The company has ambitious plans to hire more veterans and buy more U.S. goods. The new programs have drawn mixed reactions.
By Toni Vranjes
May 3, 2013 No Comments
The unemployment rate dropped to 7.5 percent last month, as employers hired more people than expected.
In April, the economy gained 165,000 jobs, beating economists’ predictions of 140,000 new positions. Employment growth is also up from March, when employers created 138,000 new jobs, according to the government’s revised numbers.
Another good sign: the revised figures show 114,000 more jobs for February and March combined than initially estimated.
Read MoreBy Toni Vranjes
April 5, 2013 No Comments
The new employment report brought a lot of underwhelming news.
Economists had forecast that 200,000 new jobs would appear last month, but the government reported today that the job growth in March was only 88,000. In contrast, the government’s revised numbers show that the economy added 268,000 jobs in February. The slowdown created new uncertainty about the state of the job market.
Read MoreBy Toni Vranjes
March 8, 2013 No Comments
Employers created 236,000 jobs last month — an extremely strong pace of hiring that surprised economists. Meanwhile, the U.S. jobless rate dropped from 7.9 percent to 7.7 percent, the Labor Department reported today.
One especially strong area was professional and business services, which added 73,000 new positions. Gains also occurred in construction, health care, retail trade, and the information industry. However, government employment fell by 10,000.
The robust growth for February topped economists’ predictions of 160,000 total new jobs.
Read MoreBy Toni Vranjes
February 19, 2013 No Comments
Retail giant Walmart is moving forward with ambitious plans to increase job opportunities in three areas. Last month, the company announced major plans to hire more veterans and to boost U.S. manufacturing, while promoting advancement opportunities for part-time employees.
The announcements received a lot of publicity because of Walmart’s huge influence – ranking as the largest private employer in the nation. The Arkansas-based company employs 1.4 million people in the United States alone.
Read MoreBy Toni Vranjes
February 1, 2013 No Comments
Employers continued to boost their payrolls in the new year, with 157,000 jobs created in January. Nevertheless, the nation’s unemployment rate increased slightly, from 7.8 percent to 7.9 percent.
One particularly strong area was retail trade, which added nearly 33,000 jobs. Other areas of employment growth included construction, health care, and professional and business services. Meanwhile, government employment fell by 9,000.
In addition, revised government data show that employment growth during the last two months of 2012 was stronger than initially reported. The revisions show job gains of 247,000 in November, up from 161,000. The Labor Department also revised December’s job growth upward, from 155,000 to 196,000.
Read MoreBy Toni Vranjes
January 4, 2013 No Comments
The U.S. economy continued to add jobs at a steady pace during the holiday season, according to the government’s latest report.
The nation added 155,000 jobs in December, meeting economists’ expectations for the month. The unemployment rate was 7.8 percent, the same level as the previous month. (The government revised the November jobless rate from 7.7 percent to 7.8 percent).
One area of strong growth was health care, which added 45,000 jobs. Employment gains also occurred in food services and drinking places, as well as construction and manufacturing.
Read MoreBy Toni Vranjes
December 26, 2012 No Comments
A holiday tradition continues this year, when the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas holds its 27th annual “job-search call-in.”
Tomorrow and Friday, discouraged job seekers can get free career tips by calling (312) 422-5010. Professional career counselors will be taking calls from 9 am to 5 pm CST on both days.
The event is relevant to many people. About 12 million Americans are unemployed, while millions more either have dropped out of the labor force, or are working part-time because they can’t find full-time work.
On the firm’s blog, CEO John A. Challenger wrote that he expects the job market to continue its gradual improvement in 2013. He notes that one element of an effective job-search approach is “being in the right place at the right time.” Callers will learn strategies aimed at boosting their odds of “being in the best position” when jobs do open up, he wrote.
Some of the general advice: expand your contacts through networking, and consider jobs in a variety of industries, companies and cities. Another tip: be open to jobs at financially struggling companies, because they’re seeking people who can help turn around the business.
Read MoreBy Toni Vranjes
December 21, 2012 No Comments
What trends have been shaping human resources in recent years, and what are the expectations for 2013? To provide insight, Revive My Career is running a three-part series covering key developments in HR.
In recent years, employers have embraced a variety of flexible work options, according to a study by the Families and Work Institute. The survey found that more businesses are offering options for when and where to work. The researchers surveyed 1,126 employers with 50 or more workers.
From 2005 to 2012, many options expanded, including:
By Toni Vranjes
December 20, 2012 No Comments
What trends have been shaping human resources in recent years, and what are the expectations for 2013? To provide insight, Revive My Career is running a three-part series covering key developments in HR.
With the economy gradually improving, many employers have unfrozen their salary increase budgets, and they’re continuing to reward top performers, according to a report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Companies are very worried about retaining their best performers, according to a survey released in June by WorldatWork, Hay Group, and Loyola University Chicago professor Dow Scott. Several forces are at work, including U.S. demographic shifts and international trends. Baby Boomers are retiring, and employers in other countries are findings ways to hold onto their most talented people, notes Marcia Rhodes, a WorldatWork spokeswoman. Meanwhile, jobs are becoming more complex. For all these reasons, there’s fierce competition for strong performers.
Read MoreBy Toni Vranjes
December 19, 2012 No Comments
What trends have been shaping human resources in recent years, and what are the expectations for 2013? To provide insight, Revive My Career is running a three-part series covering key developments in HR.
Many companies are once again investing in HR technology, in order to improve services and become more efficient, according to a report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The major focus areas are software as a service and shared services, which are becoming the most prevalent models for delivering HR services.
In a survey released in August by HR consulting firm Towers Watson, most employers reported that their HR technology budgets would either increase, or stay the same, in the coming year. The report, which surveyed 628 companies, found that 53 percent plan to spend the same amount, while 31 percent expect to increase their spending. Only 16 percent planned to reduce their investments.
Read More
