Craigslist Under Attack for Bias in Housing Ads
According to a New York Times report, a lawsuit has been filed against online classifieds leader Craigslist by the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The fair housing group is accusing the company for violating the Fair Housing Act of 1968 by publishing discriminatory advertisements. If the Lawyers' Committee wins out with the lawsuit, Craigslist will be forced to follow the same rules newspapers do in their classified advertising listings, screening each ad to make sure no antidiscrimination laws are violated. As a result, this means ads like the ones the lawyers' group said it spotted on Craigslist in a six-month investigation would be banned. (Adotas)

India:
New jobs await you after retirement
Retirement need not be a nightmare anymore. Inflationary pressures and erosion in savings notwithstanding, one can dream of a secure life after retirement. Hyderabad-based Heritage Second Career Centre is focusing on re-employment of people above 50 years of age. (EconomicTimes)

India's hottest jobs!
India is growing fast. China is growing faster. Together they will account for more than a quarter of world GNP by 2025. That's all old news. Yet why are India's bosses more optimistic just now than China's? Two recent data snapshots illustrate that puzzle, one concerning the job market and the other measuring the confidence of business leaders in the two countries. Much of the industrialized world frets about a looming talent shortage, but Indian bosses aren't finding it difficult to fill job vacancies at all. (Rediff)

Mexico:
Mexico coal miners face hardship or US emigration
Choices are stark for men living on the barren scrubland of Mexico's coal fields: risk your life in a mine, earn poverty wages in a factory or leave the family and slip into Texas to work illegally. Most choose the mines even though they complain that pay does not compensate for the risks in one of the world's most dangerous professions. (Reuters)

New Zealand
Outward Bound named best place to work
Outward Bound is the best place in New Zealand to work, according to an annual survey of employee satisfaction.  Outward Bound, an organisation that specialises in helping others realise their full potential, took first place in this year's Unlimited Magazine's Best Places to Work Awards. (Stuff)

UK:
Accountancy recruiter confident niche specialisation will continue to enhance business
Following the financial results from global staffing services company Vedior, accountancy recruiters Andrew Farr Associates are confident their specialist brand will experience another successful year. (OnRec)

A Career in Recruitment
If you're determined to succeed in a rewarding and challenging job where no day is the same, then why not consider a career in recruitment?
The rewards:
• Good Basic Salary
• Commission & Bonus Scheme
• Ongoing Training & Development
• Life Insurance
• Contributory Pension
(Bucks Free Press)

US:
Officials warn of Internet scam
It's being called one of the latest in Internet scams and it could cost potential victims thousands of dollars.  The Better Business Bureau of the San Joaquin Valley has announced its intentions to investigate a company that appears to be misleading consumers and potentially costing them sizable amounts of cash. (Porterville Recorder)

Change In Temp Staffing Strategy Saves Insurer $1.6 Million
Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina has saved $1.6 million in IT contractor costs over the last two years by changing the way it handles its temporary tech staffing rather than cutting staff.  The ratio of full-time IT staff vs. contracted IT help at the company has stayed pretty much the same over the last few years, about 3 to 1, or about 1,200 full-time technical workers vs. about 400 contractors right now. But the insurer saved $850,000 in 2005 and $750,000 in 2004 by shifting to a "vendor neutral" approach to staffing that's enabled by web-based vendor management software from PeopleClick Inc. In 2005, the insurer spent about $39 million on IT contractors. (Information Week)

Schools face serious staffing challenges
n the late 1960s, the Palo Alto public-school system was known as a "lighthouse district" for its stellar teachers, facilities and programs. Nearly 40 years later, the district is facing increased state mandates and tighter purse strings that are challenging its ability to maintain that status.In the newly released 2005-2006 State of the District report, Superintendent Mary Frances Callan says the district is experiencing a "decreased ability" to provide support services to the schools, research new programs, prepare for increasing enrollment, and respond to parent requests and concerns -- among other responsibilities. (Palo Alto Weekly)

New NAPUS leader to take on short staffing
Dale Goff, new president of the National Association of Postmasters of the United States, is likely facing the most challenging of his 36 years with the U.S. Postal Service.
Not only does Goff have a weighty agenda in advancing the concerns of the 42,000 NAPUS members, he also has been working hard on his property in Folsom, La., where 130-mph winds from Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage to his house, now also the home of his in-laws, who moved in after their own house in New Orleans was flooded. (FederalTimes)

Careers: Keeping Older Tech Workers On The Job Longer
Nearly a third of all U.S. workers will soon be over the age of 50, and nearing retirement. Combine that with fewer young people entering tech careers, and that leaves a skills and staff gap that older workers can fill. If you're a Baby Boomer, you may be dreaming about retiring in a few years, but maybe not. Perhaps you'll need to keep working to pay the bills, or maybe you just want to keep busy. Employers, worried about an impending exodus of retiring Boomers, are starting to look into ways of keeping you on the job longer. (InformationWeek)

SAO and BEC create a future workforce program
The Software Association of Oregon and the Business Education Compact have joined a partnership to create SEED: Seeding the Future Workforce.  SEED will work with schools, universities and Oregon's software and technology companies to place 120 students and 12 educators into real-world, internship environments in 2006 to learn how companies do business in Oregon. It will also serve as an opportunity for educators to learn how to teach technology to students at all levels of education. (PortlandBizJournal)