How To Tell You Are In A Bad Economy

From the Herman Trend Alert (emphasis mine): In December, companies with fewer than 300 employees experienced employment growth of 1.54 percent, representing the largest percentage increase since June 2010. 1.54 percent?  That is encouraging?  I know, I realize there has been little to no growth, but 1.54 percent is almost as miniscule as it can be.  This is the largest growth in 18 months.  To say it is a difficult employment market would be a monumental understatement.

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Loan Out Your Employees

Now this is something I have not seen yet – loaning out your employees during slow periods.  Inc.com provides the article: How it works: On the StaffShare website the “seller” company lists the employee’s skills, daily rate, and availability. The cost is £50 (roughly $81.70) a year per candidate. The “buyer” company searches the database, uses the website’s message system to vet candidates and iron out details with the seller, and then a contract is sent electronically. The background behind the idea: “The companies had these redeployment pools of 1,000 people who needed to find other work within the company,” Flaxton says. “So we thought, ‘What if there was a… Read More

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‘Help Wanted’ Has Become Obsolete

Isn’t that the truth?  Here are some sobering points from a CNNMoney.com article: Businesses with fewer than 50 employees cut another 75,000 workers in October, according to estimates released Wednesday from payroll processor ADP. … A telephone survey of 830 small business owners conducted by management consulting firm George S. May International from Oct. 28-30 found that 74% of the owners polled do not plan to increase their staff headcount in the next 90 days. It has been our experience that sales hiring typically slows down during the holiday season, but companies often discuss their Q1 hiring plans with the intention of a fast start to the new year.  Unfortunately… Read More

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Q4 Job Forecast

Recruiting Trends provides a summary of CareerBuilder and USA Today’s Q4 Job Forecast and there are some interesting trends.  First, according to the survey workers are postponing active job searches but are open to a change if the right one comes along.  Of the 6,100 workers surveyed, 38% are planning to sit tight for the next year and wait for the economy to swing back while 41% plan on staying until retirement. This “squatting” will create some tension in that 23% of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in the next three months and 34% say they are having a hard time finding qualified candidates, especially in highly-skilled areas.  Not… Read More

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3.5 Years

That is the average length of a job in the U.S. according to The Career News newsletter (sorry, no link).  I find that number almost shocking, but the newsletter does not call out the criteria for their average.  I’m thinking part-time, minimum wage, seasonal and other positions could drag that number down.  At any rate, it does provide a bit of an eye opener to how our job market is changing. Gen Y is typically not a generation to be known as “lifers.”  They begin their work career without discussions of pensions and retirement.  Those days are long gone.  Instead, they are focused on skill development, jobs that interest them… Read More

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Gas Prices Leading To A Sea Change

According to a Workforce Management article the buzz at the SHRM conference inolved rising gas prices and the wide-ranging effects it is having.  In fact, the conference’s opening press event highlighted its recent poll showing how companies are trying to assist their workers.  The two most noted solutions were flexible schedules and telecommuting.  Some of the other ways they are helping are four-day weeks, gas cards and car-pooling. John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas made a great comment (my bold): These are more than short-term fixes, Challenger says. They are the beginning of a revolution in the office that will result in productivity being the central value of work, rather the… Read More

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Garden-Leave Clauses

Proprietary information is a nuclear topic when dealing with salespeople who are leaving a company.  Product info, service plans, actual costs vs. pricing are all hot topics.  But for sales, the one thing that keeps managers up at night is the security of the customer list. We see many companies who desire to hire a salesperson from the competition with the expressed hope that the salesperson will bring customers with them.  Quick note-it rarely happens, but that doesn’t stop companies from focusing their hiring strategy. CNNMoney.com provides an article that discusses the legalities of this approach.  In the article is a phrase that I have not encountered before – garden-leave… Read More

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Fourth Quarter Comeback

We have been talking to many of our customers and have seen a consistent trend among our small sample size – Q4 is going to be a good quarter.  Of course, that doesn’t do much for the last few days of this quarter and Q3, but it is a good sign. Now CNNMoney.com has an article that may have a significantly larger sample size: The Business Roundtable is an association of CEOs of major corporations, representing a combined work force of more than 10 million employees and $4.5 trillion in annual revenues. Here is the takeaway from this group (my bold): At the same time, a survey by the Business… Read More

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A Common Sales Ad Spec

Here is a bullet point from a sales employment ad: Home based office experience a major plus! Can you imagine reading that point just 5 years ago?

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Best Cities For Jobs In 2008

I always question how these lists are compiled, but they are interesting nonetheless.  Forbes.com recently released their list.  A quick preview of the top 5 cities: Salt Lake City, UT Wichita, KS Austin, TX Atlanta, GA Forth Worth, TX My sister and her family lived in Wichita for a couple of years and I took my family down there a couple times to visit.  I liked the town and it seemed to be quite busy for a smaller city.  I have to confess, I am surprised it is number 2.  There is a large aviation sector down there so that may be driving it.

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