cut its number of recommended vaccines for children, worrying medical groups.
The new recommendations are not meant to be a strict diet, according to its website, but “a flexible framework meant to guide better choices.” It’s minimalist, for sure, but whether Americans find it a useful guide to healthy living remains to be seen.
GameStop is providing details on a new compensation package for CEO Ryan Cohen that is dependent on him meeting certain significant performance targets.
The video game retailer said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday that Cohen would have to grow its market capitalization to $100 billion and it would need to hit $10 billion in cumulative performance EBITDA or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for his award to fully vest.
GameStop said Cohen won’t receive any guaranteed pay, which it defines as no salary, no cash bonuses, and no stock that simply vests over time.
His compensation is entirely at-risk, meaning he will only be paid if the company achieves significant market and operational goals, GameStop said in the filing. This structure ensures that Mr. Cohens incentives are directly aligned with creating long-term value for GameStops stockholders.
The structure is similar to a pay package that Tesla shareholders approved for CEO Elon Musk, in which Musk would receive Tesla stock worth $1 trillion if he hits certain performance targets over the next decade.
Cohen’s compensation package with GameStop includes stock options to buy more than 171.5 million common shares for $20.66 each. Shareholders must approve the new pay package at a special meeting in March or April.
Shares of GameStop rose 4% to $21.49 in midday trading, giving the company a market cap of roughly $9.26 billion.
The company’s shares are down substantially from May 2024 when influential investor Keith Gill, popularly known as Roaring Kitty,” appeared online for the first time in three years to declare his support for GameStop.
Gill helped ignite a meme stock craze in early 2021, when GameStops stock price soared above $120.
Michelle Chapman, AP business writer
Octopuses are brilliant, emotional, and mysterious. Can they ever be farmed humanely? And if they can, should they be? Fast Company contributor Clint Rainey is the first journalist in the world to be let inside a cutting-edge effort to build the first commercial octopus farm. Exclusive documentary. Coming in 2026.Check out the full article: https://www.fastcompany.com/91448602/octopus-could-be-the-next-commercially-farmed-seafood-should-it-be
Everybody knows this coworkerthe one who spirals about cost-cutting layoffs when snacks vanish from the break room. The one who thinks theyre getting fired because their boss hasnt been using emojis with them lately. The one whos the office Chicken Little: anxious, somewhat frantic, often misguided . . . and who cant stop talking to others about whatever it is theyre anxious about.
This personand it could be youmay be justified, as it makes sense for employees to be nervous right now: layoffs are at an all-time high, and January is a common month for layoffs.
But for the office Chicken Little, its not the dismal mass termination numbers alone that are scary: Its the unknown future thats sending them into sustained panic mode. Uncertainty is a huge trigger to the stress response in the body, says physician Esther Sternberg, whos long studied the effects of stress on humans.
Fast Company spoke with several psychology experts who shared what makes someone more prone to anxiety spirals and loops, tips for dealing with their unending office pessimism, and how to escape your own layoff-related worries.
What causes anxiety spirals
People who quickly turn even minorly negative information into potential catastrophes tend to be really high in neuroticism, says clinical psychologist Melanie McNally.
Neuroticism, one of psychologys Big Five personality traits, measures ones disposition in the face of negative emotions. Think of the coworker who just knows theyre getting axed after being left off a group emailwhen in reality the person who sent it genuinely just forgot.
A minor budget cut isn’t just a cost-saving measure to these folks, says organizational psychologist Ali Shehab. Instead, the misplaced vigilance takes it as a sign that the company is failing. I will be fired, and I will never find a job again. This is often seen as a protective mechanism that attempts to provide certainty amidst stress-inducing uncertainty.
When working with this glass-half-empty type in the past, Yvonne Castaeda, a social worker specializing in trauma, says shes noticed that contentment seems to feel scary or wrong for some folks, or that safety cant be trusted. This could come from their upbringing: Parents who were perhaps overly worried and dwelt on potential dangers left this person with a mindset that theyre not going to be okay. The mindset could even manifest after a traumatic event, like a loss, after which the person feels like they dont deserve or want to be happy again, says Castaeda.
But McNally says these people might just have limited social support. Perhaps they cant go home at the end of the workday and bounce their concerns off friends or family for a calming ear and alternative perspective, and then coworkers end up becoming their primary outlet for airing worries.
For David Rosmarin, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and founder of the Center for Anxiety, the description of this archetype is much simpler. They’re called Americans, he says.
Such behavior doesn’t even come from being pessimistic. It comes from control. As Americans, he adds, were taught to banish feelings of discomfort as soon as they visit us. With the prevailing cultural interest in instant gratification and immediate answers to any query, its no surprise that many experience what Rosmarin calls intolerance of uncertainty, whether its about the weather or our job security.
But the irony is that obsessing with certainty just fuels anxiety.
Navigating this energy at work
While some workers vent fears to otherseither out of fear, a desire for control, or simply a need for a sounding boardMcNally reminds us that emotions are contagious. Most likely, you’re spreading stress if you indulge in the anxiety spiral, she says.
And for those around the person, its very easy to get sucked into that tornado, Castaeda adds. Maybe you attempt to say something to cheer them up, it backfires, and suddenly you’re in conflict.
Still, experts who spoke with Fast Company note that its helpful to share anxiety with others. The mental health benefits of having people you can trust at work are real.
But when people regularly act on that compulsion to vocalize fears, to the point that it spreads unnecessary stress, its best for colleagues to set boundaries.
If the conversation is becoming cyclical and harmful, says Shehab, the move is to gently disengage. You can say that you hear the person is worried, but right now you need to concentrate on an important deadline.
Let’s focus on the work we can control for the next hour, Shehab suggests communicating.
Experts generally recommend acknowledging and validating an anxious colleagues concerns before trying to help them change their outlook. Dismissing someones fears or telling them to calm down, says McNally, does not work. Instead, just listenif youre feeling grounded and open enough to hearing them out without spiraling yourself.
Hold the space. Dont try to make it better, Castaeda suggests. Youre not going to do that. Rosmarin suggests reflective listening, a basic psychotherapy technique that tends to make people feel at ease and understood.
For example, imagine a coworker says, Im freaking out about layoffs. They happened this time last year, and I can tell that theyre going to happen again. You can respond with something like, Yeah, youre right about last year, and that is totally scary to think about. Validating the feelings of someone whos spiraling can help ground them by making them feel heardso at least theyre not anxious about having unfounded anxieties.
Shehab also suggests using facts to pin down the anxietys source. “What concrete evidence do we have that a layoff is happening today?” Shehab suggests posing to a concerned coworker (or yourself). “What are the actual company metrics right now?” This, he says, engages the prefrontal cortex: the part of the brain responsible for rational thought that often gets hijacked by the hyperactive amygdala, the brains fear center, during anxiety loops.
Research shows that venting can be helpful, but thats only true for a few minutes before it becomes counterproductive. McNally suggests setting a timer for three to four minutes. When the timer goes off, transition to a new activity thats going to totally occupy your attentionlike dancing to an all-time favorite song, or cooking dinner with your family.
Validate the fear, act with empathy, and then ground the fear in the present with facts and gently challenging reframes.
Nipping the spiral in the bud
Whether its with nervous colleagues, or yourself, look for what’s at the root of the anxiety, Rosmarin says.
Are you most concerned about rent payments? It could help to work on outlining a new personal budget in case of layoffs. Is thinking about finding a new job the biggest stressor? Update your résumé and start networking.
Letting go mentally, and grouding yourself in calm action, can change your physiological reaction to anxiety: There’s less adrenaline flowing through your system when you do that, says Rosmarin.
In high-stress, high-control situations, says Sternberg, youre actually energized. Facing a possible layoff is high-stress, low-controlbut facing it while applying for new jobs gives you back some control, and can alleviate some of the negative stress feelings.
Otherwise, adds Sternberg, make sure youre getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising to reduce anxiety.
Again, it all comes down to uncertainty . . . and learning to live with it.
If you can help your colleague (or yourself) accept it or use it to fuel productivity, the more likely everyone is to avoid anxiety spirals.
The question isn’t whether you can control the outcome, says Rosmarin. Its embracing the fact that we’re not fully in the driver’s seat.
U.S. employers posted far fewer jobs in November than the previous month, a sign that employers arent yet ramping up hiring even as growth has picked up.
Businesses and government agencies posted 7.1 million open jobs at the end of November, the Labor Department said Wednesday, down from 7.4 million in October. Layoffs also dropped, however, as companies appear to be holding onto workers even as they are reluctant to add staff.
The report suggests that the low-hire, low-fire job market remains in effect, with workers enjoying some job security but those out of work struggling to find new jobs. The moribund labor market stands in contrast with data showing solid economic growth, which topped 4% at an annual rate in last year’s July-September quarter, the latest data available. Economists forecast growth slowed but remained solid in the final three months of 2025.
A key question for this year is whether hiring will pickup to match healthy growth, or whether sluggish job gains will eventually drag down the economy. There is a third possibility: Automation and artificial intelligence could enable steady economic growth without creating many jobs.
Further insights into that question will emerge Friday when the monthly jobs report for December will be released.
The number of postings in November was the fewest since September 2024. But outside that month, it was the lowest in nearly five years.
Open jobs in November fell sharply in shipping and warehousing, restaurants and hotels, and in state and local government. They rose in retail and construction.
The number of Americans who quit their jobs ticked higher in November, which is seen as a good sign, because workers typically quit when they are more confident they can find a better job, or already have one. Yet quits remained historically low, at 3.16 million, up from just under 3 million in October.
The figures provide some critical measures of the job market after last falls government shutdown delayed the release of data on hiring and inflation. Wednesdays report is known as the job openings and labor turnover survey, or JOLTS, and provides key insights into the state of hiring and firing.
Separately, payroll provider ADP said Wednesday that businesses added 41,000 jobs in December, an improvement after they shed 29,000 positions in November. ADP’s report is based on anonymous payroll records the company maintains for 26 million employees.
Small firms with fewer than 50 workers added 9,000 jobs, an encouraging reversal after they shed jobs in previous months. Smaller firms have been hard-hit by President Donald Trump’s tariffs, with less ability to absorb or pass on the costs compared with larger companies, economists say.
It is a slower labor market, said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. “The labor market isnt falling off a cliff. We still see some job growth, and we dont see an uptick in layoffs.
The Bank of America Institute, which tracks changes in the number of paychecks landing in its customers’ accounts, said it saw signs that hiring picked up in December. Job gains rose to 0.6% in December, compared with a year earlier, up from just 0.2% in November.
It does look like, in our data, that the worst of the slowdown could be behind us, David Tinsley, senior economist at Bank of America Institute, said in a call with reporters.
Christopher Rugaber, AP economics writer
On the first anniversary of the most destructive wildfires in the L.A. area, the scant home construction projects stand out among the still mostly flattened landscapes.Fewer than a dozen homes have been rebuilt in Los Angeles County since Jan. 7, 2025, when the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted, killing 31 people and destroying about 13,000 homes and other residential properties.For those who had insurance, it’s often not enough to cover the costs of construction. Relief organizations are stepping in to help, but progress is slow.Among the exceptions is Ted Koerner, whose Altadena home was reduced to ash and two chimneys. With his insurance payout tied up, the 67-year-old liquidated about 80% of his retirement holdings, secured contractors quickly, and moved decisively through the rebuilding process.Shortly before Thanksgiving, Koerner was among the first to finish a rebuild in the aftermath of the fires, which were fueled by drought and hurricane-force winds.But most do not have options like Koerner.The streets of the coastal community of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, a community in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, remain lined with dirt lots. In the seaside city of Malibu, foundations and concrete piles rising out of the sand are all that’s left of beachfront homes that once butted against crashing ocean waves.Neighborhoods are pitch black at night, with few streetlamps replaced. Even many homes that survived are not inhabited as families struggle to clear them of the fire’s toxic contaminants.Koerner was driven in part by fear that his beloved golden retriever, Daisy Mae, now 13 years old, might not live long enough to move into a new home, given the many months it can take to build even under the best circumstances.He also did not have to wait for his insurance payout to start construction.“That’s the only way we were going to get it done before all of a sudden my dog starts having labored breathing or something else happens,” Koerner said.Once construction began, his home was completed in just over four months.Daisy Mae is back lying in her favorite spot in the yard under a 175-year-old Heritage Oak. Koerner said he enjoys his morning coffee while watching her and it brings tears to his eyes.“We made it,” he said.
Many fear they can’t afford to rebuild
About 900 homes are under construction, potentially on pace to be completed later this year.Still, many homeowners are stuck as they figure out whether they can pay for the rebuilding process.Scores of residents have left their communities for good. More than 600 properties where a single-family home was destroyed in the wildfires have been sold, according to real estate data tracker Cotality.“We’re seeing huge gaps between the money insurance is paying out, to the extent we have insurance, and what it will actually cost to rebuild and/or remediate our homes,” said Joy Chen, executive director of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, a group of 10,000 fire survivors mostly from Altadena.By December, less than 20% of people who experienced total home loss had closed out their insurance claims, according to a survey by the nonprofit Department of Angels.About one-third of insured respondents had policies with State Farm, the state’s largest private insurer, or the California FAIR plan, the insurer of last resort. They reported high rates of dissatisfaction with both, citing burdensome requirements, lowball estimates, and dealing with multiple adjusters.In November, Los Angeles County opened a civil investigation into State Farm’s practices and potential violations of the state’s Unfair Competition law. Chen said the group has seen a flurry of substantial payouts since then.Without answers from insurance, households can’t commit to rebuilding projects that can easily exceed $1 million.“They’re worried about getting started and running out of money,” Chen said.
An uncertain future
Jessica Rogers discovered only after the Palisades fire destroyed her home that her coverage had been canceled.The mother of two’s fallback was a low-interest loan from the Small Business Administration, but the application process was grueling. After losing her job because of the fire and then having her identity stolen, her approval for $550,000 came through last month.She is still weighing how she’ll cover the remaining costs and says she wonders: “Do I empty out my 401(k) and start counting every penny in a penny jar around the apartment?”Rogers now executive director of the Pacific Palisades Long Term Recovery Group estimates there are hundreds like her in Pacific Palisades who are “stuck dealing with FEMA and SBA and figuring out if we could piecemeal something together to build our homes.”Also struggling to return home are the community’s renters, condo owners, and mobile homeowners. Meanwhile, many are also dealing with their trauma.“It’s not what people talk about, but it is incredibly apparent and very real,” said Rogers, who still finds herself crying at unexpected moments.
A slow start
That so few homes have been rebuilt a year after the wildfires echoes the recovery pattern of a December 2021 blaze that erupted south of Boulder, Colorado, destroying more than 1,000 homes.“At the one-year mark, many lots had been cleared of debris and many residents had applied for building permits, said Andrew Rumbach, co-lead of the Climate and Communities Program at Urban Institute. “Around the 18-month mark is when you start to see really significant progress in terms of going from handfuls to hundreds” of homes rebuilt.Time will bring the scope of problems into focus.“You’re going to start to see some real inequality start to emerge where certain neighborhoods, certain types of people, certain types of properties are just lagging way far behind, and that becomes the really important question in the second year of a recovery: Who’s doing well and who is really struggling and why?” Rumbach said.That’s a key concern in Altadena, which for decades drew aspiring Black homeowners who otherwise faced redlining and other forms of racial discrimination when they sought to buy a home in other L.A.-area communities. In 2024, 81% of Black households in Altadena owned their homes, nearly twice the national Black homeownership rate.But recent research by UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute found that, as of August, 7 in 10 Altadena homeowners whose property was severely damaged in last year’s wildfire had not begun taking steps to rebuild or sell their home. Among these, Black homeowners were 73% more likely than others to have taken no action.
Determined to rebuild
Al and Charlotte Bailey have been living in an RV parked on the empty lot where their home once stood.The Baileys are paying for their rebuild with funds from heir insurance payout and a loan. They’re also hoping to receive money from Southern California Edison. Several lawsuits claim its equipmentsparked the wildfire in Altadena.“We had been here for 41 years and raised our family here, and in one night it was all gone,” said Al Bailey, 77. “We decided that, whatever it’s going to cost, this is our community.”
Alex Veiga and Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Associated Press
