Archive for August 2016
Study: 68% of HR professionals report challenging recruiting conditions
The New Talent Landscape, HR professionals across industries are reporting a more challenging market for talent in 2016 compared with recent years. The reasons? A low number of applicants, lack of the needed work experience among candidates, competition from other employers, candidates’ lack of technical skills, and the local market not producing enough qualified candidates. The…
Read MoreWhite House announces new commitments to the Fair Chance Business Pledge
the White House launched the Fair Chance Business Pledge. This move set out to encourage companies to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed, including individuals who have had contact with the criminal justice system. The pledge represents a call-to-action for all members of the private sector to improve their communities by eliminating…
Read MoreDo 'ban the box' policies help or hurt low-skilled workers?
published recently by Jennifer Doleac, an assistant professor of public policy and economics at the University of Virginia, found that ban the box policies actually lowered the probability of employment by 5.1 percent for young, low-skilled black men and 2.9 percent for young, low-skilled Hispanic men. According to Doleac, who conducted the study with the…
Read MoreJuly 2016 employment: US adds 255,000 jobs
The Employment Situation’ news release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy added 255,000 jobs in July. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.9 percent (7.8 million). Among the major worker groups, unemployment rates in July were little changed for adult men (4.6 percent), adult women (4.3 percent), teenagers (15.6 percent), Whites, (4.3 percent),…
Read MoreWant to increase employee productivity? Be a more positive manager.
Citing a study from the University of Michigan, Seppala claims that the best way to improve employee performance has nothing to do with perks and benefits, as one might imagine, but it’s actually “positive and virtuous practices” that help employees excel in a number of domains. So what ARE positive and virtuous practices? They might include: Caring…
Read MoreDepartment of Labor seeks to expand opportunities for underrepresented populations
ApprenticeshipUSA initiative, the department’s Employment and Training Administration announced it is seeking to award three to five contracts to workforce intermediaries, including community-based organizations; labor organizations; or workforce, industry and education organizations to develop national or regional “opportunity partnerships.” This is the fourth installment of a $90 million funding strategy to grow and diversify apprenticeship…
Read MoreThe cost of workplace stress on your employees – and the solution
study reported by Harris Interactive a massive 80% of workers feel stress on the job, and an earlier survey by NIOSH showed that three-fourths believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago. These are significant numbers – and the trend suggests they’re only getting worse over time. According to the Harvard Business Review,…
Read MoreStudy: Americans overwhelming support employment background checks
2016 Sterling Talent Solutions Survey, the largest survey ever conducted among the American population on the subject of employment background checks, provided valuable insights into what employees really think about employment background checks. Employers, take note. The survey data makes it abundantly clear that the American public believes it is the responsibility of employers to take…
Read MoreBan the box legislation to take effect in Portland, OR
Removing Barriers to Employment Ordinance, is now officially in effect. Parallel to this, the Portland City Attorney’s Office has published Administrative Rules and documents related to the new legislation. These rules, which are to be “liberally construed,” provide insight into how the City and the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) will…
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