BLS Update
Employee Benefits in the United States for March 2008. Two-thirds of private industry and State and local government workers (defined in this survey as civilian workers) had access to retirement benefits and nearly three-quarters to medical care in March 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Access and participation in retirement and medical care benefits were greater in State and local government than in private industry.

The data are from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), which provides comprehensive measures of occupational earnings, compensation cost trends, and incidence and provisions of employee benefit plans. For the first time, this release includes data on benefits for civilian workers. Farm and private household workers, the self-employed, and the Federal government are excluded from the survey.

Productivity and Costs: Second Quarter 2008, Preliminary. The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported preliminary productivity data--as measured by output per hour of all persons--for the second quarter of 2008. The seasonally adjusted annual rates of productivity change in the second quarter were: 2.3 percent in the business sector and 2.2 percent in the nonfarm business sector. Productivity gains in both sectors reflected output increases and small declines in hours worked.

In manufacturing, the preliminary productivity changes in the second quarter were: -1.4 percent in manufacturing, -3.5 percent in durable goods manufacturing, and 0.7 percent in nondurable goods manufacturing.

Reveille & Hyperbole
eMarketingSilo, a niche job board and recruiting site for the internet marketing community, partners with JobTarget, specializing in job board development and management. The new career center application will focus on bringing together jobseekers and employers in the internet marketing field.

Google Inc and Yahoo Inc released excerpts of a pact covering their search advertising partnership that keeps secret financial terms and the extent of other ties between the two. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the companies take the unusual step of disclosing the contract governing the partnership, but leave out any financial terms, such as the revenue split on their deal. Under the deal, due to take effect after a waiting period meant to help smooth regulatory approval, Google would supply Yahoo with advertising services to run alongside Yahoo's own Web search system. Yahoo runs the Web's second most popular search service.

Dayak, an online recruiting marketplace that links employers with professional recruiters, recently launched its full-service innovative Web site to quickly and efficiently fill employer job openings.

eEmpACT Software releases eConnect 3.0, the web-based tool that provides customers and employees greater control over timesheets and their approval process; dramatically reducing data entry time and increasing front and back office efficiencies.

MacCloud & Associates launch a new executive search and human capital consulting firm dedicated to identifying and recruiting leading senior level managers and executives in the digital entertainment, consumer electronics, and technology industries. In addition, the company provides consulting services in the areas of organizational design, development, and optimization.

The HR-XML Consortium has awarded certifications to BackTrack, Inc., Fidelity Investments, HireRight, InfoMart, and Sterling Infosystems, Inc.. The consortium's HRcertify program certifies HR solutions that conform to its interoperability standards.

Survey Says
A recent survey from staffing firm OfficeTeam finds that more than two-thirds (69 percent) of the 150 executives polled said it is common for their companies' employees to work off-site. Moreover, 82 percent of managers said they expect the number of employees who work remotely to increase in the next 5 years. (Read more.)