What’s the Data Source?

Talent HQ’s Jason Buss makes a great point in “The Truth About Social Recruiting Headlines” – the information provided to us can be validated and justified depending on how the data is put together and put in front of us. He cites many examples of headlines contradicting each other, showing how each presents a different space for the best hiring source. Here is data he shares:

Facebook is the #1 recruiting source, accounting for 78% of hires
Employee referrals are the #1 recruiting source, accounting for nearly ½ of all hires
Job boards are not dead, they are alive and well – accounting for nearly 40% of all hires
Nearly 2/3 of hires found their job through “internal sources”

Wary Overall, Employment Trends Continue

According to data released by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), the first quarter of 2012 saw a small increase, 2.5%, in the number of new executive searches started, as compared to the fourth quarter of 2011; yet the first quarter of 2012 resulted in an overall declining trend in revenue, on both a quarter to quarter (at -6.3%) and year to year (at -7%) basis. Also noteworthy in the AESC data is that most major industries report drops in demand with only the technology and consumer industries showing strength.

Is Social Media Beneficial to the Recruiting Process?

A study from Allied HR IQ, an initiative funded by Allied Van Lines, finds recruiting is set to move into high gear in 2012. Yet many companies lack confidence in their recruitment and relocation programs; and, even more important, the overall rate of recruiting success for many companies is not as high as it could be.

According to the report, 80% of HR professionals are planning for extensive or moderate recruiting activity (in companies smaller than 10,000 employees) – with one-third indicating they have no recruitment plan or limited plans for recruiting in 2012. Among respondents, 52% say their programs are only “somewhat successful” – and among those who indicate that their programs are highly successful, nearly 20% lost top candidates during their process; more than one-quarter secured 50% of top candidates; and almost all respondents say their companies could do more to improve recruiting prospects. Almost all respondents also indicate that not all recruiters are using all the recruiting tools they could, including social media.

Job Opportunities on the Rise for Graduates

According to the April 2012 Salary Survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the overall median salary for the Class of 2012 college graduates has risen by 4.5% from 2011. NACE also reports that employers plan to increase spring graduate hiring by 10% over last year. While down from last year, the same survey finds employers are expecting to increase college graduate hiring by 21% compared to the class of 2010.

Employers Very Concerned about Retaining Top Talent

According to Right Management, nine out of 10 employers are finding it harder to fill key jobs despite ongoing high unemployment – and, of those employers, more are experiencing difficulty more frequently than last year (at 27%). Right Management also finds that 77% of employers rely on a combination of internal talent development and selective external hiring to fill key positions.

Majority of Employers Uses Workforce Analytics to Measure Employee Turnover Trends but Many Fail to Realize Importance for Business Operations

According to a recent survey from Visier, a provider of workforce analytics solutions, 78% of employers are using workforce analytics to make informed decisions about human capital and talent management, while 22% have no system in place. The survey also finds that 65% of respondents believe employee performance is a key indicator of success at their organization.

While using workforce analytics to manage talent is widely accepted, the survey reveals there is room for greater improvements in the solutions selected for reporting HR data – and that better ways to utilize analytics in relation to operations are needed.

Is Social Media Effective for Recruiting?

According to new research from membership organization CompTIA, expanding your social presence can have positive impacts on your business operations. Lessons learned from Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can help companies improve internal and external processes, but more importantly the study suggests businesses can improve communications, recruiting, customer relationships, and other processes by expanding social engagement beyond these well-known public sites and by empowering social enterprise tools.

Retention Tips for Skilled Employees

Research conducted by Wanted Analytics, a provider of business intelligence for the talent marketplace, finds there were more than 42,000 jobs advertised online for retail sales workers last month – a job category where workers tend to be looked at as a commodity because of high turnover. Yet, there was a 92% year-over-year increase compared to February 2011 – and a 7% month-over-month increase compared to January 2012.

Well-Being of Employees Significant to Bottom Line

According to research from WorldatWork, organizations’ health and wellness offerings have expanded beyond traditional programs to integrated well-being programs. These well-being programs now address mental and emotional health, financial health, work-life effectiveness, and workplace environment and stress, with the aim of keeping employees happy and engaged. An engaged workforce results in higher productivity, and it’s therefore important that organizations are providing programs that incorporate work-life balance and well-being.

Most States See Drops in Unemployment

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, employers took 1,434 mass layoff actions in January involving 129,920 workers (measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits). Each mass layoff involved at least 50 workers from a single employer. While mass layoff events in January increased by 50 from December, the number of associated initial claims decreased by 15,728; the number of mass layoff events in January was 1,705, not seasonally adjusted – resulting in 141,703 initial claims for unemployment insurance. However, over the year, the number of average weekly mass layoff events decreased by 86 to 426, and associated average weekly initial claims decreased by 13,867 to 35,426.