Steady U.S. Employment Reported for December 2011

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, warns workers that failing to update skills and communicate their intrinsic value to employers will derail their re-entry into the workforce, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today reported that the overall December unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest level since February 2009, and that 212,000 new private sector jobs were created last month. November’s unemployment rate was revised up to 8.7 percent.

The economy has added U.S. jobs for 15 consecutive months. While today’s figures are generally positive, the pace of job creation has not yet compensated for the number of roles lost during the recession.

Confronting the Paper Skeletons in the Closet: Automated I-9 Audits

JobApp Network — November 7, 2011 — There was a time when the employer’s biggest concern was getting customers in the door – and getting them to keep coming back. But now, one of employers’ biggest concerns comes from the hiring process, specifically the I-9 form that is used to establish a worker’s employment eligibility.

Opportunity for Advancement Employees’ Top Priority

PHILADELPHIA, PA, October 25, 2011 – Despite workplace pressures and slow growth for compensation, greater opportunity for advancement is the number one priority sought by employees in their next position, according to a survey by Right Management, the talent and career management experts within ManpowerGroup.

Employee Morale and Engagement at Risk

A recently released study from Modern Survey finds the U.S. workforce has a pessimistic outlook when it comes to work, and employee engagement has sunk to new lows: 70% of the workforce are disengaged or under engaged in their workplace environment, and 21% of workers report they are seeking new employment – with only 8% (another record low) fully engaged. According to a study conducted by Towers Watson, more U.S. companies are having difficulty attracting critical-skilled employees – with 56% of survey respondents reporting problems attracting these employees (a 28% rise from 2009), and 42% reporting difficulty attracting top-performing employees. However, this report makes note that 10% of companies are having difficulty attracting or retaining their employees generally.

Reward Systems Integral Part of Compensation Planning

Kansas City, Kan. – Rewarding employees for their contributions to a company is nothing new, and although fallout from the recession caused many companies to revaluate their compensation strategies, offering rewards remains a prominent piece of the compensation puzzle. The newly released 2011 BenchmarkPro survey results found 70 percent of employers offer bonuses as a reward to employees.

Compensation Is Changing

A recent news release from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shows the economic situation continues to have an impact on benefit offerings – with a slight increase of HR professionals reporting employee benefits have been negatively affected by the economy. According to the SHRM 2011 Employee Benefits Research Report, there was a 5% year-over-year increase from 2010 (at 72%) – with nearly 77%, just over two-thirds, reporting the negative impact. This is quite relevant in terms of the employment situation. In addition, more respondents indicate offerings have decreased significantly in the past five years – with almost all benefit types seeing a decrease in offerings since the height of the recession. The only categories to see increases are Healthcare and Welfare benefits (for Prescription drug coverage) and Retirement Saving and Planning benefits (for Defined contribution plans – including Automatic enrollment, and Roth 401(k) savings plan) – with the highest rise belonging to the Roth 401 (k) savings plan from 16% in 2007 to 31% in 2011.

Countering the Counter Offer

Have you ever sourced the Best Candidate; sold them on the opportunity with your company or client; worked with them through the interview process, answering their questions; helped the hiring manager determine the best compensation package; extended an offer that they accepted; and then lost the candidate to a counter offer? If you have been in the recruitment business for any amount of time, you have experienced that sinking feeling when they stop returning your calls.

Graduates’ Wants Have Changed

According to new research conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the Class of 2011 has ranked their top benefits and attributes they seek in their employers – and things have changed.

Yoh Index Finds Corporate Uncertainty Coupled with Jobless Recovery Flattens Wages and Employment Prospects for Highly Skilled Temporary Workers

PHILADELPHIA –(BUSINESS WIRE)– After two straight quarters of modest wage increases for temporary technical professionals, the Q2 Yoh Index of Technology Wages found that this positive movement has stalled. The reversal of a six month (Figure 1) trend of wage increases for this segment of the American labor market suggests a slackening demand for temporary technical professionals, whose employment prospects are typically viewed as a bellwether for the overall employment market. Wages, which stood at $30.98 an hour in March 2011, increased a modest one cent an hour to $30.99 by June 2011 (Figure 2).

First Time in Decades: Salary Budgets Lag Behind U.S. Rate of Inflation

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–For the first time since 1980 the U.S. rate of inflation is higher than the average total salary budget increase. During the 12-month period ending April 2011 inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, was 3.2 percent. That compared to a total salary budget increase of 2.8 percent for the same period. Source: “WorldatWork 2011-2010 Salary Budget Survey.”