Labor Shortage 7
It's impossible to discuss the North American labor shortage without
paying attention to the immigration question. The way I read the
population forecasts, the growth promised by the BLS and Department of
the Census is heavily dependent on a constant flow of immigration.
Although some might disagree, it seems to me that immigration has fueled
growth in the United States off and on over the centuries.
(Read More)
Reveille and Hyperbole: CareersinGear announced the launch of its online video section. This video section went live in June, and is a new product enhancement which provides an opportunity for companies to post industry-specific promotional videos up to 60 seconds in length. Videos can be designed by sponsors or created and edited by the design team at CareersinGear.com.
Recruitment professionals flocked in record numbers to HireAbility's newly-launched Recruiter Training Center to participate in accredited training from industry leader Shally Steckerl, President of JobMachine, Inc. In HireAbility's sold-out training event – which was only the second event for its new Recruiter Training Center – participants learned how to find passive talent with Google ® and LinkedIn ®" and received a free "CheatSheet" for attending.
AccuDraft, a leading provider of fully-automated, rules-based contract lifecycle management (CLM) solutions, introduced a powerful new reporting environment that further extends and enhances its DocsEngine offering. This robust, feature-rich application dramatically improves the efficiency and effectiveness of contract maintenance and management by giving DocsEngine Portal users the ability to easily track, monitor, and report on any piece of information contained within their contracts and other business documents.
Deck Chairs: Unisys Corp, an old-school computer maker that is working to remake itself as a profitable technology services company, said on Tuesday that former PeopleSoft chief executive Craig Conway has joined its board of directors … Axiom Consulting Partners LLC announced that Juan Pablo Gonzalez has joined the firm as Principal located in Washington, DC. Juan brings deep expertise in human capital issues having spent much of his career consulting with leading corporations on helping to maximize their Return on Talent Investment …
Upcoming Event:
Don't miss John Sumser at the
Supplier Summit
October 17, 2007
Washington, DC.
Survey Says: SurePayroll Insights Survey: 92% of Small Business Owners Say Cost of Doing Business has Increased in 2007
Survey shows most small business owners feel it is becoming harder to stay profitable, but avoid raising prices
A recent survey conducted by online payroll service SurePayroll found that while 92% of respondents have noticed an increase in the cost of doing business in 2007, more than 70% have chosen not to raise prices to offset costs.
Even though nearly all respondents indicated that operating a business was increasingly becoming more expensive, most did not report an increase in prices during 2007. 28% of small business owners said they had enacted a moderate price increase, while less than 2% reported a significant increase in prices.
The largest amount (54%) reported that they have kept prices approximately the same, and nearly 17% said they have actually decreased prices this year.
The majority of small business owners cited the necessity to remain competitive as the primary factor preventing them from raising prices.
"Most small business owners know they could be more profitable, but also fear losing customers and not being able to stay in business at all," said SurePayroll President Michael Alter. "As a result, they are forced to avoid raising prices and look to other methods to increase or maintain profit, hoping economic issues work themselves out."
- Rising Costs Attributed to Employee Salaries and Benefits -
When asked to identify the factor to which they most attributed the rising cost of running a small business, the largest group of respondents (38%) selected employee salaries.
The second largest amount (16%) noted rising costs of employee benefits as the most significant factor, followed by other elements such as raw materials, taxes and service fees.
According to SurePayroll's "Scorecard," a monthly economic indicator that identifies trends in the small business economy, salaries have been increasing for 23 straight months.
"It's getting increasingly tough to find good people, and the resulting labor shortage has driven up costs," said Alter. "Regardless of any financial struggles small business owners face, they must continue to offer highly competitive salaries and benefits to attract and retain the kind of quality employees necessary to keep their businesses running."
- Small Business Owners Split Opinion on Government Influence -
As part of the survey, small business owners also voiced their opinion on how the current administration is impacting the small business economy. While the largest single group (42%) of respondents said the government has had a detrimental effect on the small business economy, 58% believed the government has had either a positive (24%) effect or no effect (34%).
Respondents' individual comments reflected the split in opinion:
- "The state and federal government keep talking about the importance of supporting small business for its important role in hiring so many Americans, yet I - and many of my business owner friends - are not seeing any improvements or changes to help small business owners stay in business and make a living."
- "Gas prices have hurt, but I don't blame it on our administration - it is larger then that. I would hate to see where I would be tax-wise if there were a different party in charge."
- Additional Insight -
Some small business owners offered additional insight and advice on business growth in 2007 and beyond:
- "Timings is everything. It takes a long time to plan, develop, implement and open a small business only to have the economic conditions change so dramatically in a few weeks time…the businesses that survive this mess will be strong when the economy turns around."
- "Hire the best people. In a small business you cannot have any marginal employees."
- "Every small business owner must be involved with their local community government and chamber of commerce, at a minimum. They should also participate - or at least belong to - state organizations that represent their industry. We cannot expect others to be responsible for our future…"
About SurePayroll:
SurePayroll is America's largest full-service online payroll provider. In addition to its payroll and ClickFREE™ tax file and pay service -- which allows a user to complete the entire payroll process in minutes -- SurePayroll provides HR and compliance resources, workers' compensation products and 401(k) retirement solutions designed specifically for small businesses.
SurePayroll also offers a private-label and co-branded payroll service to accounting and banking partners to offer payroll processing to their small business clients.
SurePayroll is passionate about small businesses and their payroll. The company is dedicated to providing an extremely friendly and simple payroll experience -- at a price small business owners can afford. For more information, visit www.surepayroll.com.
Deep Release: eLearners.com Launches a "Back to School" Survival Guide
The Online Learning Guide Includes Chapters on Family, Finances, Careers and Much More: With summer wrapping up kids across the country are going back to school, some for the very first time. As parents help their children begin a new school year many moms and dads are going back to school as well.
With summer wrapping up kids across the country are going back to school, some for the very first time. As parents help their children begin a new school year many moms and dads are going back to school as well. Millions of adults are attending online colleges and many more are considering making the move.
A national study, Degrees of Opportunity, found more than 70 million Americans would like to continue their education, and many will look at online as a viable, convenient option. However, not everyone is familiar with how online learning works. To help answer the unknown about taking a leap into the world of online learning, eLearners.com today announced it has launched its Back to School Survival Guide: The Online Learner's Edition, located at http://www.elearners.com/back-to-school/.
The survival guide includes six main categories:
- Self and Family - Advice on how to make going back to school a family affair.
- Food and Health - Learn what foods you should eat to supercharge your brain and what exercises you can do at your desk.
- Money and Finances - Learn about financial aid options and read "before and after" degree salary scenarios.
- Back to School - Tools and tips you need to be head of the class.
- Jobs and Careers - Find out if you are underpaid and how much you can earn with additional education.
- Fun Stuff - Create a mock diploma as inspiration to earn the real one and print inspirational education quotes.
"People always associate back-to-school time with kids, but millions of adults are also heading back to school," said Andrew Gansler, CEO of eLearners.com, which connects prospective students with online learning providers. "The Internet is filled with education resources for how to help children succeed in school, but few resources exist for how adults can succeed in their own education. This survival guide is a creative, informative resource that fills that need."
The eLearners.com Back to School Survival Guide: The Online Learner's Edition is the latest resource provided by eLearners.com. The Guide to Online Education and the Debt-Free College Guide are other comprehensive databases eLearners.com has created.
About eLearners.com
Since 1999, www.eLearners.com [eLearners.com® -- Where Learning Begins -- has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including degree and certificate programs, specialized training, and a variety of courses. For prospective students, eLearners® provides a powerful search engine of online offerings as well as extensive educational resources, available at no cost. For colleges and universities, eLearners® performance-based marketing services offer a low-cost, high quality method to increase enrollment and exposure to their programs. For more information on eLearners.com, an operating division of Halyard Education Partners LLC., visit http://www.elearners.com.
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