January 5, 2011

Edited and Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Published by Success Performance Solutions.

What's Inside this issue of The Total View:

1. Are Happy Hiring Days Here Again?

2. Workforce Trends

3. Annual Performance Reviews Simplified!

4. Leadership Guide and Workbooks for Managing Geeks, Geezers & Googlization!

Are Happy Hiring Days Here Again?

The end of the year 2010 couldn't come fast enough for millions of unemployed workers. Based on recent news and trends, there is good news on that front... at least for some.  As the economy recovers ever so gradually, many U.S. businesses are cranking up their recruiting.  Unfortunately for those without the necessary skills 2011 could just be another humbug-type of year.

I personally can attest to this uptick in hiring.  As a provider of pre-employment and leadership assessments, we just don't get calls if employers are not in the throes of hiring.   But 2010 was a banner year, with the month of December being the best and busiest since I started the business in 1996. But my business doesn't even qualify as a blip on the radar of economic indicators.  So let's turn to another source.

Advertising on one of the largest employment websites had increased a whopping 74 percent since December 2009. That's an increase of 2.0 million job openings in the past 12 months.

Many of the new jobs are in retailing, accounting, consulting, health care, telecommunications and defense-related industries, according to data collected for The Wall Street Journal by Indeed Inc. The company collects daily listings from corporate and job-posting websites, removing duplicates.

As promising as these figures are, the future might even be brighter.  According to another article in the Wall Street Journal, more than 80% of job openings are actually unlisted, since most companies, including farming, manufacturing, and construction, will try to promote from within or rely on employee referrals.

Examples of companies cited in the Wall Street Journal actively looking for employees include:

• Deloitte: mergers and acquisitions, health care and information technology.
• ATT: highly technical workers in network engineering and cloud computing, call center workers, and retail sales people.
• WellPoint Inc.: information-technology specialists, registered nurses, actuaries, insurance-policy underwriters, salespeople and call-center employees.
• Science Applications International Corp.: intelligence analysts, engineers, cyber-security experts, and project managers.
• Lockheed Martin Corp.: IT, cyber security, systems engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering.

These jobs require a minimum of 2 years of post-secondary education and up-to-date technical skills. They also might require relocation, a huge hurdle for many unemployed workers whose homes are "underwater" thanks to the housing collapse.

And just this week, the following announcements indicate continued improvement in the economy:

• Discount-store operator Dollar General Corp. said Monday it plans to open 625 new stores and hire more than 6,000 workers in 2011.
• A closely watched index of U.S. manufacturing inventory - based on a survey of purchasing managers by the Institute for Supply Management. - rose to 57 in December from 56.6 the month before. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.
• Technology companies that fueled more than $100 billion in acquisitions last year are likely to spend more in 2011 in a race to harness surging demand for cloud computing and security services.
• The amount of occupied U.S. office space increased for the first time in nearly three years during the fourth quarter of 2010 as more companies that had been postponing real-estate decisions got back into the leasing market.

Looking forward, the jobs picture we saw in December 2010 will be a microcosm of what to expect in 2011 and at least into the middle part of this decade:  high unemployment, increases in job openings, and employers crying about a lack of qualified candidates.  That's good news for those with the skills. Not so good for the unemployed waiting to get their old jobs back and for employers looking to hire qualified workers. 

Workforce Trends

Since 1980, there has been a 33 percent increase in Americans living in multigenerational households. Investors may be recouping some of the losses that have sunk their 401(k)s and other retirement portfolios over the past two years, but not enough to keep many soon-to-be retirees from worrying.

Source: MSNBC

Annual Performance Reviews Simplified!

Save time, increase productivity, and eliminate hassles when administering employee performance reviews with HReviewer.

Ask any manager what he or she hates most about the job and you'll often hear "performance reviews."   That's why we've created HReviewer.

We recognized a huge gap in the performance evaluation market between paper forms and online performance management. 

HReviewer is a user-friendly, centralized online solution to streamline and improve the annual, semi-annual or periodic review for small to medium sized organizations. It's convenient and very affordable too.  Our goal was simple: to help take the hassle out of getting managers to complete performance appraisal forms and giving employees more frequent feedback. 

The system comes with a library of competencies, an easy to use form creator, at-a-glance dashboards and reports, and a built-in reminder system to help HR track down managers when reviews are due....or past due!

More about HReviewer or Email us to schedule a FREE demo. 

Just Released!  Leader Guide and Workbooks for Managing Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization

Start the New Year out right. The leading edge of Baby Boomers start turning 65 in just a few weeks. Make 2011 the year of managing successfully the wired, the tired, and technology!

For the first time in history, four generations are co-mingling in the workplace. Capitalizing on each generation's strengths is a must. Minimizing generational clash points is a necessity. Keeping each generation engaged and motivated is critical.

Learn more....

Consultants and Trainers?  Contact us about our reseller and certification program.