Our Talent and HR News Weekly Roundup is back and in full effect! We're going to try something different and share the latest news that affects work, talent, and HR - think job trends, unemployment reports, company changes, etc. Just read this roundup every Friday, and you'll be quite the conversationalist at weekend cocktail parties. As topics become popular in the news, we'll sometimes zero in on that in a given week. Let us know what you think!
1) America's Best Employers 2015 from Forbes
"As the job market starts to heat up for the first time in nearly a decade, the hunt for top talent is on. Workers have more options now than they’ve had in a long time. So who’s offering them the best situations? Forbes decided to find out by asking those in the best position to say: America’s employees. In partnership with Statista.com, we asked more than 20,000 American workers at large U.S. companies, nonprofit institutions like hospitals, government agencies, and U.S. divisions of multinationals a simple question: on a scale of 0-10, how likely would you be to recommend your employer to someone else? How about other employers in your industry. The result: a list of 500 employers, across 25 industries, where the workers like their jobs enough to spread the word."
2) U.S. Jobs, Services Sector Data Point to Growth Rebound from Reuters
"The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week while activity in the services sector hit a six-month high in March, underscoring the economy's solid fundamentals despite a recent softening in growth. Harsh weather, the now-settled labor dispute at the country's busy West Coast ports, softer global demand and a strong dollar undercut growth early in the first quarter. Thursday's upbeat reports, however, implied the slowdown would be temporary. "The good news is that claims and the services sector data suggest the economy has gained some momentum heading into the second quarter," said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody's Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania.Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 282,000 for the week ended March 21, the Labor Department said."
3) Target is Raising Its Minimum Wage to $9 an Hour from Huffington Post
"Target, the nation's second-largest retailer, is raising its minimum wage to $9 an hour, Dow Jones reported Wednesday. The change will take effect in April. The announcement comes just about a month after Walmart said that it would up its starting wage to $9, giving an estimated 500,000 workers a raise. Molly Snyder, a spokesperson for Target, would not confirm Dow Jones' report, only stating that Target pays above federal minimum wage in all of its stores. "We want to make sure we are competitive and make sure that we recruit great talent," she said."
4) Why Teens Are Getting Shut Out of the Workforce from US News
"The number of jobs held by teens between 14 and 18 years old shrank by 33 percent between 2001 and 2014, according to a study released Thursday by CareerBuilder. The report, which examined data for nearly 800 occupations, found the labor market shed 1.7 million teen jobs during that 13-year window. Staple positions for the age group – like coffee shop counter attendants and host or hostess positions – were not immune to the decline in young workers."
5) Study: Women and Minorities Gain Greater Shares of US Workforce from US News
The U.S. domestic workforce is a more culturally and gender-diverse body than it was in 2001, though it's still far from blemish-free, according to a report issued Thursday by CareerBuilder. The report, which analyzed data related to nearly 800 occupations, shows that the U.S. workforce has made significant strides since the turn of the millennium. Female, African-American, Hispanic and Asian workers all reportedly occupy a greater share of total domestic jobs than they did 14 years ago.
Lexi Gordon is a Lead Consultant for exaqueo, a workforce consultancy that helps organizations build their cultures, employer brands and talent strategies. Contact exaqueo to learn more about how we can help you build a workforce that’s aligned with your company culture and develop an employer brand that will allow your business to scale the right way.