Dice Holdings, Inc., provider of specialized career websites for professional communities, announced the results of an employment survey that paints a picture of a very mixed hiring environment, with slightly more than half of the respondents saying they will scale back hiring plans for the next six months. Some 52 percent of respondents indicated they would cut back their hiring for the next six months, while 43 percent reported they would not change their current plans and five percent are unsure. Large companies, those with more than 500 employees, were slightly more negative than other respondents, with 58 percent saying they plan to cut back hiring this year. The results were equally mixed regarding when respondents believed they would see hiring return to normal - 34 percent predicted by the second half of 2009, but the majority of respondents, 60 percent, indicated that they are not sure and are waiting to see how the economy evolves.

QuietAgent launches a new Tools and Technology feature that gives job seekers the ability to enhance their résumé with a comprehensive listing of tools and technologies they have used. The Tools and Technologies database is provided by the Department of Labor's O*NET Data Collection Program, and includes both generalist and specialist toolsets required to perform over 1400 types of jobs.

HRmarketer.com has released a new eBook that guides suppliers of human resources (HR) products and services through a three-step process to achieve increased publicity, web site traffic, improved SEO, and greater sales leads.

eQuest, job posting and Internet recruitment management services firm, announces a new agreement with America's Job Exchange (AJE), which originally developed and operated America's Job Bank. Under the agreement, eQuest will deliver job postings to AJE on a daily basis. AJE in turn, will provide the posting to its network of agencies, along with the listing of jobs on its highly-trafficked national site. As a single point-of-contact, customers can rely on eQuest to handle job postings, access contracts, activity reports, and job deliveries to the AJE site.

Monster-owned social networking site, Tickle, is shutting down.

End-of-year school obligations drive working parents batty.