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December 2024 Capped a Year of Steady Recovery.

The U.S. labor market closed 2024 on a robust note, with payrolls increasing by 256,000 in December, significantly outpacing economists’ forecasts of 153,000 jobs. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.1% from 4.2%, marking the 48th consecutive month of employment growth and tying the second-longest period of expansion on record. Wage growth continued steadily, contributing to a broader picture of economic resilience amid global uncertainties and upcoming policy transitions.

U.S. Economy Displayed Resilience in November.

The November jobs report revealed robust hiring, with the economy adding 227,000 jobs, significantly higher than October’s revised total of 36,000. This sharp increase surpassed expectations and highlighted strong growth in sectors such as healthcare and leisure, demonstrating a rebound in economic activity.

Engagement is critical to organizational performance, retention and competitive advantage. It represents a measurable and influenceable aspect of business success, yet many organizations lack enterprise-wide strategies and accountability to optimize engagement efforts.

How to make work more interesting and challenging.

In my previous column, I began exploring the seven individual attributes of the RESPECT (Recognition, Exciting Work, Security, Pay, Education and Career Growth, Conditions, and Truth) model, starting with recognition. In this column, I examine the first “E” of the model, which represents exciting work).