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US retailers will hire the lowest number of seasonal workers for this holiday season since the final quarter of 2008, due to increased labor costs and shaky consumer confidence, according to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas shared exclusively with Reuters.

Retailers are expected to add just 410,000 seasonal jobs this season, according to an analysis of nonseasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the global outplacement and executive coaching firm. That is just slightly above the 324,900 workers they added during the last quarter of the financial recession of 2008.

The hesitancy in hiring stems from consumers keeping a tight hold on spending and as retailers struggle to pass on rising costs of labor at a time when inflation is ebbing, said Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at the firm, which tracks government data and hiring trends.

“Seasonal employers have a few issues to grapple with in the coming months. One is the cost of labor limiting desire to add workers. Another is whether consumers continue to spend at the same clip. Another is one that has been fairly constant since the pandemic: can they attract workers?” Challenger said.

Signs are already emerging that the labor market is starting to cool and employers are hiring at a slower clip.

Data released by the Labor Department earlier this month showed that theUS unemployment rate spiked to 3.8%, while the labor participation rate rose to its highest level in 3-1/2 years.

US-based companies have so far announced just 8,000 planned hires for the holiday season, compared with the 258,201 planned hires announced by employers by this point in 2022, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ tracking.

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US

Children killed in mass shooting at birthday party in Stockton, California

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Children killed in mass shooting at birthday party in Stockton, California

Children are among the fatalities in a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in California.

Police said four people had died and 10 were wounded in the incident in Stockton, about 60 miles east of San Francisco.

Officers were called on Saturday to a banquet hall just before 6pm local time (2am UK time) and district attorney Ron Freitas said children were among the dead.

He said the attacker was still at large.

First responders walk through a parking lot near the scene of a mass shooting in Stockton, California. Pics: AP
Image:
First responders walk through a parking lot near the scene of a mass shooting in Stockton, California. Pics: AP

“We can confirm at this time that approximately 14 individuals were struck by gunfire, and four victims have been confirmed deceased,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said on X.

The post said early indications suggest it could be a “targeted incident” but that information remains limited.

Police have so far not disclosed the attacker’s identity and the motive is unclear.

Stockton’s vice mayor Jason Lee confirmed on Facebook that the shooting on Lucile Avenue happened at a child’s birthday party.

Pics: AP
Image:
Pics: AP

Mayor Christina Fugazzi also said that “families should be together instead of at the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying that they survive”.

California governor Gavin Newsom’s office added that he had been briefed on the “horrific shooting”.

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Sports

Sources: LSU expected to hire Kiffin on Sunday

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Sources: LSU expected to hire Kiffin on Sunday

OXFORD, Miss. — The Lane Kiffin saga is finally coming to an end.

Sources told ESPN on Saturday that the expectation is LSU will hire Kiffin away from Ole Miss on Sunday. A source cautioned that the deal was not signed as of late Saturday but added that it “would be a shock” if he didn’t sign it.

Should Kiffin agree to the contract, it will pay him, a source said, around $12 million annually across seven seasons, with the potential for bonuses, making him one of the highest paid coaches in the sport.

Kiffin, 50, and the Rebels just wrapped up an 11-1 regular season with a 38-19 win over rival Mississippi State, all but assuring them a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff. That said, the expectation among Ole Miss officials is that Kiffin will not coach the Rebels in the CFP, barring an unexpected change.

Sources told ESPN’s Marty Smith on Sunday that Kiffin will hold a 10 a.m. ET meeting with Ole Miss players, followed by an announcement about his future.

After Kiffin said he would decide on Saturday whether he’ll coach at Ole Miss or LSU in 2026, he met with Rebels athletics director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce for a couple of hours at the chancellor’s home in Oxford.

But the day came and went without an announcement.

There was a growing sense at Ole Miss on Saturday that Kiffin might coach the Rebels in one more game if they clinched a spot in next week’s SEC championship game in Atlanta.

However, No. 10 Alabama‘s 27-20 victory against rival Auburn in Saturday night’s Iron Bowl eliminated the Rebels. The Crimson Tide will play No. 4 Georgia for the SEC title.

While Florida and LSU courted Kiffin, Carter and Boyce were adamant that he wouldn’t be allowed to coach the Rebels in the CFP if Kiffin took a job with an SEC rival. Kiffin had lobbied the Ole Miss administrators to change their minds, but Carter and Boyce dug in their heels on that issue.

Among other reasons, Ole Miss doesn’t want Kiffin around its players with the transfer portal opening on Jan. 2. The Rebels also don’t want their CFP games to be a “commercial” for LSU’s future under Kiffin.

Even with Kiffin potentially leaving, the Rebels will probably still be in the mix to host a first-round CFP game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Dec. 19 or 20.

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Science

NASA Steps In to Support ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Rover Ahead of 2028 Mars Launch

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NASA will deliver crucial hardware, thermal units, landing thrusters, and a U.S. launch vehicle to support ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover, set for launch in 2028. The rover will drill two meters into Mars to search for ancient life using the advanced Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer instrument.

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