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Companies in the private sector added 38,000 jobs in August, payroll processing firm ADP said in its latest report on Wednesday.

The figure is below economists’ estimates of a gain of 48,000 jobs and down from the prior month’s revised 46,000 payrolls. August’s figure is the lowest since January.

“Pay can tell us a lot about today’s choppy hiring,” said Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist. “To understand hiring patterns, you have to look deeply into where pay growth is accelerating, where it’s slowing, and for whom. Once-predictable wage growth has been overtaken by the complexities of demographic change, persistent inflation, and AI’s effects on jobs.”

THE COLLEGES THAT GIVE GRADUATES THE STRONGEST CAREER EDGE, ACCORDING TO LINKEDIN

Which industries are hiring the most workers, according to the ADP report?

Education and health services added 45,000 positions, leading job creation in August. Leisure and hospitality added 16,000, and financial activities and other services each gained 6,000.

SOUTHERN CITIES DOMINATE RANKINGS OF BEST JOB MARKETS FOR NEW COLLEGE GRADUATES

On the negative side, manufacturing lost 17,000 jobs and professional and business services lost 16,000.

Natural resources and mining, and trade, transportation each lost 5,000, while information lost 4,000 positions in the month.

LOWE’S LAUNCHES MAJOR EFFORT TO HELP CLOSE AMERICA’S SKILLED TRADES GAP

Large businesses – those with 500 or more employees – gained 34,000 jobs in August. Hiring for businesses with 50 to 499 employees was flat. Establishments with fewer than 50 employees gained 3,000 jobs.

People staying in their roles saw their pay climb 4.4% from the prior year, while pay gains for those changing their jobs accelerated to 7.3%.

The ADP data is released before the Labor Department’s nonfarm payrolls report, which is due on Friday morning and can differ notably. The government data is expected to show an increase of 56,000 positions, above the unexpected loss of 23,000 reported in July. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 4.1%.

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NEW YORK — “Dancing with the Stars” unveiled its full season 35 cast on Wednesday, revealing a lineup of 16 celebrities that includes Grammy-nominated musicians, Olympic athletes, television veterans and reality stars, alongside the professional dancers who will guide them through the ballroom this fall.

The full reveal took place live on “Good Morning America,” capping weeks of speculation and a handful of earlier confirmations that had trickled out ahead of Wednesday’s official announcement.

Leading the cast is Taylor Hanson, one-third of the pop-rock band Hanson, who rose to fame alongside his brothers in the early 1990s with the hit single “MMMBop” from their album “Middle of Nowhere.” Hanson will be partnered with pro Britt Stewart.

Also joining the ballroom is Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actress Julia Stiles, best known for her breakout role in the 1999 teen comedy “10 Things I Hate About You.” Stiles, who has also appeared in “Dexter,” the “Bourne” film franchise, “Hustlers” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” made her feature directorial debut last year with “Wish You Were Here.” She is paired with pro Ezra Sosa.

Guillermo Rodriguez, the longtime comedic sidekick to late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, was among the first celebrities confirmed for the season back in June. Rodriguez, who has worked on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for more than two decades after being discovered while working as a security guard in the show’s parking lot, will dance with defending champion Witney Carson, who is returning to the competition while pregnant.

Reality television also has a significant presence in this year’s cast. Maura Higgins, who finished as runner-up on the most recent season of “The Traitors” and previously competed on “Love Island,” is paired with pro Mark Ballas. Ciara Miller, known for her role on Bravo’s “Summer House,” will dance with pro Brandon Armstrong. And Conner Leavitt, of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” will be partnered with rookie pro Adele Zaikman, who recently won the show’s spinoff competition series, “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.”

Rounding out the reality and entertainment contingent is Savannah Bananas baseball star Jackson Olson, who rose to prominence with the exhibition barnstorming team known for blending baseball with dance routines and comedy. Olson is partnered with pro Emma Slater.

The cast also features two performers with extensive professional dance backgrounds. Jenna Dewan, known for her roles in “The Rookie” and the “Step Up” film franchise, began her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and has since hosted “World of Dance” and “Flirty Dancing.” She will compete alongside pro Val Chmerkovskiy. Harry Shum Jr., known for his roles in “Glee” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” previously performed as a backup dancer for artists including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey. He is paired with pro Jenna Johnson.

Sports fans will recognize several new additions to the cast as well. “The Bachelorette” alum Tyler Cameron will compete with pro Sharna Burgess, who is returning to the ballroom for the first time since 2011 after a lengthy hiatus from the show. Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn is partnered with pro Pasha Pashkov, while Paralympian Ezra Frech will dance alongside pro Daniella Karagach. Comedian and podcaster Connor Wood rounds out the athletic and comedic mix, paired with pro Rylee Arnold.

Celebrity chef and Food Network host Giada De Laurentiis will also compete this season, partnered with pro Alan Bersten, while “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum Tatyana Ali is paired with pro Jan Ravnik.

Among the season’s most notable pairings is Sarah Jane Nader, known for appearing on Freeform’s “Love Thy Nader” alongside her sisters, including former “DWTS” competitor Brooks Nader. Sarah Jane Nader will be partnered with Hailey Bills, a former “Dancing” troupe member who has been promoted to full professional status for the new season. Their partnership marks the third same-sex pairing in the show’s history.

Bills’ promotion to pro status is not the only shakeup on the professional dancer side this season. Adele Zaikman also joins the professional roster for the first time after winning “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” earlier this summer, while Mark Ballas returns after previously serving as a judge on that same spinoff series.

Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will return as the show’s judging panel for season 35, while Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will once again serve as co-hosts. Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s reveal, Ribeiro described what continues to draw audiences back to the long-running competition series each season.

Ribeiro said the “magic” of the show lies in the thoughtful pairings between celebrities and professional dancers, a dynamic he said remains at the heart of the series even as its cast composition shifts year to year.

Julianne Hough, meanwhile, teased a particular theme night she is especially looking forward to this season.

“The fashion is going to be really fun with one specific theme night,” Hough said. “For me at least, I’m very excited.”

Season 35 will kick off with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16, airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming the following day on Hulu. The premiere will also introduce a new live companion special, “DWTS After Party,” hosted by season 34 winner Robert Irwin, which will air following the Sept. 16 episode. The special will feature check-ins with eliminated contestants and a look back at standout moments from the night, alongside appearances from past “DWTS” competitors.

This season marks another milestone for the franchise as it continues to draw from an increasingly wide range of celebrity backgrounds, from professional athletes and Olympians to musicians, chefs and television personalities, reflecting the show’s long-running strategy of pairing broad name recognition with the physical and emotional demands of live competitive ballroom dancing.

Fans eager to follow the season’s early frontrunners and underdogs will have their first opportunity to see the full cast perform when the two-night premiere begins airing later this month.

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of CRM either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

France has started imposing fees on fast fashion items which could reach almost €20 per garment by 2030, as the government tries to curb sales of cheap clothing sold by e-commerce sites.

The levy, which came into force on Tuesday, follows a new law passed in June to regulate so-called “ultra-fast fashion” companies such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress.

The e-commerce giants, known for selling large volumes of cheap apparel, have been criticised by French officials for driving a surge in fast fashion.

China’s commerce ministry has described the French law as discriminatory and a trade barrier, saying it could violate World Trade Organization (WTO) principles.

French minister Mathieu Lefevre said the “harmful effects of ultra-fast fashion” on the environment and economy were “well known”.

In July, Lefevre’s office said the levy would not apply to retailers such as H&M or Zara, prompting some to say that the measure appeared to spare European companies.

Under the legislation, ultra-fast fashion will be determined according to two factors: the volume of clothing placed on the market and the cost of repairing garments relative to their purchase price.

The per-item fee will vary on a set scale according to how each product scores on both these standards.

For 2026, the charges range from a €0.50 (£0.43) levy on underwear to €2 (£1.71) for T-shirts, to €9 (£7.71) for jeans and €12 (£10.28) for a jacket.

The levy could reach up to €19.50 (£16.71/$22.60) per item by 2030, though the cap remains at 50% of the product’s pre-tax price.

Mumbai: The Indian rupee on Wednesday negotiated leaping oil prices and an unprecedented yield spike across the globe to remain above 95 to a dollar for the second day running, with traders attributing the local unit’s standout performance to aggressive dollar sales by the central bank.

Read more: ICICI Bank raises $17.9 billion through FCNR(B) window, boosts lending liquidity

The rupee closed at 94.97, versus its previous close of 94.95, and traded in a narrow range of 94.89 and 94.98. Its showing stood in sharp relief to a fresh bout of volatility in equities, where the Nifty slumped below the 24,000 mark at close for the first time in six weeks. State run banks, on behalf of the RBI, were likely selling dollars at weaker levels to contain further depreciation past the 95 per dollar mark, traders said.

A Democratic-socialist policy backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani could cost New York City households an extra $664 a year, Amazon warned Fox News Digital, as a union-backed push to require delivery companies to directly employ certain workers could drive some delivery operations out of the five boroughs.

“We’ve made clear to every Council member: we’re not looking to leave New York City and our goal has been — and continues to be — to work collaboratively with them,” an Amazon spokesperson told Fox Digital. “Our priority is to continue creating good jobs and supporting our employees in New York City. We’re equally committed to the local small business partners who work with us every day to provide fast, reliable delivery for New Yorkers.”

Amazon has publicly opposed Intro 0518, known as the Delivery Protection Act, which was introduced by Democratic-socialist City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán and backed by Mamdani. The bill would ban large shipping companies like Amazon from using third-party contractors for last-mile deliveries.

Amazon has publicly opposed Intro 0518-2026, known as the Delivery Protection Act, which was introduced by Democratic socialist New York City Council Member Tiffany Cabán and backed by Mamdani. The bill would require operators of certain last-mile facilities to directly employ workers performing core services, including delivery, while restricting subcontracting for that work.

“Corporations like Amazon build billion-dollar business models by insulating themselves from accountability through a system of exploitative subcontracting,” Mayor Mamdani’s office said in a press release.

AMAZON DISRUPTING ITSELF, REBUILDING CUSTOMER SHOPPING EXPERIENCE AROUND A.I. FROM GROUND UP

“Through delivery subcontractors, corporations dictate hiring standards, delivery routes, steep productivity quotas and workplace expectations while denying that the workers making those deliveries are employees,” it continued. “The result is a system that leaves workers vulnerable and corporations free to avoid accountability for reckless conditions on city streets.”

Amazon cited an analysis by consulting firm AKRF, commissioned by the Five Borough Jobs Campaign, that projected the legislation could increase delivery costs for consumers.

“This bill would drive delivery costs up by forcing facilities farther from customers — increasing per-route travel time, fuel, and labor while reducing packages delivered per route — with full relocation modeling a 267% cost increase per package for deliveries currently handled by NYC facilities, service-level declines of 10 to 21%, and an additional $664 in annual delivery costs passed through to every New York City household,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

“As written, this legislation would put more than 40 [delivery service partners] and their 5,000-plus employees at risk — while likely resulting in slower, more expensive delivery for millions of New York City customers,” they added. “We’re evaluating all options to try and limit this impact, including the potential relocation of operations and delivery facilities outside of New York City.”

That means moving outside the five boroughs to New Jersey, Long Island or Westchester to avoid city licensing mandates.

“Many of the small business owners in this coalition are minorities and first-generation Americans who beat the odds to become entrepreneurs in New York City,” the New York Delivers Coalition — who joins Amazon in opposition of the bill — also told Fox Digital. “We built our businesses from the ground up in our own communities, often starting with ourselves or family members as our first employees. Today, many of us employ more than 100 New Yorkers, including people who have faced barriers to traditional employment and have built careers and financial security through these jobs. Intro 0518 puts all of that — the businesses we built, the jobs we created, and the futures our employees are building — at risk.”

“We are small business owners in New York City, and we want the City Council to understand that many last-mile delivery companies are real, independent small businesses that hire from the communities we deliver in. We hire our own W-2 employees, manage our own teams and payroll,” the coalition said. “Large corporations like Amazon have the resources to adapt to sweeping new mandates. It’s the independent small businesses they contract with that would be forced to shut down, putting the jobs of over 10,000 local New Yorkers at risk.”

Neither the New York City Council, Cabán nor Mayor Mamdani’s office immediately returned Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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“We’ve invited every member to visit our delivery stations and meet DSPs and their employees,” Amazon said. “We hope Councilmember Cabán will do so — we’ve asked her directly — but haven’t gotten a response yet.”

“Our message is simple: come see how our businesses actually work. Visit one of our facilities, ride along on a delivery route, and talk directly to our employees about their jobs and what’s at stake,” the coalition said. “We want a seat at the table before decisions are made that could put our businesses and employees out of work.”

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

DIY store B&Q and the fast food chain Five Guys are among hundreds of UK businesses named by the government for paying staff below the minimum wage.

More than 600 employers were ordered to pay affected workers the outstanding wages, with £4m returned to workers, according to the Department for Business and Trade.

The firms have also been issued penalties worth £7m.

B&Q said the underpayments were unintentional and the result of calculations involving geographical allowances, while Five Guys blamed “technical differences in how payroll regulations were applied”.

The list of 658 businesses includes shops, restaurants, nurseries, social care providers and a handful of NHS trusts. The government did not say over what time period the underpayments spanned.

Minimum wage is £12.71 for staff aged 21 and over. For 18 to 20 year olds the rate is £10.85, and for under 18s and apprentices it is £8.

B&Q underpaid 4,530 workers a total of more than £456,000, according to the government.

B&Q said in response: “The shortfalls in payments were unintentional. They relate to calculations involving geographical allowances which are paid in addition to minimum hourly rates. All affected colleagues were quickly paid in full in July 2025.”

Five Guys, named in the list as owing over £54,000 to 3,699 staff, said “technical differences in how payroll regulations were applied” led to its underpayments, which were identified in a review by the HMRC, the UK’s revenue and tax authority.

“We worked closely and transparently with HMRC throughout the process and have made all required payments to affected current and former employees,” the company said.

St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group failed to pay over £123,000 to 75 workers, according to the list, which also says St George’s University Hospitals in Wandsworth, London, underpaid 55 workers.

A spokesman for the two hospital trusts said that “no colleagues were underpaid”.

“This relates to a technical compliance issue where part of their salary for a non tax-deductable ‘salary sacrifice’ (for example, towards childcare) was not counted towards the national minimum wage, even though their gross salary was above the national minimum wage,” he said.

A spokesperson said apprentices at Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust were inadvertently underpaid between 2019 and 2023.

They said while their pay met the requirements for their contracted hours, meetings, handovers and time spent changing into uniform hadn’t been accounted for, adding the trust has since changed policies and practices.

The other trust named has been contacted for comment.

There were also several nursing homes on the list, and multiple childcare providers.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the government was determined to stamp out the practice of “short-changing your staff”.

“The best businesses know that looking after your workers isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do,” he said.

Kate Dearden, minister for the future of work, said: “Underpaying your staff is illegal, and we will not let workers foot the bill for their boss failing to follow the rules.”

“Every employer should check their payroll now and reach out to Acas if they need further support,” she added.

The first 10 employers on the government’s list, which was sorted by the amount of wages not paid, are:

1. B&Q Ltd, failed to pay £456,934.72 to 4,530 workers.

2. Elysium Healthcare Holdings 3 Ltd, Borehamwood, failed to pay £330,048.81 to 1,095 workers.

3. St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group, failed to pay £123,331.97 to 75 workers.

4. Support Staff Services Limited, Slough, failed to pay £119,715.13 to 323 workers.

5. Forest Holidays Ltd, Moira, failed to pay £100,308.68 to 598 workers.

6. St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London (Wandsworth), failed to pay £77,498.91 to 55 workers.

7. Lanes Group Limited, Leeds, failed to pay £67,893.34 to 297 workers.

8. UK Care Team Ltd, Leicester, LE19, failed to pay £67,082.76 to 99 workers.

9. Five Guys JV Limited, London (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea), failed to pay £54,642.47 to 3,699 workers.

10. Merlin Cinemas Limited, Redruth, failed to pay £50,198.75 to 181 workers.

The list marks the first “naming round” since the Fair Work Agency was set up in April under the Employment Rights Act.

As well as enforcing the minimum wage, the agency also will soon tackle practices of denying workers holiday and sick pay.

Chair of the agency’s advisory board, Matthew Taylor, said naming employers which underpay staff was an important reminder that “paying the minimum wage is not optional – it is the law”.

He said: “Most employers want to do the right thing, and we will support them to comply, but those who fall short should expect robust enforcement to protect workers and maintain a fair playing field for responsible businesses.”

New York City public school students under 9th Grade will be banned from using generative AI for at least one year, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday.

Mamdani announced the new rule during a news conference Wednesday morning, saying it is part of a “comprehensive AI policy” for the city’s schools. The ban is only a “one-year moratorium” on AI use for students under 9th Grade, and is not a lasting ban for elementary and middle school students.

“AI has grown from something on the pages of a sci-fi novel into something present in nearly every aspect of our lives,” Mamdani said. “But just because technology is everywhere doesn’t mean that it belongs everywhere.”

“When it comes to AI in our schools, we hold an obligation to do the same,” he continued. “The tech industry wants us to believe that AI in early education is not only inevitable, but that it is necessary. We do not see it that way. I have yet to see a study showing that AI is beneficial for students in elementary and middle school.”

HARVARD RESEARCH FELLOW SAYS HIGHER EDUCATION MUST RETHINK WHAT STUDENTS LEARN IN AI ERA

Mamdani went on to thank New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for her efforts toward banning cell phones and social media platforms in schools. He argued these policies are aimed at protecting students from the harmful effects of technology until they are equipped to deal with them.

TOO MUCH SCREEN TIME MAY TRIGGER LASTING BRAIN DELAYS, TOP HEALTH OFFICIAL WARNS

“Whether we like it or not, our teenagers are growing up in an AI-saturated world. We cannot pretend that that world does not exist,” Mamdani said, saying high school students will learn about AI and “its opportunities and its pitfalls.”

He said students will participate in five separate AI programs, but cautioned that AI will never replace the reliance on student-teacher interaction.

WILLIAM BENNETT, JON HAGE: AI CAN MIMIC A TEACHER, BUT IT CANNOT SHEPHERD A SOUL

The announcement comes the same week Mamdani picked a fight with a teachers union over a proposed pay increase for city teachers. Mamdani’s office sued to block the pay raise after City Hall approved it last month, arguing the bill violates state law by preventing public employees from negotiating compensation.

United Federation of Teachers, which endorsed Mamdani in the mayoral election, intervened in the case last week.

MAMDANI SAYS EVEN IF HE CAN GET ALONG WITH TRUMP, HE STILL DEMANDS THAT ‘ICE SHOULD BE ABOLISHED’

“We knew this lawsuit was a possibility, and we were prepared,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The RESPECT check law, which was unanimously passed by City Council on July 16, was carefully drafted to make sure that it did not violate the state’s Taylor Law, which governs collective bargaining.”

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He added: “The City Council would not have introduced — let alone passed — this bill if it were illegal, and we would not have supported a bill that threatened our collective bargaining rights. This moment is an opportunity for Mayor Mamdani to create a new, fairer system and build the kind of city he said he wanted to lead. This administration must keep its promises, and we won’t stop until it does.”