Amid layoff fears, 54% of workers would take a pay cut for greater security

With layoff headlines abounding, it's no wonder workers feel squeamish. And they're increasingly willing to vote with their feet in order to find a job where they feel secure.

According to new research from Monster, 54% of the more than 1,000 U.S. workers surveyed would take a pay cut at a different employer in exchange for more stability. And many are open to a substantial cut: Twenty-eight percent would accept a reduction of at least 5%, while 11% would be OK with a more than 10% cut. READ MORE

Stablecoin salaries can leave workers paying to access their wages

Every paycheck eventually has to pay for something: rent, groceries, transport, or bills.

Stablecoins can move between wallets in seconds. But that does not mean an employee can spend the money immediately. They may still need to convert the stablecoins into local currency, move the money to a bank account, and pay fees along the way.

That's becoming more important as companies offer stablecoin payroll. READ MORE

Which Creative College Degrees Offer the Highest Salaries and Strongest Job Prospects?

Do you want to pursue a creative bachelor’s degree while still aiming for a higher salary? Several creative majors earn more than the typical college graduate.

The highest-earning creative major, advertising and public relations, pays a median of about $92,000 mid-career, according to the most recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That beats the $80,236 median for workers with a bachelor’s degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent analysis. READ MORE

The value of a college degree can’t be measured by salary alone

Ask whether college is worth the cost, and the conversation will quickly turn to jobs. Will graduates find employment? How much will they earn? Will their salaries justify what they spent or borrowed to attend?

These are necessary questions. College is expensive, and students deserve honest information about whether a degree will improve their economic circumstances. Institutions should be accountable for helping students graduate and preparing them for meaningful work. But in our effort to prove that college pays, we have begun to treat earnings as though they are the only return that matters. READ MORE

The gender wage gap improved in 2025, unless you’re a Black woman

This week, new data from the Census Bureau revealed that women working full-time, year-round earned 83.9 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2025, up from 80.6 cents in 2024. This means women’s median earnings increased 3.2% over the year while men’s remained relatively the same, narrowing the gender wage gap by more than three cents in a single year. READ MORE

OpenAI is offering engineers up to $500,000 in salary as it pushes into robotics

OpenAI is offering robotics engineers up to half a million dollars a year in base salaries as it builds out its robotics efforts.

The company has 27 robotics jobs listed on its careers page, up from 11 in May, spanning hardware, software, data collection, and prototyping, according to Business Insider's review. Publicly advertised base salaries range from $177,000 to half a million dollars a year, before equity. READ MORE

‘Rampant pay cynicism’ threatens companies, report finds

"We are seeing a breakdown in the contract between employers and employees," Gordon Frost, global rewards leader at Marsh, said in a statement. "A depleted workforce paired with cynicism about pay creates a precarious moment for employers."

Improving pay transparency and skills-based rewards can have a profound impact on employee morale, Marsh found. Workers who said they feel they're being fairly compensated report being 85% more engaged and 60% more committed. READ MORE

More than half of young workers want to switch jobs soon for better pay, benefits

"Younger professionals are taking a proactive approach to their careers, and for many that includes exploring new roles that offer stronger earning potential, advancement opportunities and flexibility," Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half, said in a statement. "Employers should be clear about growth paths, compensation, and the support available to help retain workers and encourage them to build their skills." READ MORE

The fast-food chain where managers average more than $200K a year

In-N-Out Burger store managers make more than $200,000 annually on average, which the fast-food chain says reflects the company's philosophy of investing in its workforce.

"I can confirm that our In-N-Out Burger store managers earn more than $200,000 a year on average," Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick said in a statement to FOX Business.

Warnick noted that In-N-Out's founders, Harry and Esther Snyder, believed in "taking really great care of our associates." READ MORE

Amazon increases minimum starting hourly wage for full-time core operations employees

Online behemoth Amazon said it's increasing the minimum starting hourly wage for its U.S. full-time core operations employees to $20 ahead of the crucial holiday shopping season.

With the $1-per-hour increase across the board for these workers who do jobs like pack and ship orders, the average pay for these employees will reach nearly $24 per hour, the company said Wednesday. The retailer said the average total compensation will be more than $32 an hour including the value of its benefits package. READ MORE

SEC Proposes Ending Oversight of Shareholder Votes on Climate and Executive Pay

The proposal had been anticipated since last month and forms part of a wider reallocation of influence from investors toward corporate managers at the SEC, which currently has three Republican members and two unfilled seats that were previously held by Democrats. The top Wall Street regulator also proposed other changes, including the elimination of a rule requiring companies to produce glossy annual reports that the agency said duplicate information already contained in their annual Form 10-K filings. READ MORE

Real wages fall as income squeeze deepens

Inflation-adjusted hourly earnings have turned negative on a year-over-year basis, adding to pressure on workers as wage growth slows while inflation remains elevated.

Real average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls fell about 0.3% year over year in August, according to the chart from EY-Parthenon, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. READ MORE

Where wage inequality is increasing and decreasing

Wage equality helps define how workers share in economic growth. When top earners pull far ahead of median workers, rising high-end pay concentrates gains among a relatively small group. According to the Economic Policy Institute, earnings inequality has “redistributed wages away from most workers” and stifled “broader-based wage growth.” However, wider wage gaps may also reflect stronger rewards for specialized skills and experience, factors that can help drive productivity and economic expansion.

SmartAsset analyzed 90th-percentile wage thresholds — the wage level at which workers enter the top 10% of earners — in each of the 50 states over the preceding two years. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data for May 2024 and May 2025, the study calculated how much that threshold exceeded the median wage, expressed as a percentage, and measured the year-over-year change in the disparity. READ MORE

Wage theft is the heavyweight champion of American larceny

The biggest thieves in America don’t wear ski masks. They clock in at nine, break for lunch, sign your paycheck and quietly keep a cut for themselves. 

Wage theft strips American workers of more money every year than the FBI’s entire tally of robbery, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft combined. It is, by a striking margin, the largest form of theft in the U.S. READ MORE

These are the top 10 U.S. states for workers’ rights, says new report—8 of them have a minimum wage over $15

If strong worker protections are one of your top workplace criteria, you might want to start applying to roles in California.

Oxfam’s 2026 Best States to Work Index, published Sept. 3, evaluated all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico on the strength of their minimum wages, worker protections and rights to organize. READ MORE