Parallel HR » Economy

How MAXIMUS Empowers Employment to Build a Stronger Economy

Jamie Womack — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:17:11 +0000

CareerBuilder is proud to be working with MAXIMUS, where finding qualified jobs for qualified candidates is the ultimate goal. We help MAXIMUS find the talent they need to position both clients and candidates for success in today’s workforce. CareerBuilder believes in doing our part to contribute to a stronger economy, and we believe helping companies like Maximus empower employment is the way to get there. Continue reading

Hey, Employers! America Wants You (to Hire Veterans)

Amy Chulik — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:59:11 +0000

For U.S. veterans, returning to the workforce isn’t exactly easy. As of October 2011, more than 850,000 veterans were unemployed, and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans was 12.1 percent — well over the national average. According to whitehouse.gov, more than 1 million service members are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016. Continue reading

Is Traditional Retirement Disappearing? How Older Workers Are Redefining Their Careers

Amy Chulik — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:07:07 +0000

“Hey, remember when retiring was a ‘thing’? Those were the days.” While hearing that phrase might sound odd now, the fading out of traditional retirement not be so far off the mark: Fifty-seven percent of workers ages 60 and older said in a new Harris Interactive© study they would look for a new job after retiring from their current company–a sign that these days, retirement doesn’t necessarily mean the end of someone’s career. Continue reading

Relocation Nation 2012: How Workers and Employers Are Making a Move

Amy Chulik — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:50:55 +0000

We’ve talked recently about how voluntary turnover is on the rise this year. As it turns out, many of those workers may not be remaining anywhere near their own backyard when they leave their current job.

A whopping 44 percent of workers say they’ll relocate this year for the right job, according to a new CareerBuilder survey conducted by Harris Interactive© among more than 3,000 hiring managers and HR professionals and nearly 8,000 U.S. Continue reading

36% of Companies Are Leaning on Temporary Workers to Support Slim Staffs

Amy Chulik — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:05:15 +0000

It’s 2012. The year of presidential elections; the year of the world’s end, if you ask some; and, according to the results of a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive© of more than 3,000 hiring managers and HR professionals, the year of the temporary and contract worker?! Read more

Employers Plan to Bring Back Middle Management Positions

Mary Lorenz — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:19:21 +0000

First it was Arrested Development. Then it was Beavis and Butthead, followed by layaway and (presumably) pantyhose. Now, the latest comeback story of the season involves middle management. Middle management positions were a significant casualty of recession-era layoffs, but new research from CareerBuilder’s various industry sites indicate that many employers saw counterproductive consequences and are now rehiring for those positions. Employers surveyed in the retail, IT and healthcare industries indicated plans to bring back previously eliminated middle management jobs for the purpose of bringing structural gaps and addressing market demands. When assessing the impact of downsizing middle management, employers who made cuts in these industries cited both positive effects (cost-savings and more efficient operations) as well as negative ones (structural and emotional drawbacks). Don’t know what you got till it’s gone? According to industry experts, part of the reason for the resurgence in middle management jobs is that employers are now realizing just how essential middle management is to the organization.

“Middle management often gets a bad rap for adding bureaucratic layers to an organization, but these roles can be essential in maintaining team cohesion, retaining core talent and providing direction to workers,” says Bill Meidell, product director of WorkInRetail.com Jamie Carney, product director of Sologig.com, agrees. “When a department lacks leadership or direction, it is easier to see the value of middle management,” Carney says. “The data suggests that middle management plays an important role in making an employee’s work experience meaningful and productive.” “Middle management is essential to providing balance and direction within complex organizations,” adds Rob Morris, product director of MiracleWorkers.com. “They play important roles from onboarding new employees and tracking progress to building positive morale and maintaining chains of communication – all things that are difficult to do without.”

Check out details for each industry survey below…

Veterans Day 2011: A Closer Look at the Challenges and Opportunities Veterans Face

Amy Chulik — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:28:13 +0000

Tomorrow, on Veterans Day 2011, we take time to honor the scores of men and women who have fought for our freedoms. While we often honor our military veterans with words, how can we make a difference by taking action on some of those words? A great way for businesses to take the lead on this is by hiring a veteran. This Veterans Day is an opportune time for all of us to take a closer look at the strengths veterans bring to the workplace and discuss ways to help tackle the challenges many face -- and a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,800 hiring managers helps us do just that.

What kinds of challenges are veterans facing?

Well, as of October 2011, more than 850,000 veterans were unemployed, and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans was 12.1 percent -- well over the national average. This problem isn't going away, but instead becoming more of a challenge: According to whitehouse.gov, more than 1 million service members are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016. Veterans' skills are often highly specialized, and it is sometimes difficult for them to determine how to translate those skills to those that employers are seeking in a civilian workplace environment. Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America, has some advice for veterans struggling to reconnect and adapt to a civilian workforce:

“The survey shows that employers recognize the unique value military experience can bring, but that they don’t always understand how military skills fit into corporate America. Veterans will need to clearly make that connection in their resume, cover letter and job interviews as they enter this new chapter of their careers.”

New job resources for veterans

Resources are popping up everywhere to help veterans adjust to their new civilian lives and find jobs. In New Brunswick, NJ, for example, veterans are learning to release stress, heal, and adapt to civilian life through music classes, and CareerBuilder has recently launched a job site matching military veterans and employers, EmployVets.com. Exclusively for veterans returning to the job force, the site includes a tool for discovering how one's military skills translate to the civilian world, career advice and resources, and much more. Sites like VETransfer are aimed at helping veterans with an entrepreneurial streak start their own businesses by connecting them with financing and equipping them with the necessary resources to get their venture started. Veterans who believe they have a skills gap hindering their job search can also participate in the CareerBuilder Re-Employment Initiative, a paid internship program aimed at helping veterans and unemployed job seekers bridge the IT skills gap. This paid program will consist of several weeks of classroom training followed by up to six months of on-the-job, hands-on training with an assigned CareerBuilder software developer. Interested? See the job description and apply here.

What Do Employers Predict This Season Will Bring For Holiday Hiring?

Amy Chulik — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:38:48 +0000

As the carved pumpkins of Halloween were being given their final touches and trick-or-treating hosts were filling up their baskets for throngs of excited children, stores across the U.S. were already looking ahead to winter holidays -- and many employers had already lined up their seasonal staff for the busy time ahead. Yes, seasonal hiring is in full swing, and though employers expect to hire at similar levels this year as last, according to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,600 employers, a year's time has brought more perks in pay, 29 percent of retailers planning to have extra hands on deck around the holidays (a moderate decline from 2010), and nearly one-third of employers planning to turn some seasonal staff into full-time, permanent members of their team. INFOGRAPHIC: 'Tis the Season for Holiday Hiring: What Employers Predict This Year Will Bring Sales, customer service, technology, shipping, and administrative support are all hot areas for holiday hiring this season -- let's take a closer look at what else is happening:

Retail and hospitality outlook

As mentioned above, nearly three in ten retailers will have extra staff on hand to help this holiday season, a moderate decline from last year, and 10 percent of hospitality companies will add seasonal staff this year, the same percentage as last year. What do the similar patterns in seasonal hiring from last year to this year mean for the economy? As Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder, explained:

“Employers are keeping the status quo for holiday hiring as economic uncertainties shake consumer confidence,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “While retail has the lion’s share of seasonal jobs, you can also find opportunities in various industries and corporate roles."

Where is seasonal hiring happening industry-wide?

Many different types of companies are hiring for seasonal staff this year, in various functional areas where they need help the most during the holiday rush. Across all industries, popular areas for recruitment this holiday season include:

Customer Service – 30 percent
Administrative/Clerical support – 16 percent
Shipping/Delivery – 15 percent
Technology – 12 percent
Inventory management – 10 percent
Non-retail sales – 9 percent
Accounting/Finance – 8 percent
Marketing – 8 percent

Better pay is on the way

CareerBuilder CEO and Warren Buffett Talk U.S. Job Creation and Economic Recovery

Amy Chulik — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:57:18 +0000

When (almost) alone in a room with American business magnate and investor Warren Buffett, what do you ask him? CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson appeared on Bloomberg Television's "In the Loop" this morning to talk about just that. Buffett, Ferguson and a few other business leaders met last evening during Buffett's stop in Chicago for an event for Junior Achievement, and discussed everything from U.S. job creation and the outlook for our nation's economic recovery, to philosophies on business and the housing market. This was the first time Buffett and Ferguson had gotten a chance to meet. On "In the Loop," Ferguson shared a couple of highlights from their discussion:

More Jobs Than Expected Added in September

Mary Lorenz — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:40:16 +0000

From zero to 103,000 in 30 days…

What sounds like the tag line of a lame Nicolas Cage action movie (redundant?) actually describes the change in the number of jobs created since last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which released September’s Employment Situation Report this morning. Here’s a summary:

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 103,000 in September; however, that number includes the return to payrolls of about 45,000 [Verizon] telecommunications workers who had been on strike in August.
The private sector added 137,000 jobs in September, with health care and education leading the growth, while local government shed 35,000 jobs, including 24,400 in public education.
The number of unemployed persons was relatively unchanged at 14 million and the unemployment rate held at 9.1 percent.
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was 6.2 million in September.
Since April, payroll employment has increased by an average of 72,000 per month, compared with an average of 161,000 for the prior seven months.

While it’s nice to see that jobs were actually added this month (and even surpassed economists’ predictions of around 55,000), 103,000 still falls far short of the around 200,000 jobs needed each month just to fuel growth. But before I become too much of a Debbie Downer, I’ll just reiterate White House blogger Katherine Abraham’s advice to “not to read too much into any one monthly report.” Done and done, Katherine.