Dive Brief:

• Oregon's governor signed a predictive scheduling bill into law on Aug. 8 that applies to employers in the retail, hospitality and food service industries that have at least 500 employees.
• The law, which took effect immediately, requires that employers provide workers with a "good-faith" estimate of their work schedule when they're hired and, after that, written schedules seven days in advance. Beginning July 1, 2020, that increases to 14 days. Employers also must pay workers a fee when their schedules change on short notice.
• While some cities have adopted predictive scheduling laws, too, Oregon appears to be the first state to do so.

Dive Insight:

While this law only applies in Oregon, it's indicative of a larger national trend. New York City, San Francisco and Seattle all have adopted similar measures. And more may be on the horizon; at least 12 other states have considered predictive scheduling, according to MultiState, a state and local government relations services firm.

So who's next? Derek Jones, VP of business development at Deputy, a workforce automation company, previously told HR Dive he sees a correlation between the drive for predictive scheduling and other employment law advocacy. “I think it’s safe to say where there has been an appetite to drive the minimum wage to $15, so predictive scheduling laws will follow,” he said.

And while many employer groups have decried these laws, citing the need to adjust staffing levels in response to consumer demand, there there may be at least a few silver linings, experts say: happier employees (of those who get to keep their job) and predictable payrolls.