Source: June 2014 BLS report The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its June 2014 unemployment report, which showed an overall monthly gain of 288,000 jobs, considerably higher than the 215,000 economists were expecting. The unemployment rate also saw an impressive decline of 0.2 percentage points, dropping from 6.3% to 6.1%, which is the lowest we’ve seen […] Read Article “June BLS Report: 288,000 Jobs Added, Jobless Rate Drops 0.2%”
Themes: Employers
STEM Skills Gap: Now is the Time to Act
The demand for professionals with STEM backgrounds – meaning Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – is steadily rising. Currently, there are 1.4 vacant STEM jobs for every qualified STEM job-seeker. If this rate persists, by 2018 there will be a projected 1.7 million STEM jobs without qualified applicants to fill them. Filling this skills gap […] Read Article “STEM Skills Gap: Now is the Time to Act”
Metropolitan Minimum Wage Increases Continue
At the end of last year, we wrote a blog post about California raising its minimum wage from $8 an hour to $10 an hour, and discussed the pros and cons of raising minimum wage. This month, Seattle passed a bill that increases the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, the highest in the […] Read Article “Metropolitan Minimum Wage Increases Continue”
3 Ways to Reward and Engage Your Best Talent
Talented employees are the leaders behind successful companies. To tap into your best employees and optimize their skill sets, employers need to strive for employee engagement consistently. When your top talent loses engagement or feels that their work is undervalued, they begin to seek out other opportunities. Here are three things you can do to […] Read Article “3 Ways to Reward and Engage Your Best Talent”
Five Rockstars of the Job Market
2014 has shown signs of particular growth – all of which results of key factors, including shifts in the economy and significant current events. The job market continues to hold strong in a few key industries: healthcare, finance, computer systems and information, and employment services. Although this list isn’t exhaustive, these industries will continue to […] Read Article “Five Rockstars of the Job Market”
Metropolitan Employment Improving Across the Country
Sources: Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Report – April 2014, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment – April 2014 The national BLS “The Employment Situation — May 2014” report showed a surge in employment, adding 217,000 new jobs to the economy, the fourth straight month to show 200,000+ job gains. Economists are hopeful that this continual upswing will prove to […] Read Article “Metropolitan Employment Improving Across the Country”
Is It Time to Update Your Workforce Readiness Program?
It is very popular in today’s society to talk about the younger generations’ negative personality traits. I, as a member of these younger generations, always assumed this was just an unfair but not unusual tendency of older generations to complain about “what the world is coming to.” However, this belief that younger people are lacking […] Read Article “Is It Time to Update Your Workforce Readiness Program?”
May BLS Jobs Report: Industry Breakdown
Source: BLS jobs report In May, the United States generated 217,000 new jobs, returning our employment rate back to pre-recession conditions. With this growth, the US has more jobs than it has seen in over four years – claiming 8.8 million new jobs since January 2008. The unemployment rate remained the same at 6.3 percent — this, […] Read Article “May BLS Jobs Report: Industry Breakdown”
Cultural Fit In Marketing Departments
In most marketing departments, cultural fit is defined as having a strong set of soft skills as well as values, beliefs and behavior that are in line with the organization’s culture. Skills can be taught or improved. Finding a candidate with the right personality and character traits, on the other hand, is often more difficult. […] Read Article “Cultural Fit In Marketing Departments”
May BLS Report: 217,000 Jobs Added, Jobless Rate Unchanged
Source: May 2014 BLS report The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its May 2014 unemployment report, which showed an overall gain of 217,000 jobs and the unemployment rate holding at 6.3% after last month’s drop of 0.4%. This data confirms a rebound of economic conditions from the winter slowdown. With these gains, employment has now […] Read Article “May BLS Report: 217,000 Jobs Added, Jobless Rate Unchanged”