Sending reinforcements: Louisiana is sending dozens of emergency personnel, along with boats, ambulances and other equipment to Florida to help with the response to Hurricane Michael. The emergency workers include ambulance teams coordinated by the Louisiana health department, search-and-rescue workers from the fire marshal’s office, firefighters, medics and a helicopter team from the Louisiana National Guard. The assistance, for which Louisiana will be reimbursed, is coordinated through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact system. Also there is the volunteer force known as The Cajun Navy. Read the full story.
Upside down: When the 401(k) was born 40 years ago, Axios reports, it changed the way Americans left the workforce. Now, some companies are trying to change how workers enter it. Student debt is stopping a huge swath of Americans from entering the middle class, buying homes and starting families. To chip away at the problem, employers are starting to debut financial assistance programs that experts say could become as ubiquitous as 401(k)s or health care. Read the full story.
Cha-ching: The latest monthly survey from the National Federation of Independent Business finds widespread raises as small firms try to attract and retain talent in a historically tight labor market, The Wall Street Journal reports. NFIB Chief Economist William Dunkelberg says that a record 37% of small businesses in September “reported raising overall compensation in hopes of hiring and retaining needed employees. There are more job openings than job seekers, and the competition for qualified workers is pushing up compensation, especially for the better trained and educated employees.” Read the full story.
