The Storm Report

CareerBuilder Releases Q2 U.S. Job Forecast - Statistics and Trends Show Optimism for Future of Hiring in 2010

CareerBuilder and USA Today released a new quarterly job forecast this month, featuring several trends and statistics that reveal an optimistic outlook for the quarter. The report shows a rise in temporary hiring, which can be a good leading indicator for stability in the market and the creation of more permanent jobs later on. For the third consecutive quarter, more employers also reported that they expect to increase headcount in the next three months, while fewer will cut staff. Further, 23 percent of employers intend to add full-time, permanent employees and 64 percent don’t plan to change their headcount. Only 8 percent reported that they plan to decrease headcount.

Several featured employment trends include:

- Contract workers: Hesitant to accelerate hiring of permanent staff, companies are employing temporary workers to help fill productivity gaps. One-quarter of employers anticipate hiring contract workers or freelancers in the second quarter. Thirteen percent said they are likely to hire these workers on a permanent basis.

- Social media: Nine percent of employers plan to hire a new employee in the second quarter to focus on social media. An additional 13 percent plan to add social media management to a current employee’s responsibilities.

- Bilingual workers: Employers are diversifying their workforce to appeal to broader consumer segments, including building bilingual teams. One-third said they plan to hire bilingual candidates in the second quarter. Half said that if they had two equally qualified candidates, they would be more inclined to hire the bilingual candidate.

- Compensation: Forty percent of employers expect there will be no change in salary levels in the second quarter. Thirty-seven percent expect an increase of 3 percent or less. Thirteen percent expect their average changes will be between 4 and 10 percent and two percent predict 11 percent of more. Four percent anticipate a decrease in salaries.

To get a copy of the Hiring Forecast, as well as a letter from Vince Virga, CEO of SkillStorm and Executive Insights, click here.

A Culture of Excellence – Engagement, Motivation and Productivity Begin from the Top Down

A recent article in Entrepreneur Magazine goes over some interesting information on the importance of creating a culture of excellence in the workplace. Companies who strive to reach these levels of excellence have to utilize the tools and strategies that will lead them to success. What exactly does that mean? Creating this culture begins with change, so ask yourself what you want your company to do and what your company could be.

“Making the changes that lead to excellence is not an overnight pursuit--it's a long process that often means rewiring a company's fundamental DNA,” according to the article.

What changes can you initiate in your workplace that will lead employees to excellence? Creating a culture of excellence involves developing higher levels of engagement, motivation and a positive environment to reach maximum productivity.

To read more, click here.

“Being recognized as a finalist for this award is a great honor for us,” said SkillStorm CEO Vince Virga. “We take pride in our employees and invest a lot of time and energy into their professional and personal development. They are, after all, our company’s greatest resource.”

SkillStorm has been named a finalist for the 2010 Helios HR Apollo Awards, the premier awards program forrecognizingemployers in the Washington metropolitan region that invest in employee development initiatives. SkillStorm is one of six finalists in the Mid-size Companies category. Helios HR will honor the finalists and announce the winners at the Apollo Awards breakfast ceremony on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at the Fairview Park Marriot in Falls Church, Virginia.

SkillStorm was selected as a finalist by an independent panel of recognized workforce development and human resource authorities for the organization’s support of employee development initiatives and the ability to communicate the overall impact of these programs. SkillStorm and the other honorees represent companies that promote a continuous learning environment as part of their organizational culture. This includes creating new and challenging opportunities in support of their commitment, communication of such opportunities and the impact such programs have on the organization.

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