AGP Executive Report

Pentagon Hiring Scrutiny: A man convicted in the Jan. 6 riot is now working in a sensitive Pentagon role with a top-secret clearance, raising fresh questions about vetting and security. AI in War Ethics: U.S. Catholic bishops renewed Pope Leo’s call to keep “human control” over lethal decisions and limit AI use in conflict. Workplace & Security Risks: Five Eyes warned that Chinese spies are using fake job recruiting on platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed to target people with access to classified info. Labor Market Snapshot: Weekly jobless claims rose more than expected, but the broader trend still points to a stable labor market. Federal IT Planning: A watchdog says the Census Bureau’s 2030 IT modernization roadmap lacks key schedule best practices, increasing delay risk. Corporate/Workforce Moves: Sam’s Club named Steve Schrobilgen as EVP and COO, while a new Auburn, Ala. auto-supplier facility plans 50 jobs. Policy & Hiring Rules: House Republicans advanced education funding cuts and new restrictions tied to transgender students, and states led by AG Todd Rokita backed a rule that could raise H-1B prevailing wages. Infrastructure Jobs Pressure: Reports highlight how poor road conditions persist and how power-grid strain from data centers may force PJM reforms, potentially reshaping utility jobs and planning. Cyber Breach Fallout: Ex-employees sued Hogan Transports over an alleged data breach and delayed notification. Travel Advisory: New England groups warned World Cup visitors about possible rights violations and aggressive immigration enforcement.

Workplace Financial Pressure: SecureSave says employees are leaning more on emergency savings for transportation—vehicle/commuting withdrawals rose 22% year over year, with fuel costs still about 35–40% higher than last year—raising stakes for benefits design and retention. Hiring & Talent Moves: T-Mobile opened a global capability center in Hyderabad, aiming to hire nearly 1,000 people by 2027, building software, data, cybersecurity, and product capabilities. AI & Privacy at Work: Meta backed off a plan to track employees’ computer activity to train AI models after backlash, offering an opt-out for 30 minutes. Job Market Signals: New data points to a resilient U.S. private hiring picture, with job openings and hiring activity improving even as employers announce cuts. Security & Recruiting Scams: Five Eyes warned that Chinese military intelligence is using online job platforms to target people with access to sensitive information. Immigration Enforcement & Courts: New Orleans “mega master” immigration hearings triggered large numbers of in absentia deportation orders, highlighting how fast-moving enforcement can disrupt workers’ lives. Consumer/HR Spillover: FIFA’s World Cup 2026 stadium code now bans reusable water bottles, a reminder that event policies can affect staffing and operations. Retail Turnaround Watch: Macy’s reported a fourth straight quarter of comparable sales gains and raised its outlook, signaling steadier demand for employers.

Cyber Fraud Crackdown: DOJ says its Scam Center Strike Force and private industry “Disruption Week” helped freeze over $3.8M in crypto tied to scams, after sharing targets with partners. Hiring & Work Trends: Bank of America plans nearly 4,000 summer interns and campus recruits; Pilot will hire 10,000 workers nationwide for the summer travel rush. Labor Market Signals: JOLTS shows job openings jumped to 7.618M in April, but economists warn hiring demand may not be strengthening. AI Backlash & Infrastructure: A survey finds Americans’ opposition to data centers has surged, while industry leaders warn AI-driven power and water constraints could become a major political crisis. Security & Recruiting Risks: Five Eyes issued a rare warning that China is using LinkedIn and job platforms to target security professionals. Workplace Safety: A Yuba City McDonald’s worker is being treated for serious burns after alleged hot-oil assault. Policy & Compliance: USCIS issues new green card/adjustment guidance raising concerns for Canadian professionals and families. Diplomacy Jobs: Trump nominated Nick Oberheiden as ambassador to Egypt.

Labor Market Watch: Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry reported April unemployment data for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington region, holding at 5% and showing small county-level shifts year over year. Hiring Speed: A new analysis highlights the 10 fastest roles to land in 2026, focusing on how quickly employers move from application to offer. Workplace & Compliance: Two NIH researchers were charged after allegedly trying to smuggle mpox vials into the U.S. through Detroit Metro, raising questions about lab security and cross-border rules. Health & Benefits: Jill Biden said Joe Biden’s prostate cancer symptoms were present for a year before diagnosis, underscoring how common urinary issues can mask serious disease. Tech & Jobs: Microsoft unveiled its Majorana 2 quantum chip and says commercially useful quantum machines could arrive by 2029, adding pressure to the U.S. race for advanced computing. Elections & HR Impact: A Boston judge questioned Trump’s mail-in voting executive order, a reminder that election rules can ripple into employer compliance and staffing planning. Public Safety Tech: The Coast Guard launched autonomous sail drones on Lake Erie for search-and-rescue, spill response, and law enforcement awareness.

AI & Work: Customers Bank and ElevenLabs plan to roll out voice and digital conversational agents to speed support and assist employees. Federal Cybersecurity: Trump’s AI-focused executive order pushes agencies to prioritize cyber defense for critical systems and speed guidance for AI-enabled protection. Hiring & Compliance: A deaf woman sues Hilton, arguing an audio-based Indeed screening didn’t offer an accessible alternative and blocked her from consideration. Elections & Voting Access: A federal judge in Boston questioned Trump’s mail-in voting executive order, weighing whether to pause it ahead of November. Labor Market Signals: U.S. job openings hit about 7.6 million in April, while hiring stays weak amid uncertainty. Energy & Jobs: New York AG sued over a Trump deal ending an offshore wind project, warning it could erase union jobs. Business Expansion: Authority Brands is moving its HQ to Cobb County, promising 390 new jobs. Workplace Disruption: A UKG survey says the World Cup could cost U.S. employers about $11.7B in lost productivity as workers adjust schedules or watch on the job.

Workforce Pay & Hiring: Michigan’s MDOC is raising pay for new corrections officer recruits at five Upper Peninsula prisons by about $10,000 a year to tackle staffing shortages. Retirement Plan Rules: A Department of Labor proposal would let 401(k)s and similar plans add alternative assets like private credit and crypto, drawing heavy support from fund firms and sharp worries from critics about risk and fees. Layoff Reality Check: A new survey highlights the “loyalty tax,” showing many long-tenured workers felt unprepared for layoffs—resumes outdated, networks inactive, and outside offers turned down. Cyber & HR Risk: A Space Force official’s Instagram was hacked with pro-Iran propaganda, underscoring how online accounts can become targets during conflict. Local Government & Elections: California’s direct primary is underway with results delayed by state law, a reminder for employers and HR teams to plan around election-cycle uncertainty. Workplace Safety Staffing: Arkansas workplace safety staffing is flagged as falling in the middle range, adding to the broader staffing pressure theme.

Federal Workforce & Retirement Backlog: The OPM is seeing a surge in retirement applications after a smaller federal workforce, with more than 35,000 former employees still waiting on full benefits—highlighting HR and payroll risk for agencies and workers. USPS Cost Cuts: USPS is tightening spending, including hiring and travel, warning cash could run out as early as 2027—an HR and staffing pressure point for the delivery workforce. Workplace Safety Jobs: New reporting explains how workplace safety managers are being pulled into heavier OSHA compliance work, from chemical hazard rules to heat illness and workplace violence. Skilled Trades Pipeline: A Georgia electrical contractor launched a paid apprenticeship with the state and federal labor partners, aiming to close the skilled-trades workforce gap. Military Families & Child Care: Sen. Mark Warner met with service members’ families on deployment challenges, especially childcare, mental health, and access to resources. Public Sector Training: Vermont’s “Capital for a Day” brings Gov. Phil Scott’s cabinet to Rutland County, with a focus on how state decisions affect local services and workforce programs. Workplace Discrimination Lawsuit: A North Charleston police officer alleges age-based discrimination and retaliation after filing an HR complaint, adding to the employment-law watchlist.

Immigration & HR Compliance: The Trump administration’s proposed green card rule would require many applicants to leave the U.S. and apply through consular processing, a major shift from the usual “adjustment of status” path—raising disruption and likely legal challenges for employers supporting immigrant workers. Benefits & Recruiting: A new proposed rule would reclassify fertility treatments (including IVF) as a “limited excepted benefit,” potentially letting employers offer coverage more easily like stand-alone dental/vision plans. Labor & Hiring: Field International is launching a Pensacola manufacturing facility and hiring locally for 50 roles first, with more jobs expected after expansion. Workplace Tech & Safety: U.S. military leaders are urging AI guardrails as they push faster adoption, warning that humans must retain control over lethal targeting. Travel & CBP: GBTA warns potential CBP operational changes—like pulling officers from major airports—could delay inbound travel and hit jobs and growth. Policy & Markets: Stablecoin rule comment periods under the GENIUS Act are closing soon, with deadlines that could reshape who can issue and how reserves work.

Defense & Civilian Harm: A U.S. boat-strike campaign off South America has killed 200+ people, with critics saying the military may be targeting civilians and that there’s little proof the strikes reduce cocaine flow. Labor Market Watch: Markets are bracing for U.S. jobs data (unemployment, JOLTS, ADP, jobless claims) as inflation and the Fed’s path stay in focus. Workforce & Immigration: A new UVM-led study finds intensified ICE activity between 2023-2025 shrank and reshaped the childcare workforce, hitting immigrant women and destabilizing childcare access. Tech & Privacy: Meta’s AI training tool that logs employee computer activity is drawing new scrutiny, including concerns it could capture data beyond U.S. staff. AI in the Military: Pentagon leaders are pushing faster battlefield AI, while some uniformed commanders urge guardrails so systems deliver violence only as intended. Regional Security: At Shangri-La, U.S. officials pressed Indo-Pacific partners to do more as doubts about U.S. focus grow. Business & Hiring: Hudson Valley Community College is launching two Fall 2026 degree programs aimed at workforce demand—aviation maintenance management and earth science. Weather Preparedness: NOAA expects a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season, but officials stress preparation still matters.

Immigration & Work: New research links intensified ICE enforcement (2023–2025) to a shrinking childcare workforce, with immigrant women losing jobs as centers cut enrollment or shut down—raising pressure on working families. Green Cards & Hiring: USCIS is tightening employment-based green card processing in June, using stricter “Final Action Dates” and treating adjustment of status as “extraordinary,” which could slow moves to permanent residency. Labor Market: Forecasters warn summer teen hiring may hit a record low, with fewer teens already employed and hiring concentrated in sectors that don’t typically hire high schoolers. Healthcare Jobs: Hawaii’s HMSA is shifting from value-based payments back to fee-for-service, alarming primary care clinics over a rushed timeline that could destabilize practices and reduce access. AI & Privacy: Meta is collecting employee computer usage data to train AI, drawing fresh privacy concerns and scrutiny. Education Workforce: The Trump administration’s move to dissolve the Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition could disrupt support for 5+ million English learners. Policy & Courts: A judge blocked the Kennedy Center board from closing and ordered Trump’s name removed from the building. National Security: U.S. officials are preparing Ebola quarantine monitoring for exposed Americans returning from abroad, with plans still being negotiated.

Immigration & Work: New research says intensified ICE enforcement between 2023 and 2025 reshaped the childcare workforce, cutting capacity and employment—especially among immigrant women in regulated childcare settings—hurting working families. Immigration Detention: ACLU and partners sued ICE over alleged “inhumane” conditions at Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss, citing medical neglect, disease outbreaks, violent force, solitary confinement, and unsanitary living. Labor Market Impact of Enforcement: A separate analysis argues the immigration crackdown didn’t create jobs for U.S.-born workers and instead reduced employment and hours in high-enforcement areas. Workplace/Community Safety: San Diego’s Muslim community is holding healing efforts after a mosque attack that killed a security guard and others. Local HR & Accountability: Florida’s corrections secretary Ricky Dixon is retiring after 30 years, following years of DOC scandals and reforms. Workforce & Training: Aurora’s clean-energy job training hub held its first graduation, signaling more pathways into new energy roles. Tech & Jobs: Microsoft is cutting AI coding tools and trimming staff amid rising AI costs, adding pressure to tech hiring. Data Centers & Local Policy: U-M is pushing ahead with a supercomputing/data center plan despite local opposition and utility limits.

Immigration & Workforces: New research says intensified ICE enforcement between 2023 and 2025 reshaped the childcare workforce, cutting capacity and hitting immigrant women hardest—especially in regulated, visible settings like childcare centers. Green Card Rules: USCIS signaled it will be harder to pursue permanent residence without leaving the U.S. to apply from abroad, raising risks for families and employers. AI & Hiring: Wix is cutting about 20% of staff (~1,000 jobs), citing AI-driven restructuring and currency headwinds, while Meta also disclosed more HQ job cuts. Tech/Finance: PayPal warned investors it needs “significant changes” as competition squeezes growth. Border & Tourism Jobs: Industry groups warn that removing CBP officers from Newark could strand millions of travelers and cost billions, threatening tens of thousands of jobs. Workforce Training: Boxelder Job Corps students are adding wildland firefighting to trade training, with paid assignments. Local HR/Community: Atlanta school board members questioned a mayoral tax extension plan tied to neighborhood reinvestment. Public Health: Lake Okeechobee pollution is framed as a public health crisis tied to toxic algae blooms.

Immigration & Workforces: New research finds ICE enforcement changes between 2023 and 2025 reduced capacity in the childcare sector, cutting enrollment and employment—especially among immigrant women in regulated settings—raising knock-on effects for working families. Hiring & Small Business Finance: U.S. Bank is rolling out a new loan product for veterinarians and dentists who want to start independent practices, signaling more mainstream financing for “build from scratch” healthcare owners. Labor Market Watch: Gold is heading into a data-heavy week as investors track manufacturing and jobs signals for the Fed’s next move. Public Sector Staffing: CDC is asking for employee volunteers to help with Ebola screenings at U.S. entry points as the agency expands its emergency response. Education & Costs: A pared-down federal education data release shows states spent about $20,000 per student in 2024, alongside continued K-12 enrollment shifts. Local Economic Growth: Van Wert, Ohio is courting a major data center campus from QTS, projecting 1,500 construction jobs and 200 permanent roles. Workplace & Privacy: Meta is facing renewed scrutiny over a tool that tracks employee mouse clicks, with concerns about EU privacy rules. Legal/HR Risk: A judge blocks Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center and pauses a planned closure, a reminder that governance and branding disputes can stall major institutional plans.

Federal Hiring & Careers: U.S. Customs and Border Protection kicks off June recruitment with virtual and in-person events for officers, agents, and mission-support roles, touting training, benefits, and possible incentive pay. Workplace Mental Health: A new push highlights employee money stress as a mental health issue, citing PwC data that most workers feel financial strain and that it’s hitting sleep and performance. Insider Trading Crackdown: DOJ charged a Google employee with using insider info to rig Polymarket bets for about $1.2M in profits, adding to a broader crackdown on prediction-market fraud. Public Health & Jobs: Democrats are attacking federal health-agency cuts after Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks raise concerns about staffing and outbreak readiness. Labor Market Reality Check: Data-center buildouts may create construction jobs, but experts warn many roles are temporary and long-term staffing needs are smaller than promised. Pay Equity Debate: UK news flags uncertainty about whether teenagers will reach the full minimum wage by 2030, with businesses warning of youth job impacts. Local Workforce Shock: Steinerfilm in Massachusetts plans to close by end of June, leaving 34 employees without jobs. HR/Compliance Watch: SC companies agree to pay $7.9M to settle PPP loan fraud allegations tied to ineligible borrowers. Healthcare Access: CVS restores coverage for Lilly’s Zepbound after backlash, a reminder that employer and insurer decisions can quickly change patient access.

Currency & Ethics: Treasury officials reportedly prepared mock-ups for a new $250 bill featuring President Trump’s portrait, but a 1866 law bars living people on U.S. currency—so any rollout hinges on Congress and could take years. Workforce & Fraud: A new warning says scammers are using stolen identities to land jobs, putting applicants’ resumes at risk. Hiring & Training: Wisconsin opened applications for a DOL-funded employer grant to train workers in advanced manufacturing and AI. Labor Market Pulse: Weekly jobless claims rose slightly, with layoffs still relatively low despite economic uncertainty. Workplace/HR Compliance: Wisconsin’s DWD grant highlights the growing push for AI-ready skills as employers adjust hiring and training plans. Local Economy: Indiana’s Merrill Bros. biosolids firm plans a $16.5M expansion creating 35 jobs by 2028. Public Safety & Community: A viral video helped raise $65,000+ for an airport employee and Navy veteran managing chronic pain while caring for his mother. Corporate Restructuring: Washington Regional announced a restructuring plan that will cut 86 jobs.

AI at Work: A new study finds flexible work arrangements can boost workers’ effective salaries by 56%, adding fresh fuel to the debate over how employers value time and productivity. Compensation & Hiring: Pave’s 2026 merit-cycle report says median raises are down to 3.4% and AI/ML engineering roles are getting bigger bumps, with equity increasingly used to reward top performers. Federal Labor Policy: The EEOC is signaling possible changes to EEO reporting rules, while employers are also watching proposed faster labor contract rules that could reshape union negotiations. Higher Ed Oversight: The U.S. Department of Education is moving toward tougher accreditation rules, raising concerns about political scrutiny and impacts on access to aid and degree credibility. Caregiving Workforce: West Virginia’s caregiving system is propped up by women—375,000 family caregivers provide $3B in unpaid care, often while working full-time and facing major out-of-pocket costs. Crypto Regulator: The CFTC is asking a court to erase Gemini’s settlement, arguing its own staff’s handling didn’t meet current enforcement standards. Tech Jobs: American Airlines plans to nearly double its Hyderabad tech hub workforce to about 800 employees.