Employers and workers are noticing a shift in the hourly labor market, with signs of strain similar to the white-collar economy. Many companies are slowing down hiring and even laying off workers, which appears to be leading to other companies finding it easier to recruit and retain staff. Despite low unemployment rates, a recent slowdown in job creation and easing wage growth suggest a potential downturn. Some industries, like health care and construction, continue to add jobs, while challenges remain in sectors like trucking.

Imperial Dade, a New Jersey-based distributor of foodservice, packaging, industrial and janitorial supplies, has acquired Excell Direct, a Phoenix-based distributor of foodservice and janitorial products. "On behalf of Excell Direct, we are thrilled to be part of Imperial Dade. They share the same relentless focus on delivering the best service and product offering to the customer," said Excell CEO and President Stewart Leary.

US core retail sales grew 0.95% in July from the previous month and 1.69% over July 2023, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions. Back-to-school and back-to-college shoppers helped fuel the growth last month, and consumers also took advantage of special promotion days offered by some retailers.

Food sector redistributor Dot Foods has opened a 177,000-square-foot distribution center in Manchester, Tenn., its 13th facility in the US. The $62 million center includes dry, refrigerated and frozen warehouse space, offices and a Family Health Center for employees. The facility is expected to create more than 300 warehousing and truck driving jobs during the next three years and will serve Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina, with space for future growth.

Meeting quarterly sales goals can be stressful, but distributors can reduce chaos by understanding and applying optimal pricing with AI insights, focusing on cross-selling to existing customers and automating the quote-to-cash process to shorten sales cycles, writes Mitch Lee of Vendavo. These measures can help consistently achieve sales targets and enhance overall business efficiency.

CVS Health is automating one of its larger distribution centers and will open a bulky-items building in the fall, as part of improving the supply chain to boost profits, reduce costs, and restock stores faster. The changes are also expected to free up employees to assist customers and fulfill online orders.

Sales and sales-management professionals are seeing incremental gains in compensation satisfaction, with 61% feeling fairly compensated, compared with 44% a year ago, and the average total compensation is $119,000, according to an Industrial Distribution's survey. However, concerns about competitive wages, pay cuts and job demands persist, and although nearly half of respondents received pay raises, 55% still believe their organizations do not do enough to attract top talent.

Organizations face challenges in upskilling their workforce as AI adoption accelerates. Training programs are essential, focusing on roles such as data scientists and AI engineers, and the need for hands-on experience and continuous learning is growing.

Develop programs to upskill your entire workforce on AI by identifying those already using the technology within your organization and leveraging their skills to create new training programs, writes Gleb Tsipursky, CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts. "Regularly update training materials to reflect the latest advancements in generative AI and provide opportunities for employees to attend conferences, webinars and other learning events," Tsipursky advises.

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