Quits pick up, benefits outpace pay, and Colorado drafts AI review rules

Quits climb back above 2%

Job openings rose to about 7.5 million in September 2026 (a 4.5% rate). Quits increased to about 3.4 million, or 2.1% a month, up from 1.9% in August and above 2% for the first time since June 2025. Hires rose to about 5.4 million (3.4%), and layoffs and discharges fell to about 1.6 million (1.0%).

What it means for your plan: One month is not a trend, but attrition may be edging up from its lows. If your plan assumes last year's very low turnover, test a scenario with slightly higher attrition before you set the replacement-hire budget.

In DecisionIQ: subscribers see the exact assumption to update for this change.

Source: BLS JOLTS, Nov 3, 2026 (figures as reported by Reuters and Indeed Hiring Lab, Nov 3, 2026)

Benefit costs outpace wages

The cost of employing a worker rose 0.8% in the third quarter of 2026, down from 0.9% in the second quarter. For private-industry workers, total compensation rose 3.4% over the year, wages and salaries 3.1%, and benefit costs 3.9%, led by a 6.4% rise in employers' health insurance costs.

What it means for your plan: Wage growth near 3% is only part of the cost of a hire. If your loaded cost per head uses a single growth rate, benefits may push the real increase higher. Price the hire option with wages and benefits grown separately.

In DecisionIQ: subscribers see the exact assumption to update for this change.

Source: BLS Employment Cost Index, Oct 30, 2026 (via Marketplace and Indeed Hiring Lab, Oct 30, 2026)

Colorado drafts AI review duties

Colorado's Automated Decision-Making Technology Act and its rules are due to take effect January 1, 2027, and expressly cover hiring and other employment decisions. The draft rules would require notice before a covered tool is used, a written explanation within 30 days of an adverse outcome, meaningful human review where commercially reasonable, and at least three years of compliance records. A public hearing was held October 26, 2026; the rules are not yet final.

What it means for your plan: If you employ or recruit people in Colorado, an AI tool that screens or ranks them may need a trained human reviewer and a paper trail. Count reviewer hours and record-keeping as part of the automate option, not as an afterthought.

In DecisionIQ: subscribers see the exact assumption to update for this change.

Source: Jackson Lewis, Workplace Privacy Report, Nov 3, 2026; Fisher Phillips, Aug 14, 2026

AI layoffs may be reversed later

Gartner predicts that by 2029 around 30% of employees who were terminated and replaced by AI will be rehired, typically at a greater cost to the enterprise. Gartner also found that only 19% of firms have practices in place to help leaders understand how work is changing.

What it means for your plan: Cutting roles before the work is redesigned can cost more later in rehiring and lost knowledge. Map how the work changes first, then decide whether a role shrinks, shifts or stays.

Source: ITPro, reporting Gartner research, Nov 2, 2026