One way to bring about pay equity is with increased pay transparency from companies. Next year, a new California law will go into effect that will help job seekers. The law that Governor Gavin Newsom signed this week will require companies to give salary ranges to current employees, if they should ask. So, companies will need to include the range in a job posting, as well as, offer the same information to their staff, upon request.
The new law will also put requirements on companies using third parties to document gender, race, and ethnicity reports. With so many global and national companies located in California, the ripple effect will be felt. California has about 20,000 firms with 100 or more employees, and under the new law, these companies will need to report back on the mean and median compensation of their employees, by race and gender. They’ll also need to report on contractor salaries.
The goal, of course, is increasing pay transparency and shrinking pay gaps. However, California isn’t the first state to put this into practice. Colorado, Washington state, and New York City, as well as, other municipalities across the country, have a similar law in effect. The challenge is ensuring salary ranges are accurate in the first place. Even if employees request information, if the range is inaccurate or too large, then it’s not particularly helpful.
Contract Opportunities to Watch: Palantir
Palantir is continuing their artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) support with the U.S. Army. The Army awarded a firm fixed price contract in the amount of $42,917,975 to Palantir this week. The award extends the work with Palantir to support all branches of the Armed Services, Joint Staff, and Special Forces as they test, utilize, and scale AI and ML capabilities across the DoD. Palantir’s software will continue to support warfighters, the data science community, and commercial AI companies across all facets of AI/ML research and development within the DoD. The contract is worth up to $229 million over one year.
“Maintaining a leading edge through technology is foundational to our mission and partnership with the Army Research Laboratory,” said Akash Jain, President of Palantir USG. “Our nation’s armed forces require best-in-class software to fulfill their missions today while rapidly iterating on the capabilities they will need for tomorrow’s fight. We are honored to support this critical work by teaming up to deliver the most advanced operational AI capabilities available with dozens of commercial and public sector partners.”
Key Employer in the Cleared Industry: TSA
Cleared Opportunities
MITRE has been operating operating in Hawai‘i at Ford Island and Camp Smith for nearly five decades. But now, they are expanding and opening a new facility in the Kaka‘ako Innovation District. This new site will accelerate support to Hawai‘i and Indo-Pacific priorities of the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the intelligence community, and international allies.
MITRE also entered into a partnership with the University of Hawai‘i (UH) to identify opportunities for collaborative analysis, engineering, and research. The partnership will focus on advancing marine technology, enhancing cyber defense, strengthening climate resilience, addressing natural resource management, and testing new energy technologies.
“We’re immersed in nearly every aspect of global strategic competition—from countering aggressive military actions by adversary nations, to safeguarding supply chains, accelerating maritime research and innovation, and preparing for the next global health crisis,” said Dr. Keoki Jackson, (photo left) senior vice president, general manager, MITRE National Security. “Our new facility in Honolulu, combined with new partners like the University of Hawai‘i, will strengthen our mission of solving problems for a safer world.”
So, if you’re interested in bringing work and play together, make your next stop on your cleared journey in Hawai‘i.
