The Bureau of Labor Statistics seems to have been spared from the Trump administration’s recent takedown of federal websites, meaning we have another JOLTS report hot off the presses.

Employers appear to be pulling back on hiring, as job openings fell to 7.6 million in December—a stark contrast to the 8.2 million reported in November, and below economists’ expectations of 8 million. Other metrics, including hiring and separations, largely remained the same. Employers made 5.5 million hires in December, a slight increase from 5.4 million the month prior. Quits increased to 3.2 million in December, from 3.1 million in November, while layoffs and discharges remained unchanged at 1.8 million.

“The hires rate and quits rate were both unchanged in December and continue their streak of sluggishness, comparable to mid-2010s levels,” Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor’s lead economist, wrote on LinkedIn. “Both of these indicators point to a lack of healthy turnover in the job market where employers are hesitant to hire, workers are hesitant to jump ship, and the unemployed can be frozen out as a result.”

Looking ahead. Despite the monthly drop in job openings, December’s numbers still showed improvements from October’s low. But it’s hard to say whether that trend will continue.

Keep reading here.—PM

Another major government contractor has removed references to DE&I from its websites, as some companies race to comply with the Trump administration’s recent executive orders.

The latest. RTX is one of the world’s largest defense companies, with roughly $2.2 billion in government contracts and about 185,000 employees, according to USA Spending. As recently as Jan. 23, its careers website featured a section called “Our Diversity Commitment,” where the company discussed its “multiyear plan” for DE&I progress. That is now gone.

The section’s removal came after President Trump issued an executive order that, in part, said all federal contractors must dissolve their DE&I initiatives to receive new contracts, HR Brew previously reported. The removal of all DE&I references appears to be in complete opposition to how the company has operated for more than two decades.

Zoom out. RTX is just the latest government contractor to remove mentions of DE&I from its websites, following Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen.

Keep reading here.—KP

While HR pros come to the field in myriad ways, some seem to share a background in education. That may not be surprising, since the two professions aim “to get the most human potential out of the team that you’re working with,” as DoorDash’s chief people officer, Mariana Garavaglia, previously told HR Brew.

Her ethos is similar to that of Mandy Mekhail, director of people and chief of staff at ClickUp. Before joining the project management software provider, Mekhail held administrative and learning assistance roles at universities and created educational content for companies.

When the pandemic hit, Mekhail was among the thousands of US workers who changed careers. She joined ClickUp’s support department in Nov. 2020, onboarding new hires, before overseeing quality, training, and curriculum development and becoming director of talent development and internal communications in 2023. Mekhail currently serves as “the right-hand” to ClickUp’s head of people and legal, supporting a team of over 50 full-time staffers and contractors.

If you’re thinking, “That sounds like a lot,” Mekhail agrees, but said her knack for stewarding others to success helps her get the job done.

Keep reading here.—PM

Get ready for the shifts a new administration could bring. Learn practical tips to navigate changes, build key connections, and keep your organization on track—straight from HR leaders in the know.