1.6 Million U.S. Jobs Gained in 2011; Ultimatejobboard.com Leading the Way, While Social Media Accounts for Only 1% of Placements

NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Labor Department reports 1.6 million jobs gained in 2011, 200,000 of them just last month. And the unemployment rate continues to plummet, currently at 8.5 percent, a level last seen in February 2009.
While the recent adoption of all things social media is widely apparent across many business sectors, including the corporate recruitment space, surprisingly, only 1 percent of employers sited social media as the source of new hires; while an overwhelming 19 percent are placed from an online job board, matched only by internal transfers; even referrals came in lower at 16 percent according to HR consultants Bersin & Associates.

Glassdoor Launches “Inside Connections,” Leveraging Users’ Facebook Networks for Career and Job Hunting

SAUSALITO, Calif. – (February 2, 2012) ­– Glassdoor, a jobs and career community where people share job and workplace insights, today announced the launch of Inside Connections, a new product that leverages Facebook to help job seekers quickly uncover if they know someone at a company where they want to work.

To access Inside Connections, job seekers simply sign in to Glassdoor (www.glassdoor.com) using Facebook Connect to instantly see where they have an “in” at more than 150,000 companies around the globe. For example, if you are interested in working for Google, simply sign in to Glassdoor using Facebook and visit the Google profile page to discover who within your Facebook friend network, including friends of friends, currently works or has worked there. From there, you can browse the deep content Glassdoor maintains about each company, including job listings, anonymous reviews and ratings, salary reports and interview questions and reviews – all for specific job titles from current and past employees and job candidates.

Acquiring and Developing Talent in the Healthcare Industry

WACO, TX; February 2, 2012 – Bersin & Associates released a research report titled: Selection Assessments for Acquiring and Developing Talent in the Healthcare Industry. Authored by Kim Lamoureux, Principal Analyst at Bersin, the report outlines the current situation of the global healthcare industry and the many people-challenges faced by hiring managers in these organizations.

One in every eleven U.S residents is employed in the healthcare industry, however approximately one in every seven new hires in the industry leaves his/her job within the first twelve months. Employment in the U.S. is plentiful’ having one of the largest medical and healthcare industries in the world. However, the business environment can be quite a complex one, facing regular challenges with government regulations, specialized billing and nurse shortages.

Looking Ahead

Only one-in-five employees considers their job rewarding and gratifying, according to research conducted by Right Management, while finding good candidates remains the top recruiting challenge for organizations, according to a new survey from Talent Technology Corporation, which also finds the more specific and higher skilled the job requirements, the harder it is to find qualified candidates – it’s been taking an average of 45 days for recruiters to fill a position. Survey results offer other insight: 63.4% of respondents see signs of economic pressure being relieved within their organization, and 51.4% expect to increase in size within the next 12 months (by about 12%) – suggesting new job requisitions, as well as corporate and economic growth, are possible in 2012.

ROI and Mobile Assessments Are Important to HR Professionals in 2012, Says Market Research Firm SIS International Research

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ — SIS International Research (www.sismarketresearch.com), a Global Market Research & Consulting firm, has released its Talent Management Trends 2012 White Paper on Industry Trends in Human Resources Recruitment and Talent Management, based on the findings from a recent qualitative industry trend study across the United States among senior HR executives.

Today’s Human Resources departments are being pushed in new directions, due to the continued jobless recovery, the expectations of the emerging Millennials in the workforce, as well as the introduction and refinement of new technologies. Companies are increasingly moving to online assessments, believing them to be less costly and time-consuming. In addition, corporate branding is becoming an integral part of the application experience. As a result, social media and mobile platforms are becoming an important tool to attract applicants.

Infinisource Launches Human Capital Management Solution For Small to Mid-Size Companies

CHARLOTTE, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Infinisource, a national leader in human capital management, today announced the launch of new technology to help small and mid-size companies take the hassle out of managing a workforce with a unified, easy-to-access platform called Infinisolved Human Capital Management® (HCM). It is the first expanded product offering since Infinisource received a majority investment from private equity firm Accel-KKR last fall to boost its growth and broaden its suite of products.

“We surveyed companies across the country and found that small to mid-size employers and their employees are struggling to find a way to simplify benefits administration and other workforce programs so they can focus on doing their best work,” said Infinisource CEO Gary Trainor.

EmployeeScreenIQ Webinar Examines HR Response to Background Check Challenges, Reveals 2012 Trends Survey Results

CLEVELAND / January 31, 2012 – When a job candidate’s background check doesn’t check out, an employer’s next move can spell the difference between a legal hiring decision and costly litigation.

HR professionals are invited to attend a free webcast from EmployeeScreenIQ, the leading global provider of background screening services, and discover the steps their industry peers take (and don’t take) to stay out of legal hot water. They’ll also pick up some practical tips from the experts for handling challenging hiring situations. The webinar, scheduled for February 15 and titled, “Risky Business: Ensuring Your Background Check is Legally Compliant,” will also offer attendees a first look at the results of the company’s 2012 trends survey.

Sentric Releases New Generation of Workforce HCM

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (January 18, 2012) – Sentric, Inc., a Human Capital Management software and services firm, announced a major enhancement to SentricWorkforceTM with the completion of its upgraded Payroll component, targeting middle market organizations seeking a “cloud-based,” integrated workforce management suite featuring HR, Payroll and Time & Labor Management tools.

Workers Are in a Bad Mood, Says Survey

PHILADELPHIA, January 31, 2012 – Most employees say their job is unrewarding and saps their energy, according to a new survey by Right Management, the talent and career management experts within ManpowerGroup. Only one-in-five consider their job rewarding and gratifying…and the rest say they just want to enjoy their lives and that is why they work.

The survey was conducted in December and January and 438 North American workers responded to the question:

Which of the following best describes your present work situation?

Why Substantive Job Growth Remains Elusive

GREAT BARRINGTON, MA – The U.S. economy is now producing about the same amount of goods and services as in 2007, the year before the recession hit. Unfortunately, it is doing so with 6.3 million fewer workers.

The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), a nonprofit economic research organization, recently compared production and employment across various industries in 2007 and 2010 (the latest data available). Their findings are charted and explained below.

AIER FINDINGS:

While production totals are similar in 2010 as in 2007, the mix of goods and services is different. Underlying the country’s current economic expansion is a radically reallocated market.

The industries that are growing are not the ones that lost the most jobs during the recession.

Dwindling employment in nearly every industry signals that the economy has become more efficient in using labor. Nearly all industries need fewer workers to produce the same amount of goods and services.