10 Lame Excuses When Calling In Sick

Playing hooky isn’t just for Ferris Bueller. In the past year, 30 percent of workers have called in sick when not actually ill, keeping on par with previous years. Sick days, legitimate or otherwise, also become more frequent around the winter holidays, with nearly one-third of employers reporting more employees call in sick during the holiday season.

The study was conducted online by Harris Interactive^© from August 13 to September 6, 2012 and included 2,494 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 3,976 workers across industries and company sizes. Continue Reading

26% of Employers Plan to Hire Full-time, Permanent Employees In Next 3 Months

A recent survey of more than 2,000 employers nationwide is pointing to a more upbeat fourth quarter. Twenty-six percent of employers plan to add full-time, permanent headcount in the next three months, up five percentage points from 2011 and closely mirroring pre-recession estimates (27 percent). The study was conducted for Careerbuilder by Harris Interactive© from August 13 to September 6, 2012 and included 2,494 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 3,976 workers across industries and company sizes.

“This is the most optimistic fourth quarter projection since 2007,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “We’re seeing continued evidence of stability and growth in the U.S. job market. A dramatic upswing in hiring is not likely to happen in the near term, but we’re setting the stage for better job creation in 2013 and beyond.” Continue Reading

57% of Employers Offer Tuition Reimbursement

Even as tuition rates continue to escalate, the number of working adults re-entering the classroom to earn college degrees is on the rise. Many employers have picked up on this trend and are seizing the opportunity to offer a valuable benefit to their workforce. TheBenefits USA 2012/2013 survey results found 56.6 percent of employers now offer tuition reimbursement to all employees, which is a significant increase from 34.9 percent reported in 2009.

“Enrollment rates are expected to continue rising, and companies offering tuition reimbursement to their employees are putting themselves in a competitive position,” said Amy Kaminski, director of marketing for Compdata Surveys. “Not only are employers creating a stronger workforce, but they are arming themselves with a valuable tool in employee retention, as reimbursement benefits are becoming increasingly important to their employees.” Continue Reading

Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.8% as 114,000 New Jobs Added in September

Great economic news out of Washington this morning. The employment numbers for July and August were revised to reflect the fact that some 80,000 additional jobs were created during those months than initially estimated and the economy added another 114,000 jobs in September. This 194,000 surge combined with no increase in the number who have stopped looking for work resulted in the unemployment rate plummeting from 8.1 to 7.8 percent.

The unemployment rate decreased to 7.8 percent in September, and total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 114,000, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in health care and in transportation and warehousing but changed little in most other major industries.

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Layoffs Down 19% From 2011 and Lowest Since 1997

Downsizing activity remained relatively flat in September as US-based employers announced plans to cut 33,816 jobs from their payrolls during the month.  That was up 4.9 percent from a 20-month low of 32,239 job cuts in August, according to the latest report released Thursday by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Last month’s total was 71 percent lower than a year ago, when planned job cuts unexpectedly surged to a 29-month high of 115,730.   It was, in fact, the lowest September total since 1997 when only 20,698 were announced.

September brings to an end one of the slowest job-cut quarters in over a decade.  Employers announced 102,910 job cuts in the third quarter, down 27 percent from the previous quarter (139,997), and 56 percent lower than the third quarter of 2011 (233,258).  It was the lowest quarterly total since the second quarter of 2000, when planned layoffs numbered 81,568.

Employers have now announced 386,001 planned job cuts in 2012, which is 19 percent fewer than the 479,064 job cuts recorded by this point last year.  One has to go back to 1997 to find fewer job cuts announced through the first nine months of the year.  That year, employers announced 281,496 job cuts through September.

Contributing to the decline in monthly job cut figures is the significant drop-off in the number of layoffs announced by the government sector.  These employers announced just 14,186 job cuts through September, compared to 119,027 by this point in 2011.  Continue Reading

Private Sector Employment Increased by 162,000 in September

Employment in the U.S. nonfarm private business sector increased by 162,000 from August to September, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The estimated gains in previous months were revised lower: The July increase was reduced by 17,000 to an increase of 156,000, while the August  increase was reduced by 12,000 to an increase of 189,000.

Employment in the private, service-providing sector expanded 144,000 in September, down from 175,000 in August. Employment in the private, goods-producing sector added 18,000 jobs in September. Manufacturing employment rose 4,000, while construction employment rose 10,000, the strongest since March when mild winter weather was boosting construction activity. The financial services sector added 7,000 jobs in September, marking the fourteenth consecutive monthly gain. Continue Reading

10 Recommendations for Job Seekers With Criminal Records

Prisoner behind chain link fence courtesy of Shutterstock

While having a run-in with the law can have long-term repercussions for job hunting, a new study from CareerBuilder shows organizations are open to giving people second chances. Fifty-one percent of human resource managers reported that their organizations have hired someone with a criminal record.

The study, which was conducted by Harris Interactive^© and included more than 2,000 hiring managers nationwide, also looked at what job seekers with criminal records can do to help their chances of getting hired.

“The number one recommendation hiring managers have is to own your past and focus on what you learned from it to grow professionally and personally,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “You also want to stay active. Taking classes, volunteering and tapping into social networks can be good ways to help overcome obstacles associated with job hunting with a criminal past.” Continue Reading

Hiring of Class of 2013 Projected to Increase by 13%

Hiring will be up for new college graduates, according to a new report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). NACE’s Job Outlook 2013 survey shows that employers anticipate hiring 13 percent more Class of 2013 college graduates than they hired from the Class of 2012.

“While employers are seeking graduates from a broad range of disciplines, this fall they expressed particular interest in hiring new graduates with business, computer science, and engineering-related degrees and are looking to college campuses to supply their hiring needs,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.  Continue Reading

Dunkin’ Donuts Reveals Professions With Heaviest Coffee Drinkers

National Coffee Day is this coming Saturday and, according to a new survey commissioned jointly by Dunkin’ Donuts and CareerBuilder, food preparation and service workers are the professions that need coffee the most, followed by scientists and sales representatives. The survey results also show that coffee plays a major role in helping professionals perk up at work, as 43 percent of those who drink coffee claim they are less productive without a cup of Joe.

For the third year in a row, Dunkin’ Donuts and CareerBuilder partnered to determine the latest coffee consumption trends brewing in the U.S. workplace. The survey was conducted from August 13 to September 6, 2012 and included more than 4,100 workers nationwide. According to the results, the professions with the highest proportions of workers stating they are less productive without coffee vary widely. Those who need coffee to get through the workday the most are: Continue Reading

Seasonal Hiring Projected to Increase Holiday Season