Job openings dropped to 8.7 million in October, the lowest level since April 2021, in another sign of a cooling labor market. Layoffs inched upward in October while quit rates declined. Health care and social assistance, finance and hospitality jobs drove the steep declines, which led to a current ratio of 1.3 jobs available per job seeker.

Linde announced increased liquid hydrogen production capacity at its McIntosh, Ala., facility, which will be able to produce more than 30 tons of liquid nitrogen daily. The roughly $90 million investment is aimed at meeting demand for hydrogen in the southeastern US. Linde is also planning to boost green hydrogen capacity in California to provide for increased demand for hydrogen-powered mobility.

Foodservice distributor Sysco released its Sustainability Report and diversity, equity, and inclusion report highlighting the foodservice distributor's progress in diversifying its supplier base and sustainability initiatives. The company also unveiled One Planet. One Table., an assortment of 3,000 items in 15 categories that meet the demand for environmentally sustainable products and transparency in food sourcing.

Applying AI tools in sales and order management can help distributors boost revenue and reduce costs, writes Tim Yates, CEO of DataXstream. Automation offers customer insight and prioritization, order optimization, sales support, process automation, search functionality and help increase average order value, Yates writes.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is meeting this week with Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and other government officials to strengthen the trade partnership and discuss the creation of supply chains between the countries to boost jobs and economic stability, according to a release. Imports and exports between the two countries are close to $600 billion to date for 2023 and topped $850 billion last year, according to the US Treasury.

Prioritizing brand awareness, harnessing the right value proposition and engaging out-of-market buyers are some of the strategies business-to-business marketers should use for success in 2024, writes Andrea Cruz, director of client strategy at Tinuiti. Cruz also advises exploring Google Ads' value-based bidding and personalizing customer experiences.

Marketers can avoid a "short shrift" approach to 2024 planning and break out from repetitive strategy doldrums by taking five steps that start with mining 2023 data and insights to glean actionable lessons, writes Michael Baer, TechCXO fractional chief marketing officer. Other steps include purposefully identifying core objectives and "[baking] strategic rigor into your execution to ensure success."

A new survey from Slack Technologies found that workers aren't as productive if their day includes more than two hours of virtual or in-person meetings. Some companies have taken to creating entire weeks where no meetings can be scheduled or discouraging meetings on a particular day of the week to make time for the work that requires focus and concentration.

Underlying inflation in the US remains at 3.5%, higher than the Federal Reserve's 2% target, and officials are worried about a resurgence. However, rate cuts may come in just a few months, and confirmation of this will be given when the Fed meets Dec. 12-13, amid rising market expectations of several rate cuts next year.

Experience three days of excellent networking opportunities, cutting-edge content, and educational programming for leaders in the wholesale-distribution industry at NAW's Executive Summit Jan. 30 - Feb. 1. Hear from world-class speakers and explore issues critical to the industry. Be prepared for what's next and learn new strategies to get there first. View agenda and registration information here.

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