It’s H-1B season, which means U.S. companies are once again competing for a limited number of spots— 85,000 — in a visa lottery. Registration opened this week after the federal government revamped the application process.

The National Association for Business Economics’ latest forecast predicts higher economic growth and lower unemployment.

They also face workplace discrimination.

Jobs in this kind of work — the work that makes offices and buildings run, makes them nice — grew about 2.6% last year. It’s growth but it’s not huge growth.

Workers prefer the stability of permanent jobs, and permanent workers tend to be more productive.

In November, the number of people who want to have full-time work but haven’t found it due to economic reasons declined by about 300,000.

Six months of incremental softening of the job market has firmed up to something tangible: the number of people continuing to file for unemployment was the highest it’s been in almost two years.

Average hourly earnings rose 4.1% year-over-year in October; the rate peaked near 6% in March 2022. The slowdown in wage growth is helping the Fed wrestle inflation lower.

“This particular job, one of the reasons I took it is because I knew that you’d never stop learning, and I find that really exciting,” said Violet O’Brien, a notary in Houston.

What one veteran and former bartender found in a new job.