Deck Chairs
Ceridian has named Zachary Meyer as its new senior vice president of commercial EAP and work-life services....The New York Times announced three promotions at the masthead level. Dennis Stern, vice president of human resources, will take on the newly created position of senior vice president and deputy general manager; Muriel Watkins, the executive director of human resources will succeed him as vice president; and David Thurm, vice president and chief information officer, will be promoted to senior vice president and chief information officer....



You Should Know
Global:

• ZoomInfo Enhances People Search  ZoomInfo, the Boston-based "people search" company has added several new features that help you search more than 27 million personal profiles.  ZoomInfo finds info about people on the open web and uses it to build profiles or dossiers using artificial intelligence. ZoomInfo offers both free ad-supported services as well as fee-based services with additional features.  ZoomInfo now features a larger database, offering more than 27 million profiles of individuals, up from about 25 million previously.  The company is also offering several types of accounts. The free or basic service "allows you to create, edit, and monitor the popularity of your web summary, as well as reach out and contact other people you find in ZoomInfo." A monthly premium subscription for $49.95 offers full access, "to all of ZoomInfo's Premium features whenever you need them." A week of full access is also available for $19.95.  (Search Engine Watch)
   
• Crunks '05: The Year in Media Errors and Corrections Let's just say it: This was a very bad year.  That's the inevitable conclusion after just a few minutes spent reviewing this year's long list of errors, corrections and plagiarists. But it's about more than just quantity. What jumps out is that this was a year during which we witnessed the astounding consequences of media errors. (Regret The Error by way of Romanescu)
   
• Oracle's Fusion Formula Planned product line that would merge elements from the PeopleSoft, JD Edwards and Oracle product lines could reshape the HR software landscape--if customers buy in, that is. (Workforce)
   
• State of the Sector: HRMS Partnerships, hybrid programs that meld back-office and front-office functions, and the increasing acceptance of outsourcing are transforming human resource management systems. (Workforce)
   
• The future of the global workplace: An interview with the CEO of Manpower In this interview Jeff Joerres, CEO of Manpower—the global employment services company—talks about the changes he sees in store for the worldwide labor market, the state of human resources, and the challenges companies face in developing markets.
  Joerres believes that the emphasis large companies place on streamlining the organization leaves them susceptible to talent shortfalls. "Some of the leading-edge companies see this," Joerres says, "but they're being quiet about it because they don't want to sound any alarm bells."  For HR departments, Joerres maintains, the challenge will be to differentiate their companies in the eyes of current and prospective employees and to outsource judiciously. China needs line managers, while call centers in India endure astronomical rates of employee turnover. However, Joerres feels that the biggest mistake executives still make in all developing markets is relying too much on expatriate managers. (Mckinsey)
   

• Yo, buddy! Do youze, uh, Yahoo? The silicon valley talent grab's gone bi-coastal. On Thursday Yahoo opened a new research operation in New York City and tapped Ron Brachman, a former scientist at the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, to head it. "There is great talent in other places than California," Brachman told Forbes. "Markets of expertise grow differently in different areas." So which ones will Yahoo be focusing on in New York? Microeconomics, commerce, and search, of course. "We will be working in a number of interesting areas," Brachman said in an interview with Red Herring. "One is search and information retrieval, of course. Then there is micro-economics, and [how it] relates to e-commerce. The Internet is a facilitator for new kinds of commerce. (Silicon Valley)

• Think of it as a linear future employee accelerator The steady decline of federal support for basic technology research has yielded a improbable partnership. Microsoft, Google, and Sun Microsystems have teamed up to underwrite a $7.5-million laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, that is scheduled to open today. The three companies will contribute $500,000 each per year for the next five years to fund the Reliable, Adaptive, and Distributed Systems Laboratory, a center charged with applying advances in the use of statistical techniques in machine learning to Web services. For Google, Sun and Microsoft, this investment is a way to drive innovation that might someday be routed back into their own businesses. (Silicon Valley)

• Information Wants to be Found  A modern paradox: As information becomes more abundant and easier to access, it's often more difficult to find what we're really looking for. That needn't be the case, writes respected information architecture guru Peter Morville in a new book.  (Search Engine Watch)
   
• Alexa: Big Search for Little DEVs Looks like Amazon.com's offering more this holiday season than just free shipping: The beta version of the company's Alexa Web Platform Search—a 100-terabyte index of the web, used to develop search services—went live on Monday. Not to be confused with Alexa's Web Information Services (which gathers traffic information about page links and rankings), Web Platform Search provides hosting and server time services that developers can use as a base to design their own search algorithms. Need an illustration? (NewMediaReport)

---

• Exclusive Search Technology
  
• Unparalleled Reach
  
• Recruitment Expertise
  
• Precision Hirepower
  
  Post Local Jobs Today on Yahoo HotJobs.

Survey Sez:
U.S. Workers' Optimism Surfaces After Tough Year Expectations for Better Jobs and Incomes Rise

Looking ahead to the new year, workers who expect their job prospects and employment situations to improve outnumber those who are uncertain or even pessimistic. Nearly half (47 percent) think their prospects will be better in 2006 than in 2005, according to a national Hudson survey. What's more, 21 percent say they expect to earn significantly more next year, with another 42% saying they hope to earn at least a little more.



The survey also suggests that workers may be more content to stay put in 2006. Twenty-nine percent report that they have no plans to look for a new job, up from one year ago when only 22 percent made that claim. Even so, a large portion will be on the market, with 37 percent saying it is very or somewhat likely that they will actively seek new job opportunities in the new year, compared to 42 percent this time last year.



"While 2005 was a challenging year on many fronts, U.S. workers continued to show their resilience and optimism heading into the new year," said Steve Wolfe, executive vice president, Hudson, North America. "We anticipate that 2006 will be a stronger year for worker confidence and for workers' leverage as they seek to improve their skills and investigate new opportunities."



2005 Hudson Employment IndexSM Year-in-Review

This month's optimistic view among workers tracks with the latest uptick in the Hudson Employment IndexSM – a key measure of workers' confidence in the employment market – and with recent reports of strengthening consumer confidence. Over the course of 2005, though, the monthly Index averaged significantly lower than it did in 2004 – 101.3 through November, compared to last year's average of 106.2. Four out of the five measures were down on balance: personal finance ratings, personal finance outlooks, hiring expectations and layoff concerns. Only job satisfaction was up overall.



Hudson's research showed some important trends across specific metropolitan markets and occupational sectors, including:



Metropolitan Markets

• · Tampa workers recorded the highest 2005 average Hudson Employment Index at 115.6, followed by Washington, D.C. (110.5). The city with the lowest average Index was New York (88.1).
• Workers in Boston and Minneapolis-St. Paul had the greatest job satisfaction among the 11 cities polled, with an average of 75 percent of the workforce in both cities happy at work in 2005. Sixty-nine percent of Chicago workers were satisfied with their jobs, ranking them last overall in this category.
• Atlanta-area workers' confidence in the job market was the most closely aligned with the national average; the city's 2005 average Index was 102.0, compared to the national average of 101.3.
• While the average Index was down among workers in Dallas in 2005 compared to 2004, the city's monthly reading surpassed the national number every month this year.
• On average, 25 percent of San Francisco-area workers expected their companies to hire this year – the fewest among all metro markets surveyed.
• The Philadelphia Index was among the most volatile in 2005, peaking in February at 106.0, but dropping to 80.0 in September. The Los Angeles Index was one of the most stable, remaining between 99.1 and 109.2 throughout 2005.

Occupational Sectors

• The Hudson Employment Index for manufacturing workers was by far the lowest among the occupational sectors in 2005. Its annual average was 87.1, although it dropped to a low of 76.3 in September.
• Accounting and finance workers were the most optimistic, with an average Index of 107.9, followed by healthcare workers at 105.3.
• With more than twenty points between the highest and lowest readings, IT and manufacturing workers' readings were more volatile than those in healthcare and accounting and finance.
• Workers in the healthcare sector were the least likely to expect layoffs, with an average of just 15 percent expressing concern in 2005.

The Hudson year-end national survey is based on responses from 1,874 workers, comprising a cross-section of the U.S. workforce. An independent research firm, Rasmussen Reports, LLC conducted the survey. A detailed report is available at www.hudson-index.com.

Coming Soon

Jupiter Webinar Automated Bid Management: Tools for Search Marketers January 10, 2006 2:00pm EST, 11:00am PST Free More Info	The HR Directors Summit 2006 30-31 January 2006 Radisson Edwardian Heathrow
OnRec presents: Digital Content Forum Feb 02, 2006 Cafe Royal, London More Info £175 plus VAT Register	HR Metrics - 2006 Summit Dallas, TX February 23, 2006 $475 Register
OnRec Awards 2006 March 8, 2006 Cafe Royal, Picadilly, London £95 pounds + V.A.T Nominate A Firm or A Person More Info	ER Expo 2006 Spring San Diego, CA March 14-16, 2006 $1395 More Info Register
Staffing Industry Executive Forum March 13 - 16 The Beverly Hilton Beverly Hills, CA Brochure (516K) $1,695 Register	37th Annual Employment Management Conference March 30-April 1, 2006 Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, California $1,205 Register
Human Capital Summit Conference April 5-7, 2006, Chicago Marriott Downtown Hotel Register $1195	IHRIM: HRM Strategies 2006 April 9-12, 2006 Washington, DC $1,265 More Info Register
SHRM's 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition June 25-28 Washington, D.C. $1,350 Read more Register	2006 EREC 21-22 June 2006 ExCel London, UK Register
2006 Strategic HR Conference October 4-6, 2006 Westin Kierland Resort Phoenix, Arizona	Human Resource Executive's 9th Annual HR Technology® Conference & Exposition Oct. 4-6, 2006 Navy Pier in Chicago, IL Call For Proposals
2006 SHRM Workplace Diversity Conference October 16-18, 2006 Century Plaza Hotel and Spa Los Angeles, California	HR.com's Employers of Excellence Conference 2006 October 25 - 27, 2006 Red Rock Resort Las Vegas, Nevada Register

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got News?
Send your company news, personnel changes, placements, and other tidbits of interest. News you'd like to see covered that we haven't? Let us know.

Don't forget to check out the blogs on bert.

Focused Candidates Visit Focused Job Boards. Find your focus below and discover a new channel of fresh talent!
Accounting / Finance	jobsinthemoney.com
Accounting / Finance	CareerBank.com
Call Center	CallCenterJobs.com
Drivers / Trucking	JobsInTrucks.com
Employee Benefits	BenefitsLink.com
Enviro/Occup. Health & Safety	EHSCareers.com
Executive	RiteSite.com
Executive	NETSHARE.com
Health / Medical	HealthJobsUSA.com
Hispanic / Bilingual	LatPro.com
Logistics	JobsInLogistics.com
Manufacturing	JobsInMFG.com
Retail	AllRetailJobs.com
Tax Specialists	TaxTalent.com
Telecom / Wireless	TelecomCareers.net
Transitioning Military	TAOnline.com
For more Specialty Boards, visit: The Employer's Corner on TopUSAJobs.com marketing@TopUSAJobs.com

Don't forget to check out the blogs on bert.

---

Email Address:
Request:	Subscribe Unsubscribe

If you have any problem with this form please click on the link below and enter your email address:    SUBSCRIBE      REMOVE             Thank you.