ANTICIPATING THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT OF 2025. Seeking people of ability? Prepare to offer compensating differentials.

Companies' rising demand for top talent is a boon to job candidates. Compared with the not-so-distant past, candidates now are likely to get more-generous job offers, more promotions and flexible work hours.

Although overall wages are not rising at a fast clip, those in industries where talent shortages are particularly acute — such as engineering, health care and accounting — are seeing significant pay increases.

All of which means it's tougher on employers, especially those eager to hire top performers or appeal to the job market's newest demographic: workers from Generation Y, generally defined as those born from 1977 to 2002.

It's only a matter of time until the lawful "workweek" becomes 9 to 5 Monday-Thursday, and 9 to 1 Friday, at least for the individuals in greatest demand (although among those individuals will be many who will still start at 6 am and down tools at 10 pm.) That workweek will later be codified as a national standard, but, as we have discovered in France, it will not make the lot of mediocre and poor performers any better.