US News

Retail sector sees 44,000 new jobs in August, further growth expected in fourth quarter

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Job growth is gearing up throughout the economy, and retail work seems to be one of the sectors in highest demand. Not only did August see more than 40,000 jobs added in retail positions, but projections for the forth quarter of 2013 appear to have even more potential.

There were 44,000 retail jobs added in August, according to Granted.com. Positions were equally distributed – clothing retailers added 14,000, while food and beverage retailers grew by 12,000, general retailers added 9,000 and electronics stores introduced 4,000 positions.

Growth is expected to increased through the end of 2013, as the fall holds the lucrative back-to-school and holiday seasons, with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all driving the need for more positions.

As a result, retail positions are expected to see the highest net gain through the fourth quarter, according to Bloomberg. Wholesale and retail trade are expected to see a 22 percent gain in jobs, good news during the busy months for both retailers and the general economy.

Retail hiring intentions are also expected to see major spikes, as 27 percent of the industry said they’ll likely add staff during the fourth quarter.

Uncategorized

IT hiring in North America to take slight step back in last quarter of 2013

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Information technology hiring across North America is expected to take a slight downturn in the final quarter of 2013, with chief information officers in both the United States and Canada reporting their hiring practices will fall.

In the United States, 11 percent of CIOs expect to expand their IT staffs in the fourth quarter of 2013, marking a 1 percent decline from one year ago for the same time frame, according to Fierce Enterprise Communications. Additionally, 65 percent of executives will only add new staff to fill positions that are currently open, rising 9 percent from the same time last year.

However, specific disciplines seem to have better success. Talent is desired in networking, database management and technical support. More than half of all respondents said desktop support and database skills were their greatest needs.

Meanwhile, only 8 percent of Canadian CIOs said they would expand their IT staff in the fourth quarter of 2013, falling 1 percent from the previous quarter. However, 82 percent of them were confident about their companies’ prospects for growth, while 69 percent of plan to hire for open IT roles. Slightly fewer companies will put their IT hiring plans on hold as well.

Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Monthly BLS Report, US News

Staying Competitive In a Candidate-Driven Workplace

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The overall economic picture continues to brighten for the life sciences. In August, 169,000 jobs were added to payrolls of employers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Furthermore, the National Venture Capitalists Association found that VC money flowing into the life sciences was up 41% in dollar terms in Q2 compared to Q1 at a figure of $1.3 Billion dollars.  Regardless of the economic indicators that you observe, one common theme remains: those life science companies that are looking for qualified candidates continue to struggle to find the talent that they need and to retain it. In order to do so, as this article states, you may need to get creative.

Additional vacation, flexible work hours, or simply increased recognition of an employee’s accomplishments, can be the difference between attaining and retaining top talent, and letting those impact players slip away. Let us partner with you to create those out-of-the-box strategies that will allow you to remain one step ahead of your competition in the ever increasing war for talent.

Healthcare Insurance, Healthcare Services, Insurance, Managed Care, Monthly BLS Report, US News

Summer is Over, Budgeting Begins

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With Labor Day behind us, the unofficial end of summer is here. Children are back in school, nights are getting cooler, and football is back. That can only mean one thing, budget season is here. This begins the time of year when we get to reflect on our previous year, and start planning for the next. Forecasting revenues, strategic planning, and that dreaded expense line. With a dwindling talent pool available, here are a couple of things to think about while putting your 2014 budgets together.

  1. Compensation: Make sure to budget a little bit extra into the base salaries. With the difficulty in acquiring good talent, you need to make sure you have enough to attract the candidates that YOU desire.
  2. Merit Increases: As you are looking to hire externally, so are your competitors. Show your employees the love with salary increases. If you don’t, someone will!
  3. Relocation expenses: Your ideal candidate may not be in your market, don’t skimp on the relo package. You don’t need to buy their house, but don’t insult them by offering 2-3k to move their own stuff.
  4. Sign-on bonuses: It has been some time since we have needed them, but they are a useful tool if you have to offset costs (i.e. benefit differential, 401k, bonus money they are leaving behind).

Budgets can be a painful and arduous process. Make sure that you keep in mind ALL the expense tied to new hires.

 

Chemical, Engineering, Manufacturing, Mining, Plastics, US News

Road to Recovery

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated at the end of 2012 there were 3.6 million job openings monthly, up from 3.2 million in 2011. During the same period average monthly hires remained steady at 3.2 percent. Separations, mostly due to quits, increased by a lesser margin, averaging 4.0 per month in 2011 to 4.1 million in 2012, increasing slightly to 3.1 percent.  According to Kendra Hathaway at BLS, this information indicates a positive trend, except that hires are not growing at the same increase rate as job openings. As of June 2013 this increased to 3.9 million, hires are steady at 3.1%. There appears to be job available for those who want to make a change. Additionally, Gallup’s latest annual poll indicated less than half (47%) of employees are satisfied with their jobs. The staffing industry indicates nearly 8 out of 10 employees are open to making a job change. Be mindful because the hiring process is riddled with challenges. The feature article discusses that unique measures are required to attract candidates and beat out counteroffers. Employers continue to be disappointed by turn downs, which can be due to limited and restrictive compensation offers and limited relocation support. Candidates are more frequently presented with multiple job offers. In order to be a top employer, companies must be savvy with both existing employee development programs and with creating exciting offers and career paths for new hires.

 

US News

Healthcare hiring may slow, but field still full of growth

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While the latest analysis for employment in the healthcare industry in the United States have ominous predictions for the industry’s future, it remains one of the fields providing the most potential for growth.

In July, the healthcare industry only added 2,500 jobs, the lowest monthly total in the industry for an entire decade, according to US News and World Report. The news comes as 2013’s hiring has slowed 40 percent from 2012 and 20 percent from 2011 – current patterns imply 2013’s average may become the lowest since 1999.

These figures are troubling as healthcare accounts for upwards of 10 percent of all jobs in the United States. Their decline may be caused by the weak economy, rising costs and more efficient technology, according to experts.

However, there are still plenty of opportunities for growth in the field, according to Med City News. Seventeen of the nation’s 30 jobs that are most likely to grow through 2020 include some connection to healthcare or medicine, as an aging population and more complex medical devices are primed to hasten some fields’ job growth.