Work will be different in 2024. Here’s why. 📤

Hey there! Welcome to 2024. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set some ✨ job-related resolutions ✨ (we spend ⅓ of our lives at work, after all!). In case you need inspiration, we’re loving these goals from writer Jack Appleby: 

• Use every single day of PTO. No exceptions. 

• Take six interviews this year, even if you aren’t looking. 

• Take a 60-minute lunch break every day without looking at Slack or your computer. 

Cheers to a 2024 where you work to live (and not the other way around). 🥂

 1   The 5 ways work will change in 2024 💼

Hello, 2024. The new year is here…and with it, new laws. A flurry of state-level regulations are set to go into effect this upcoming year, shaping compensation, benefits, and hiring in surprising (yet positive!) ways. Here’s what you can expect: 

1. Sealing of Criminal Records 

Introducing the Clean Slate Act. People with criminal records often face discrimination, particularly around housing and employment. This law attempts to fight back: If you stay conviction-free for a set time, your criminal records will be sealed.

• The Deets: The window is three years for misdemeanor charges and eight years for felonies, excluding non-drug Class A felonies.  

The Clean Slate Act is gaining steam. In 2024, New York will become the 12th state to sign the Clean Slate legislation, joining Utah, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, and others. In New York alone, it’s expected to impact two million eligible New Yorkers. 

2. Banning Marijuana Drug Testing 

+1 for Mary Jane. Washington and California have made it illegal for employers to refuse to hire or fire someone for testing positive for marijuana on a regular drug test. 

• Why This Matters: Traditional drug tests screen for non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites in hair and body fluids. However, these can be stored in the body for weeks—sometimes months—after usage. This law ensures employers aren’t penalizing workers for consuming marijuana at some point in the past. 

Heads Up: Employers can still use “impairment tests” or a THC test to see if a worker is under the influence while on the job. And if you’re a federal employee or in the construction trades, all tests are still fair game. 

3. Increasing Pay Transparency 

2023 was a big year for pay transparency. We saw New York, California, Washington, and more roll out salary transparency laws aimed at reducing pay inequities, the wage gap, and overall discrimination. 

This year, Hawaii is joining team #salarytransparency, while Illinois plans to hop on the bandwagon in 2025. Employers will have to list an hourly rate or salary range that “reasonably reflects the actual expected compensation” (Read: No preposterously large pay ranges).  

• Zoom Out: Want to know if pay transparency is legal in your state? We’ve got you covered. Our interactive map shows which laws exist in each state, so you know your rights (and can detect if a company’s pay practices are breaking the law). 

4. Higher Minimum Wages 

Starting the year off right. On January 1st, 22 US states raised the minimum wage, giving a much-needed economic boost to 10 million workers. 

• Zoom In: In Hawaii, Illinois, and Rhode Island, the minimum wage begins at $14, while New York, California, and Washington have bumped it to $16 (full list right here!). 

It’s a step in the right direction, but…the federal minimum wage of $7.25 hasn’t budged since 2009. As many states are showing progress, this is still the baseline pay in 20 states—despite inflation jumping over 40% since.

5. Enacting Paid Leave Benefits 

Did you know? The US is one of only six countries in the UN without a national paid leave policy. 🤦 So this year, a few states are addressing the issue head-on by releasing policies of their own: 

• Colorado: This January, Colorado’s FAMLI benefits begin. Employees get up to 12 weeks (16 weeks in certain situations) to care for loved ones, spend time with their newborns, manage a serious health condition, handle arrangements for a military deployment, and more. 

• Illinois: A big thumbs-up to the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. This guarantees nearly all Illinois employees at least one week (or 40 hours) of paid leave per year. If employers want to offer more (*cough* they should *cough*) they also have the option to do so. 

A light at the end of the tunnel? A group of senators and House members have started to work together to advance paid leave legislation, per The Washington Post. Hopefully, these talks lead to real progress—and aren’t just a symbolic gesture. 

A few weeks ago, the STS team went to the Techsgiving Summit in Washington, DC. 📍

Among the dozens of professionals we interviewed was an AI Data Scientist with five years of experience. Their salary? A cool $150,000 (and that’s not including bonuses and other benefits 👀). 

Six-figure salaries are the norm for data scientists as they’re the most sought-after AI job in the current job market. If you want to get in on the action, Indeed recommends these 17 data science certifications to kickstart your journey!

• Have fun while learning a valuable skill that’ll set you up for a lucrative career with Space Coders. 🚀* 

• How Boston was able to reduce their wage gap by 30% (!) over the last two years. 

• This software salesman in DC earns anywhere from $300K to $500K a year. 🤯

• In 2023, 100K people were laid off from their jobs in tech. Here’s where they ended up. 

• Required Reading: How the government fought workplace discrimination in 2023.

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Thanks for being here! Before we part ways, here’s a (not so) fun fact: That 1,800 calories a day dietary guideline for women? Well, it originated during the Suffragette movement as a tactic to weaken their bodies, and thus, their cause. 😳

Why are we mind-blown…but also not surprised? 

See you next week!