Headline News
U.S. Economy Grew 3% in Final Quarter of 2011
Small Business Compensation, Hours Jump in March
Resources Connection Inc. Reports Third Quarter Results for Fiscal 2012

Legal Watch
California Employers May Face Increased Criminal Investigations
West Virginia Employers Must Report Income of Independent Contractors

Trends and Research
Social Capital: The Creative Group Survey: Many Companies Plan to Spend More on Social Media This Year
New Social Media Study: Significant Increase in Use of Social Media for Job Searching, Networking by Health Care Professionals
Oklahoma City Leads Large Cities in Job Creation
Employers Expect to Hire More New College Graduates
Easy and Difficult Markets to Recruit Truck Drivers

ASA for You
ASAPro Webinar Next Week—The Conscious and Powerful Interview
Earn Recognition From ASA

Headline News

U.S. Economy Grew 3% in Final Quarter of 2011
Associated Press (03/29/12) Martin Crutsinger; Christopher Rugaber

The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 3% in the final quarter of 2011, the best pace in a year and a half, as the U.S. Commerce Department reported no change on March 29 in its previous growth estimate for the October-December quarter. Slower growth in exports than previously estimated was offset by stronger business investment. Economists expect growth has probably slowed to 2% or less in the current January-March quarter.

Small Business Compensation, Hours Jump in March
Reuters (03/29/12)

Small businesses increased hours and compensation for employees in March by the most in more than two years, according to a new survey from Intuit. The average monthly salary for small business employees rose 0.7%, or $18 per worker, according to Intuit, the largest percentage gain since December 2009. That is equivalent to an annual salary of $33,400.

Average monthly hours worked by small business employees increased by 0.5%, or 36 minutes, making for a 25.8-hour workweek. The percentage change was also the largest since December 2009. Intuit notes the gains came even as hiring by small businesses took a step back, with employers adding 65,000 workers to their payrolls in March. However, February's small business payrolls increase was revised up to 75,000 jobs from the previously reported 55,000.

Resources Connection Inc. Reports Third Quarter Results for Fiscal 2012
Resources Global Professionals News Release (03/28/12)

Resources Connection Inc.—through its operating subsidiary, Resources Global Professionals—has announced financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended Feb. 25, 2012. Total revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 was $143.3 million, up 4.1% from last year's third quarter revenue of $137.6 million and down 1.2% on a sequential quarter basis. Revenues in the U.S. were up 4.8% quarter-over-quarter and 1.7% sequentially.

The company's net income for the third quarter ended Feb. 25, 2012, was $4.3 million, or $0.10 per diluted share. This compares with a net income for the third quarter ended Feb. 26, 2011, of $753,000, or $0.02 per diluted share.

Legal Watch

California Employers May Face Increased Criminal Investigations
Lexology (03/26/12) Asa W. Markel

To enhance efforts to stop wage theft, a new criminal investigation unit has been established by the California Department of Industrial Relations, tasked with investigating possible violations of the state's labor code. State law makes it illegal for employers to withhold wages or neglect requirements for semi-monthly paychecks, and civil and criminal penalties for wage and hour law violations have been increased under the recently enacted Wage Theft Prevention Act and Employee Misclassification Act. Although no groundbreaking criminal investigations or prosecutions have been announced yet, experts say employers should understand that enforcement of wage and hour laws is a major focus of governmental and legislative policy.

West Virginia Employers Must Report Income of Independent Contractors
CCH Payroll (03/30/12)

As of June 5, companies doing business in West Virginia must report to the Bureau for Child Support Enforcement the contracting for services with an independent contractor when payment for services is $2,500 or more. New hire reporting mandates require companies to inform the bureau about anyone who lives or works in the state to whom the company expects to pay earnings, as well as the rehiring or return to work of any employee or independent contractor who lives in the state. Companies must submit a report within 14 days of the date of hire, rehire, or return to work.

Trends and Research

Social Capital: The Creative Group Survey: Many Companies Plan to Spend More on Social Media This Year
Robert Half International News Release (03/29/12)

Advertising and marketing executives expect their firms to spend more money on social media this year, according to a recent survey by The Creative Group, a staffing company for interactive, design, marketing, advertising, and public relations professionals. The survey reveals that 53% of respondents expect more marketing dollars to be devoted to Facebook, with 43% anticipating increased spending on Twitter, 41% on Google+, 38% on LinkedIn, and 36% on YouTube. "Although companies plan to spend more on social media, finding the talent needed to oversee these programs can pose a challenge," says Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group. "Bringing in freelancers who have worked on successful social media initiatives can be helpful, since these professionals can not only develop and implement strategies but also impart their expertise to core team members during the process."

New Social Media Study: Significant Increase in Use of Social Media for Job Searching, Networking by Health Care Professionals
AMN Healthcare Services News Release (03/29/12)

AMN Healthcare's latest "Use of Social Media and Mobile by Healthcare Professionals" survey reveals that more physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and pharmacists are using social media to look for job opportunities, network with colleagues, and apply for new positions. The percentage of health care professionals using social media for job searches climbed to about 33% in 2011 from 20% in 2010, and of those using mobile job alerts, 10% secured an interview, 14% were offered a job, and 8% obtained employment. In 2010, only 1% secured a job through social media. Additionally, 75% of health care professionals prefer Facebook over other social media sites when searching for jobs. The survey indicates that employers have the opportunity to use social media to recruit health care professionals.

Oklahoma City Leads Large Cities in Job Creation
Gallup News Service (03/29/12) Lymari Morales; Joe Daly

Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, and Richmond, VA, topped Gallup's Job Creation Index among the 50 biggest U.S. metro areas in 2011. More than 33% of employees in each of the top-performing metro areas said their company was hiring or expanding its work force. Oklahoma City topped the list because of the low percentage of employees (12%) who said their company was letting people go or downsizing its work force. The Nashville, TN, and Orlando, FL, areas rounded out the top five metro areas with the highest job creation scores. The largest metro areas in the country—New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago—ranked nearer the bottom of the list than the top. However, every one of the top 50 metro areas has a positive score.

Employers Expect to Hire More New College Graduates
Chicago Sun-Times (03/30/12) David Roeder

Employers across the country intend to hire 10.2% more new college graduates this year than they did last year, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The 160 employers that participated in the survey said engineering, business, accounting, and computer science majors would comprise most of the hires. The average survey participant reported 116 job openings, compared with 105 last year. Employers in the Western and Southeastern U.S. have the most robust hiring plans, at 33% and 18%, respectively.

Easy and Difficult Markets to Recruit Truck Drivers
Wanted Analytics (03/29/12) Abby Lombardi

Wanted Analytics says more than 42,000 job ads for truck drivers were posted online during the past 30 days, up 42% from the same period in 2011. Year-over-year increases in hiring demand were greatest in Chicago, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, with job ads for truck drivers up 95% in Los Angeles alone. Five locations where truck driving positions will be easiest to fill are Salisbury, MD, Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL, Michigan City-La Porte, IN, Miami, FL, and Bangor, ME. Positions will be harder to fill and ads will remain online longer in Lawrence, KS, Muncie, IN, Owensboro, KY, Corvalis, OR, and Pueblo, CO.

ASA for You

Tuesday, April 3, 3–4 p.m. Eastern time, attend the ASAPro Webinar "The Art and Process of the Conscious and Powerful Interview," presented by Margaret Graziano, CPC, CTS, of Keen Talent Management. She'll give you tips for attracting and identifying top performers. This Webinar is sponsored by People 2.0.

All Webinars are free for ASA members ($295 for nonmembers) and qualify for continuing education hours toward ASA certification renewal. Register online at americanstaffing.net.
Submitting an entry to an ASA award program provides an excellent way for members to be recognized by the industry for their outstanding initiatives. Start preparing your entries now for the National Staffing Employee of the Year, ASA Care Award, and Staffing VOICE Award programs. The deadline for all ASA award entries is Aug. 1.

The National Staffing Employee of the Year is an honoree whose story best captures the staffing industry's key messages—jobs, flexibility, bridge, choice, and training. Give your stellar temporary or contract employee the chance to be the 2013 National Staffing Employee of the Year by nominating him or her for the prestigious distinction.

You can learn about the 2012 honoree, Chris Hoover, by reading the January–February issue of Staffing Success. National Staffing Employee of the Year is sponsored by First Staff Benefits, an ASA corporate partner.

Share your company's outstanding corporate social responsibility initiatives by submitting an entry for this year's ASA Care Award. The Care Awards recognize CSR best practices among ASA member companies and affiliated chapters. A panel of corporate social responsibility experts will review entries and select the winners.

The 2012 Staffing VOICE Award competition, sponsored by ASA corporate partner CareerBuilder, recognizes standout communications efforts in 16 categories that demonstrate vision, originality, innovation, creativity, and effectiveness (VOICE). Visit americanstaffing.net to download an entry form and to learn more about last year's winners.

Last Day to Get Hotel Group Rate for the ASA Staffing Law Conference

The ASA group rate at the Hotel Helix ends today; this hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the Westin City Center Hotel—the location for the 2012 ASA Staffing Law Conference, April 17–18, Washington, DC. The Westin is sold out, but ASA has secured a block of rooms at the Hotel Helix for conference attendees.

Make reservations by calling the Hotel Helix at 800-706-1202 and asking for the 2012 ASA Staffing Law Conference group rate. And register today for the Staffing Law Conference.

Headline News

Staffing Stocks Poised to Outperform on U.S. Job Gains
Bloomberg (03/28/12) Anna-Louise Jackson; Anthony Feld; Alex Kowalski

After nearly nine months of underperformance, the new Bloomberg U.S. Employment Services Index, featuring such staffing companies as Robert Half International Inc., Kelly Services Inc., and Insperity Inc., has climbed 48% since Sept. 22, 2011, while the Russell 2000 Index of small company stocks rose just 31%. With 734,000 temporary and permanent jobs added between December and February, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Carl Camden, president and chief executive of Kelly Services, says businesses are less pessimistic. Although the portion of temporary workers relative to all employees on nonfarm payrolls climbed 1.86% in February, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment outlook for the next six months reveals some uncertainty. The Conference Board reports that the share of Americans believing there will be more jobs minus the share of those anticipating fewer jobs dropped to minus one percentage point this month.

However, analysts say shares of staffing firms with domestic exposure are performing better than those with European exposure. Moreover, Camden encourages investors to watch the conversion rate of temporary workers taking permanent positions. He notes, “Staffing firms are seeing an increase in temporary-to-permanent conversion that is typical at a second stage of recovery.”

Orders for Durable Goods in U.S. Increased 2.2% in February
Bloomberg (03/28/12) Timothy Homan

Orders for long-lasting U.S. goods climbed 2.2% in February amid strong demand for a broad variety of commercial and military-related products, the U.S. Commerce Department reported today. It was the fourth increase in five months. Economists forecast a 3% gain, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey.

Corporate equipment upgrades and consumer purchases of new cars are bolstering production, prompting factories to hire and keeping the industry a source of strength for the expansion. Nonetheless, higher fuel costs and slowdowns in Europe and China may limit the pace of manufacturing this year.

Growing Natural Gas Supply to Fuel Jobs
USA Today (03/28/12) Paul Davidson

The fast-growing supply of inexpensive natural gas in the U.S. is setting off a manufacturing revival that is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs as companies build or expand plants to take advantage of the low prices. Nearly 30 new chemical plants have been proposed in the U.S. for the next five years, according to the American Chemistry Council. The projects would employ 200,000 workers at the factories and related suppliers, says council president Cal Dooley.

PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Robert McCutcheon estimates inexpensive natural gas could help U.S. manufacturers save $11.6 billion a year and create more than 500,000 jobs by 2025. Affected industries include chemical, steel, and agriculture.

Recent Job Growth Not a Fluke: White House Aide
Reuters (03/27/12) Jason Lange

Although Wall Street analysts credit a mild winter and possible seasonal adjustment problems in the data with playing a key part in driving down the unemployment rate since last summer, Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, says there is more evidence that a broad-based economic recovery is taking hold. He says parts of the U.S. that are typically less affected by cold weather saw similar declines in the unemployment rate as did the U.S. as a whole. He says he is “skeptical that seasonal factors are skewing our key statistics in a major way.” The Council of Economic Advisers says the economy will create about two million jobs this year.

Legal Watch

States’ Anti-Illegal Immigration Bills Hit Roadblocks
USA Today (03/27/12) Alan Gomez

Utah, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Indiana passed illegal immigration laws on the heels of Arizona, but Republican lawmakers in other states have halted or abandoned similar bills to see how legal challenges to these laws and the upcoming election play out. The U.S. Supreme Court is slated to review Arizona’s landmark 2010 illegal immigration law in April. A bill in Missouri has stalled after passing a Senate committee, and lawmakers in Virginia and Kansas do not expect any bills to advance this year. Meanwhile, legislation proposed in Mississippi has been scaled back, eliminating provisions that would have allowed law enforcement to conduct roadside immigration checks, required school officials to verify students’ immigration status, and forced residents to carry identification papers.

Health Care Security Ordinance Annual Reporting Form Now Available
San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (03/27/12)

The 2011 Health Care Security Ordinance Annual Reporting Form is now available for online submission. The HCSO requires the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement to collect information on a yearly basis from companies regarding their health care expenditures. To avoid penalties of $500 per quarter, “covered employers” must submit the ARF by April 30, 2012. The 2011 ARF has been updated this year to reflect the November 2011 Amendment to the HCSO, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2012. Employers should read the Instructions for Completing the 2011 HCSO Annual Reporting Form before they fill out and submit the online form. The instructions and the ARF itself are now available at the OLSE Web site.

Federal Agencies Told to Take Into Account Cumulative Costs of Regulations on Business
Bloomberg BNA (03/27/12) Cheryl Bolen; Stephen Lee

Cass Sunstein, administrator of the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, has issued a memorandum to all federal agencies asking them to be sensitive to the costs and cumulative impact regulations pose to businesses. The memo also asks agencies to identify opportunities to harmonize and streamline various rules. The memo asks agencies to pay special attention to small and start-up companies.

House Committee OKs Bill to Freeze Federal Rules Until Unemployment Drops
Bloomberg BNA (03/27/12) Stephen Lee

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee has approved bill HR 4078, which would prohibit federal agencies from advancing new significant regulations until the unemployment rate falls to 6%. The proposed Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act, sponsored by Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR), now heads to the full House for consideration. The committee also approved a manager’s amendment that would allow the president to submit a regulation to Congress that does not fall under one of the bill’s other exemption parameters. Those exemptions include rules that are considered “necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, or for U.S. national security, or issued to implement an international trade agreement.”

Trends and Research

2012 IT Budgets Up by 20% but Employer Fears Loom Regarding Losing IT Talent
MarketWatch (03/27/12)

A new survey of more than 700 director to chief information officer level executives by Protech, an information technology search and staffing firm in Boca Raton, FL, shows that 42% of tech leaders expect to boost IT staff in 2012. Moreover, 57% of respondents are worried about losing top IT talent, with 58% citing compensation as the top reason.

Additionally, the survey shows a greater increase in direct hiring than in temporary staffing. Deborah Vazquez, chief executive of Protech, says, “Employers are more confident about making longer-term hiring decisions in IT, which can further propel corporate growth and streamline operations.” The best perks offered by employers were flextime, telecommuting, and bonuses, and the average pay increase was 3.5% last year, compared with 2% in 2010. Vazquez says, “We are effectively now in an employee-driven market due to low unemployment in IT and specialized candidates weighing multiple job offers.”

Obama, Unions Work to Bring Back Overseas Jobs
The Street (03/27/12) Ted Reed

Over the past months, companies in the automobile and airline industries have repatriated or agreed to repatriate thousands of jobs from overseas in auto manufacturing, airline call centers, and other areas. US Airways, for example, brought back 400 reservation agents’ jobs from the Philippines to the U.S. over the past year. President Obama is supporting the efforts, in January hosting an “Insourcing American Jobs” forum at the White House. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) is sponsoring a bill that would prevent businesses that outsource U.S. call center jobs from being able to obtain federal grants and loans.

ASA for You

During his exciting closing general session at Staffing World, “Use Technology and Social Media to Build Community, Profit, and Positive Impact,” Simon Mainwaring—one of the world’s foremost experts on branding and social media—will present strategies that business leaders need to leverage technology and build stronger company brands and profits. Drawing from best practices and case studies of Fortune 500 brands, Mainwaring leads a powerful session designed to give companies the confidence and action steps to become social technology leaders.

Staffing World will be Oct 9–11 in Las Vegas. Don’t miss this opportunity to get lessons you can apply at your firm. For more information and to register, visit staffingworld.org.
Nurse staffing is a highly regulated segment of the staffing industry. To help protect nurse staffing firms from legal risk and help them better serve their clients and employees, ASA created Nurse Staffing Firm Best Practices and Operations Information. This information was developed by the ASA health care section policy council, which is composed of ASA health care staffing firm company representatives committed to the development of education, tools, and resources for the health care staffing sector.

The best practices address compliance with laws and regulations; determination of applicant experience and qualifications; client relations; and complaint, grievance, and incident management.

In addition to the best practices, these documents are available:

• Employment Application
  
• Supplemental Employment Questionnaire
  
• License or Certification Verification Form
  
• Skills Checklist for a registered nurse
  
• Reference Check Form
  
• Orientation Verification
  
• Acknowledgement of OSHA Training Requirements
  
• Employee Health Form
  
• Office of Inspector General Exclusion Search
  
• Hepatitis B Consent and Vaccination Record
  
• Model Agreement for Health Car Staffing (including Sample Rate Schedule, Sample Benefits Waiver for Assigned Employees, Sample Confidentiality Agreement for Assigned Employees)
  
• Initial Shift Evaluation of Supplemental Staff Form
  
• Client Feedback Form

To view the Nurse Staffing Firm Best Practices and Operations Information, visit americanstaffing.net.

Headline News

Bernanke Notes Labor Market Concerns
Wall Street Journal (03/26/12) Ben Casselman

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said today that high long-term unemployment is likely caused more by cyclical rather than structural factors, and that extremely low interest rates should continue to bring down the jobless rate. Bernanke cited a wide range of indicators indicating a “notable” drop in unemployment. However, he cautioned that conditions remain “far from normal,” with uncertainty lingering about whether the relatively rapid improvement over the past year is sustainable.

“Further significant improvements in the unemployment rate will likely require a more-rapid expansion of production and demand from consumers and businesses, a process that can be supported by continued accommodative policies,” Bernanke said in prepared remarks to the annual conference of the National Association for Business Economics.

Time Not on Side of the Jobless
Wall Street Journal (03/26/12) Ben Casselman

The hiring picture has improved in recent months, but not for everyone. In February, 3.5% of the U.S. work force was unemployed for more than six months, compared with 4.0% in February of 2010, a smaller decline than in the overall jobless rate. The average unemployed worker has been jobless for 40 weeks, a mark that has barely budged in the past six months. The diverging fortunes of the long- and short-term unemployed suggests the emergence of deeper, structural problems that could persist long after the rest of the economy recovers. Rather than returning to work as the economy recovers, as they have after past U.S. recessions, the long-term unemployed could effectively break off from the normal job market.

Economists term this prospect “hysteresis,” a term borrowed from chemistry meaning that the past affects the present. The U.S. has little history with such problems, and even in the early 1980s, when the U.S. unemployment rate got close to 11% at one point, the average length of unemployment, at its peak, was just over 21 weeks, and fell quickly from there. Most economists believed that the more flexible, business-friendly American labor market would protect the U.S. from hysteresis, but some are re-evaluating that assumption. They argue that in the wake of a severe recession, the lines between cyclical and structural unemployment can become blurred.

California Jobless Rate Holds Steady as More People Seek Work
Los Angeles Times (03/24/12) Alejandro Lazo

California employers added 4,000 jobs in February, signaling slow but steady improvement in the labor market, according to figures released on March 23 by the California Employment Development Department. The state’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 10.9% as more workers looked for employment. The largest number of new positions was added in the information sector, which includes software and motion pictures, followed by manufacturing, educational and health services, and professional and business services.

The number of temporary workers hired by employers in California has been increasing over the last three months, says Jerry Nickelsburg, a senior economist with the UCLA Anderson Forecast from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California–Los Angeles. “This rise in temporary workers is at least in part showing the leading edge of employers beginning to bring employees on,” Nickelsburg says. “If the economy continues to see growth, they will continue to convert those into permanent jobs.”

Legal Watch

Senators Ask Feds to Probe Requests for Passwords
CBS News (03/25/12)

Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to look into whether companies that ask applicants for Facebook passwords during job interviews are violating federal law. The senators are sending letters to the heads of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. On Friday, Facebook warned companies not to ask job applicants for their passwords and threatened legal action against acts that violate its policy against sharing passwords. A Facebook executive warned that if a company learns that an applicant is a member of a protected class, the company may be vulnerable to discrimination claims if it doesn’t hire the applicant.

Employer Still Liable Despite Theft of Workers’ Compensation Check: Court
Business Insurance (03/23/12)

In the case of Barrett Business Services Inc. vs. Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, a California appellate court has ruled that even though a company’s $17,000 check was stolen and cashed, the company still must pay the workers’ compensation claimant who never got the check. Rafael Rivas worked for Barrett and injured his back in 2005, but changed addresses numerous times before his claim was settled. Barrett mailed the settlement check to Rivas at an out-of-date address, and a “Rafal Rivas” fraudulently cashed the check. Barrett argued that because it mailed the check to Rivas at an address specified in a compromise and release agreement, it had fulfilled its duties in the matter. However, the court disagreed.

Does Your Company Have an LM-10 Reporting Deadline Soon?
Lexology (03/19/12) Bernard J. Bobber

Employers that have some reportable activity as defined by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 must file a Form LM-10 (Employer Report) with the U.S. Department of Labor. The law requires certain payments of money or other items of value to a union, union official, labor relations consultant, or employee to be disclosed, even if the company’s employees are not represented by a union. For companies using the calendar year as their fiscal year, the reporting deadline is March 30. Under LMRDA, the payments to be reported must be greater than $250 and include such things as gifts or services given to employees on the condition that they will not organize, paying a labor relations consultant to plant agents among employees to report on union organizational activities, paying to print or disseminate pamphlets and other advertisements that threaten to close or move plants if organized, or taking out a union official with whom collective bargaining agreements are being negotiated. The report must be signed under oath by the employer’s president and treasurer, and willful violations could result in criminal and civil penalties.

Don’t Get Socked With a Retaliation Charge
HR.BLR.com (03/19/12)

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says that for 2011, it received more complaints about retaliation than any other kind of complaint, such as race or disability discrimination. Retaliation—finding a pretext to fire or transfer an employee because the employee complained about mistreatment by a supervisor, improper company practices, sexual harassment, or anything similar—is illegal. Furthermore, retaliation claims are easier to prove than discrimination claims.

To address the surge in retaliation claims, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued three new fact sheets on the issue: Fact Sheet #77A: Prohibiting Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act; Fact Sheet #77B: Protection for Individuals Under the FMLA; and Fact Sheet #77C: Prohibiting Retaliation Under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act.

ASA for You

The 2012 ASA Staffing Law Conference, April 17–18 in Washington, DC, features a packed agenda devoted to legal issues facing staffing firms. Among the can’t-miss sessions is “Paperless HR: The Do’s and Don’ts of Electronic Record-Keeping.”

Because technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, the days of recording placements on index cards are long gone and the paperless approach to personnel records is here. Learn how to go paperless as well as the legal do’s and don’ts for completing and storing electronic Forms I-9 and other personnel records.

Register for the 2012 ASA Staffing Law conference.
The ASA group rate at the Hotel Helix has been extended to Wednesday, March 28; this hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the Westin City Center Hotel—the location for the 2012 ASA Staffing Law Conference, April 17–18, Washington, DC. The exact distance between the hotels is 0.3 miles. The Westin is sold out, but ASA has secured a block of rooms at the Hotel Helix for conference attendees.

Make reservations by calling the Hotel Helix at 800-706-1202 and asking for the 2012 ASA Staffing Law Conference group rate. The group room rate is $259 (plus tax) per night for single or double occupancy (includes complimentary Internet access), and is subject to room availability.

Among the valuable content presented at the upcoming ASA Staffing Law Conference is a can’t-miss session—“The Regulators Speak: Enforcement Agendas of DOL, EEOC, and DOJ.” Senior-level agency representatives discuss wage and hour, immigration, and antidiscrimination enforcement agendas and efforts, and what those mean for staffing firms. Register today.

Headline News

Jobless Claims in U.S. Fall to Lowest Level in Four Years
Bloomberg (03/22/12) Shobhana Chandra

The number of Americans who filed requests for jobless benefits fell by 5,000 last week to 348,000, the lowest level since February 2008, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 353,000 from 351,000. The median forecast of 46 economists in a Bloomberg News survey projected 350,000. The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls and those getting extended payments also fell. Dismissals have been waning and reports show companies are becoming more willing to expand work forces amid evidence sales are improving.

Analysis: U.S. Job Gains Hint at More Spending and Hiring
Reuters (03/22/12) Lucia Mutikani

Economists say the recent acceleration in U.S. job growth could create a virtuous cycle, generating additional income for more Americans and leading to increased spending, faster growth, and further hiring. On an annualized basis, the 734,000 jobs created over the past three months probably generated about $360 billion in additional income, when taking into account the modest rise in hourly earnings and longer working hours.

Strong job growth and healthy income gains have been the missing ingredients in the recovery from the 2007-09 recession. While growth in per capita wages is still restrained by the huge number of Americans hunting for work, the situation should improve as the labor market strengthens. “With employment gains starting to accelerate, it’s certainly something that will push income growth to be more consistent with employment growth, and therefore it creates a virtuous cycle that we are all waiting for,” says Torsten Slok, a senior economist at Deutsche Bank in New York. Every gain of 100,000 in payrolls should lead to monthly income growth of 0.2% to 0.3%, according to Millan Mulraine, senior macro strategist at TD Securities in New York.

Minnesota Ups Minority Hiring Goals as Twin Cities Grow More Diverse
TwinCities.com (03/21/12) Frederick Melo

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton’s office and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights has announced new county-specific targets for minority hiring. Construction companies funded by the state will have to double or almost triple their minority hiring goals. The minority hiring goal in Hennepin and Ramsey counties will be 32%. The goal in Annoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott, and Washington counties will be 22%. Previously the goal was 18% for especially large projects and 11% for smaller projects. The goal for female hiring will be 6%.

Legal Watch

Pre-Employment Background Checks for Temporary Employees
Lexology (03/14/12) Ed Magarian; Jillian Kornblatt

Experts say businesses that contract with staffing firms to engage workers with access to consumer identity information should ensure the staffing firm conducts background checks for employees placed at their company, and the background checks should be similar to those performed on their permanent employees. The contract should state the method and conditions under which the staffing firm discloses negative information uncovered by the background check prior to placing a temporary worker and the type of approval granted by the employer before placement occurs.

Although employers may avoid liability for certain acts committed by temporary workers employed by a staffing firm, they may still be found liable if they were negligent in selecting the staffing firm that conducted the background check or fail to exercise appropriate oversight or training of the temporary worker. Employers also must comply with laws governing the use of information gleaned from pre-employment background checks.

From the Office of Special Counsel: Anatomy of an OSC Investigation
Lexology (03/15/12) Dawn Lurie

Investigations by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices should be taken seriously, and companies contacted by the OSC should immediately hire experienced immigration attorneys and assess potential liability at additional sites, if applicable. The initial investigation will be completed within 120 days, by which time the OSC determines whether to dismiss the charge or investigate for an additional 90 days.

Internal reviews of employment verification practices should be central to companies’ compliance strategies. Companies must make sure they follow the Immigration and Nationality Act’s antidiscrimination provisions and treat all workers the same by not arbitrarily requiring workers to provide new or updated Form I-9 information or document copies.

Regulating Employee Personal Conduct Through Employment Policies
Lexology (03/16/12) Cori Stirling

Many employers have created nonfraternization and social media policies to regulate various aspects of employees’ personal conduct. However, depending on the breadth of the written policies, these policies may have the unintended consequence of prohibiting conduct other than romantic relationships or derogatory comments, which may cause unwanted legal ramifications for the employer under the National Labor Relations Act. Also, implementation of nonfraternization policies and social media policies may result in unhappy employees, which in turn could lead to discrimination lawsuits and claims.

To avoid such potential legal difficulties, employers seeking to adopt these policies must ensure their policies are carefully crafted. Section 7 of the NLRA gives employees the right to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection. A work policy that may chill employees in the exercise of these rights could violate the NLRA, so having narrowly tailored nonfraternization and social media policies is critical. Even if the employer has perfectly crafted nonfraternization and social media policies, the policies may still result in liability under discrimination law if not enforced properly. The key to overcoming allegations of discrimination is to enforce the policy consistently, so that no employee can successfully allege being singled out for enforcement based upon a protected status.

ASA for You

ASA has announced that Liz Wiseman, bestselling author and highly sought-after leadership strategist, has joined the exciting lineup of keynote speakers at Staffing World 2012, Oct. 9-11, in Las Vegas.

Wiseman is well-known for the groundbreaking strategies presented in her book, Multipliers—a top 20 leadership book on Amazon.com. Multipliers are leaders who amplify the capabilities of the people around them. When these leaders walk into a room, light bulbs turn on over people’s heads, ideas flow, and problems get solved. Learn more about Wiseman and her can’t-miss keynote address at Staffing World 2012.

ASA recently announced that Jim Collins, the highly acclaimed author and business strategist, will also headline Staffing World 2012. Collins invites staffing executives to be Great by Choice, the title of his newest bestseller. Learn more about what Collins has in store for staffing industry executives.

Networking is one of your most essential tasks as a staffing professional—and the ASA group on LinkedIn can help you connect with industry peers. Group members can participate in online discussions, post job openings, respond to poll questions, and establish connections with other ASA members.

In addition, you can join one or more sector-specific subgroups for health care; industrial; professional; search and placement; and technical, IT, and scientific staffing. Learn more about ASA membership sections at americanstaffing.net.

The LinkedIn group enables you to network with other members of the staffing community when it’s convenient for you. Join today and get connected.

Headline News

Randstad Says North America May Become Firm’s Top Market
Bloomberg (03/20/12)

Randstad Holding NV says North America may become the company’s biggest market this year because of an acquisition and faster economic growth in the U.S. than in Europe. Randstad chief executive officer Ben Noteboom points out that hiring of professionals in the information-technology, engineering, and accounting industries has been increasing, enabling the company to build on its eight consecutive quarters of U.S. sales growth. “We are almost back at the previous peak,” Noteboom says. “There is no sign that the rise in penetration will stop” as firms seek to grow while remaining flexible enough to match sudden changes in the economy.

Randstad nearly doubled its presence in the U.S. after buying Fort Lauderdale, FL-based SFN Group Inc. for $771 million last year. U.S. companies are expanding work forces as sales rise and the threat of financial contagion from a European sovereign-debt default diminishes. “Structurally you see the biggest growth in the professional segment,” says Noteboom. “Our most important stake is the information technology market in the U.S.”

Economists Offer More Pessimistic View on Manufacturing in Upcoming Report
Washington Post (03/20/12) Peter Whoriskey

Federal advisers from the Clinton and Bush administrations attributed job losses in the manufacturing industry in the 2000s to increased productivity. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures indicate that productivity more than doubled from 1991 to 2011. However, some experts believe U.S. statistics showing productivity gains in manufacturing have been miscalculated and misrepresented, noting that price savings realized from outsourcing work to other countries may have been incorrectly included in calculations of U.S. output and productivity. Some experts also note that gains in output from 2000 to 2010 were registered only when computer and electronics products were included with the rest of U.S. manufacturing.

However, they point out that computer and electronics manufacturing has shifted overseas, and gains tied to innovation have been factored into productivity calculations. Rob Atkinson of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation says the fact that U.S. manufacturers have lost their competitive advantage in the global marketplace has contributed to job losses in the industry and that government policy should be changed to bring millions of manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.

Legal Watch

Revised MA Antistaffing Bill Passes Out of Committee; Advocacy Efforts Continue
American Staffing Association (03/20/12) Stephen Dwyer

Late last week, a revised version of House Bill 1393 was passed out of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Labor and Work Force Development. As originally drafted, HB 1393 would have prohibited staffing firms from charging permanent placement and conversion fees with respect to certain employees, potentially required in-state offices, and potentially prohibited staffing firms from sending candidate résumés to clients for purposes of generating client interest and job orders.

ASA and its affiliated chapter, the Massachusetts Staffing Association, met with the bill’s sponsor and proponents on several occasions, explaining how the original draft would harm the state’s staffing firms. As a result of these efforts, an entirely new bill was passed out of the committee.

Although the revised bill takes into account some of ASA’s and MSA’s concerns, it still would impose a significant administrative burden on law-abiding staffing firms. ASA and MSA will continue to meet with legislators to explain why the bill would harm staffing firms by imposing burdensome new requirements and detracting from their main mission of finding workers jobs.

Bill Would Protect Unemployed Job-Hunters
Riverside Press-Enterprise (California) (03/19/12) Jack Katzanek

California Assembly Bill 1450 would make employment status a protected class—along with age, race, and disability—that cannot be considered during the hiring process. If the bill passes and is signed into law, it would prohibit companies from turning away applicants because they are unemployed. The bill also would crack down on employment firms and online job boards that require candidates to be “currently employed.” New Jersey and the District of Columbia have adopted similar laws, and measures are pending in about a dozen other states.

Some who work in the human resources field say the law is not necessary. Sarah Cullins, president of staffing firm Finesse Personnel Associates, says she has never accepted a listing from a company that ruled out anyone who is currently unemployed. She says some companies could skew things the other way. A company wanting to hire someone immediately could favor someone who is unemployed and doesn’t have to give two weeks notice.

Is Your Employee Handbook Fully Protecting Your Business?
JDSupra (03/16/2012)

To protect themselves, companies must ensure their employee handbooks are updated regularly. Employee handbooks should include updated information on the Family and Medical Leave Act, including the FMLA notice poster or all the provisions found in the poster. Handbooks should also include a Fair Labor Standards Act safe harbor policy that asks employees to report all deductions they think are improper. Companies that monitor their employees’ e-mail or use of the Internet should include an employee authorization within the employee acknowledgement.

In Michigan, companies should have a Social Security privacy policy that outlines how the company obtains, uses, disseminates, and disposes of records that contain employee Social Security numbers; Michigan companies may also want to include an employee consent for a shortened statute of limitations.

Consider Having a Witness to Employee Meetings
Business Management Daily (03/18/12)

Having a witness during any employee meetings involving bias complaints can help protect the company during potential litigation.

In a recent case, Johnson v. Labor Force, Ronald Johnson, an African-American employee who worked for a temporary staffing firm, alleged that he was paid less than employees who were not African American. He asked for a meeting with the company owner and said he told the owner about his suspicions and informed the owner that he planned to file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Johnson was allegedly told that he did not need to return to work, so he sued.

The owner said a conversation about discrimination or equal employment opportunity complaints never took place. The court said a jury should determine who was telling the truth.

IRS Releases a YouTube Video Announcing Its Voluntary Classification Settlement Program to Employers
Lexology (03/19/12) Chris Pelkey

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has introduced its Voluntary Classification Settlement Program with a YouTube video geared toward employers uncertain about whether workers should be designated as employees or contractors. At less than two minutes long, the video provides an overview of the VCSP and stresses that the program offers relief to employers who voluntarily reclassify workers as employees. Relief will be granted to employers who consistently classified workers as contractors or nonemployees, filed Forms 1099 for these workers, are not being audited by the IRS, and are not being audited by the U.S. Department of Labor or a state agency regarding worker classification. Employers that wish to apply for relief should access IRS Form 8952 on the agency’s Web site.

Trends and Research

Tatum Survey of Financial Executives Shows U.S. Recovery Back on Track
Sacramento Bee (03/19/12)

The professional services firm Tatum reports that its first quarter survey of financial executives reveals improving business conditions, a trend that has continued since November 2011. The percentage of financial executives reporting improvements climbed to 39% in March from 33% in February and 32% in January. “The theme we see this month is that the uncertainty around a broadening economic recovery seems to be dissipating,” says Sam Norwood, senior partner and editor of the Tatum Survey. The survey shows a slight jump in employment, with firms expecting to increase hiring.

2012′s College Graduates Have More Job Prospects, Recruiters Say
Los Angeles Times (03/20/12)

The job market for this year’s college graduates appears to be on the upswing as economic forecasts show seniors will have a better shot at employment than in past years and more businesses are recruiting at campus job fairs this spring. A recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that businesses expect to hire 9.5% more college graduates this year than last, broadening a recovery since 2009 when such hiring plummeted 22%. “Hiring projections by industry indicate positive movement nearly across the board,” the report says, with the strongest demand for business, engineering, and computer science majors.

The Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University, meanwhile, expects hiring of new college graduates to rise 7%. “Employers are now more optimistic about the college labor market than at any time since 2007,” its report states. Salaries of recent college graduates average about $36,000 a year, varying by industry and major, according to the report.

Accountemps Survey: One in Three Employers Lacks Orientation Program for New Hires
Accountemps News Release (03/20/12)

According to a recent survey from Accountemps, 34% of 500 human resource managers surveyed say their companies do not offer a formal orientation program to help prepare new staff. However, 67% of small firms (20 to 49 employees) have a formal orientation program, compared with 52% of large companies (1,000 or more employees). HR executives whose companies offer an orientation program say the greatest benefits of the program are that new employees: better understand the company’s values, guidelines, and expectations (35%); make positive contributions more quickly (20%); feel a connection with the company more quickly (19%); and are better prepared for long-term success with the company (17%).

MBA Hiring Continues to Grow
U.S. News & World Report (03/19/12) Laura McMullen

An increasing number of new graduates with masters degrees in business administration are landing jobs, compared with the past two years, according to an analysis of U.S. News & World Report data. Of the business schools providing job placement data for their 2011 graduates of full-time MBA programs, 78.8% of those graduates were hired within three months of graduation. By comparison, 75.7% of 2010 graduates and 70.8% of 2009 graduates landed a job within three months of graduation. These average percentage gains reflect a 4.1% growth in the MBA hiring market from 2010, and an 11.3% increase from 2009.

Many companies are expressing their interest in MBAs by approaching them at school. Approximately 70% of the 102 business programs surveyed for a February 2012 MBA Career Services Council report experienced increased on-campus recruiting in 2011. Specifically, those on-campus recruiters want MBAs to fill technology positions. More than 60% reported an increase in recruiting for full-time technology positions in 2011, up from the 37% gain technology job recruitment seen in 2010.

How to Get a Hot Job in Big Data
Network World (03/19/12) Dan Tynan

Big data has spawned new hybrid jobs that combine business knowledge and information technology tools. “Marketing and research people are becoming adept at pulling data from one system, translating it, and loading it into another system,” says Michael Dsupin, chief executive of the tech staffing firm Talener. “Everything these days is about harvesting the data out there.” Tracey Wilen-Daugenti, managing director of the Apollo Research Institute, says toolmaking, auto repair, health care, and other industries are being changed by technology, noting, “Every industry will require smart technology people with subject-matter expertise who can create new devices and think through all ways they might be used.” Some of these hybrid jobs involve data mining, data visualization, data analysis, data manipulation, data discovery, and handling data deluge. However, Dsupin does not think IT workers will be replaced.

ASA for You

ASA offers sector-specific communities, called membership sections, to represent all sectors of the staffing industry and to promote peer networking and collaboration. These sections support the broad sectors of the industry: heath care; industrial; office–administrative; professional; search and placement; and technical, IT, and scientific.

It’s free for ASA members to join one or more sections. To join a section, visit americanstaffing.net. Membership sections are sponsored by ASA corporate partner RCS Services, a pioneer in risk management strategies specific to the staffing industry’s unique challenges.

Each section is led by a policy council, composed of ASA member volunteers, that advises the ASA board of directors on sector-specific issues, coordinates section activities, and designs programs and services to meet each sector’s unique business challenges.

Congratulations to the newly appointed policy council chairmen and vice chairmen.

Health care
Chairman: Marc Bowles, chief operating office, The Delta Companies, Dallas. Vice Chairman: Cynthia Kinnas, president, National Healthcare Division, Clinical One, soon to be Randstad Healthcare, Austin, TX

Industrial
Chairman: Harvey Homsey, vice president of franchise systems, Express Employment Professionals, Oklahoma City. Vice Chairman: Nick Stallard, CSP, chief financial officer, The Reserves Network Inc., Fairview Park, OH

Office–Administrative
Chairman: Karenjo Goodwin, chief executive officer, Exact Staff Inc., Woodland Hills, CA. Vice Chairman: Steve DeVoe, CSP, vice president, Tiger Personnel Services Inc., Silver Spring, MD

Professional
Chairman: John Thomas, CSP, CTS, regional developer, Nextaff, Overland Park, KS

Search and Placement
Chairman: Jeff Hindman, CPC, CAC, president and chief executive officer, The Hindman Group Inc., Chesterfield, MO

Technical, IT, and Scientific
Chairman: Dane Reese, CSP, president, Stark, Austin, TX. Vice Chairman: Dan Muhlfelder, president and chief executive officer, LJ Gonzer Associates, Cranford, NJ

Headline News

Appeals Court Denies Class Action Recruiter Overtime Case
American Staffing Association (03/16/12) Stephen Dwyer

In an unpublished opinion issued March 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied class certification in a case brought on behalf of Aerotek recruiters who claimed that they were misclassified as exempt administrative employees and thus entitled to overtime pay under California wage and hour law, Delodder, et al, v. Aerotek, Case 10-56755. The court upheld the district court’s ruling that the recruiters were not similarly situated and thus could not comprise a proper class for the class action.

The Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s finding that the recruiters’ candidate sourcing techniques, interview styles, authority to recommend candidates, and relationship with supervisors all were relevant to whether the recruiters were exempt, and the variation in such activities among recruiters did not allow for class-wide adjudication.

Data Suggest Job-Market Gains Leveling Off
Wall Street Journal (03/16/12) Neil Shah

The number of people filing new applications for unemployment benefits declined last week, but declines in the four-week moving average have slowed, indicating that recent improvements in the job market may be losing momentum. Although employers are slowing the pace of layoffs, and the economy has added 1.2 million jobs in the past six months, some observers believe the job market won’t improve any further without more substantial economic growth.

E-Verify Job-Check System Is Underutilized, Agency Says
Washington Times (03/15/12) Stephen Dinan

Alejandro Mayorkas, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, says the agency can handle additional requests through its E-Verify system, though it would need time to handle additional capacity if all states mandated use of the system. E-Verify mandates for all businesses have been passed in Arizona, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi, and 13 states require its use by state agencies and government contractors. However, compliance levels vary in states with mandates. Mayorkas says the system ran more than 17 million checks during the 2011 fiscal year, and 102,942 individuals have used the system to check their status as of March 15. Legislation proposed by U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, would require the use of E-Verify for all new hires nationwide, but the bill has stalled.

Legal Watch

U.S.: Unemployed Status—The New Protected Class
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP (03/14/12) James Hays; Rebecca Hirschklau

There appears to be a trend to add “unemployed” to the list of protected classifications under the myriad of federal and state fair employment practices acts. When unemployment rates are high, employers invariably become inundated with candidates for the limited openings that may become open and available, to the point where some employers have taken to disqualifying potential applicants by advertising that “the unemployed” need not apply. In light of this, Congress and several state legislative bodies have started to amend their antidiscrimination laws to add “unemployed status” as a protected class.

There are two bills currently pending in the U.S. Congress: HR 2501, the Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2011 and S 1471, also known as the Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2011. Both bills seek to bar private employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against the unemployed when posting job openings and when considering an applicant for employment, unless current employment status was a bona fide job requirement.

Several states, meanwhile, are currently considering amendments to classify “unemployed status” as a protected class, thereby seeking to prohibit discrimination in hiring on the basis of an applicant’s unemployed status. New Jersey in 2011 became the first state to adopt a law concerning discrimination on the basis of an applicant’s employment status. Specifically, New Jersey now prohibits employers and employment agencies from advertising job vacancies that include “currently employed” as a job qualification; or indicate that applications will be accepted only from currently employed people; or that applications from the unemployed will not be accepted.

Managing an OSHA Inspection: Answers to Five Frequently Asked Questions
OSHA Law Update (03/08/12) Eric Conn

When the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration unexpectedly shows up to begin an inspection and the employer’s representative whom the employer prefers to manage the OSHA inspection is not present at the workplace, the employer can request that the agency’s officer return at a later time or wait a reasonable amount of time until the employer’s chosen inspection representative is available.

OSHA’s Field Operations Manual explains that the agency believes waiting approximately one hour is a reasonable amount of time to delay the start of an inspection to wait for the employer’s selected representative to become available. However, unless the agency’s representative has a warrant or other exigent circumstances exist—such as imminent danger in plain view—the employer can refuse to consent to the inspection until its chosen representative arrives, so OSHA may not proceed with the inspection without obtaining a warrant, which generally takes at least a couple of days.

Additionally, in the absence of a related special emphasis program, a warrant, or a hazard in plain view, OSHA cannot expand the scope of a complaint-based inspection beyond the location and hazard identified in the complaint without the employer’s consent. The employer should insist that the inspection be limited to only that location.

USERRA Protections Expanded Under VOW to Hire Heroes Act
HR.BLR.com (03/15/12)

The federal VOW to Hire Heroes Act calls on the U.S. Department of Labor to translate military skills and training to jobs in the civilian sector and simplify the process for veterans to secure necessary licenses and certifications. It also alters the language of the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act to make it illegal for employers to create hostile work environments based on an employee’s status as a service member, using language similar to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Five Costly Health Care Compliance Slips
CFO (03/12) David McCann

In the past, the U.S. Department of Labor focused more on retirement plan compliance, but the agency is turning its attention to health benefit plans due to federal health care reform. Small companies without a human resources team may not maintain a required plan document that details claims procedures and eligibility provisions under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act. Many assume that insurance contracts satisfy ERISA standards, but DOL audits increasingly focus on both plan documents and insurance contracts, with companies not providing such documents within 30 days of an employee’s request facing fines up to $110 per day. Small firms also may neglect to retain plan-related documents for a sufficient time after the end of the plan year; ERISA mandates that such documents be retained for six years, but some states have longer statutes of limitations on claims against health plans.

Small firms also must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, with the DOL undertaking audits of employers, who face penalties up to $2,500 per incident of noncompliance per standard. Under the federal health care reform law, companies with 250 or more employees must report all prior-year costs for health insurance paid by the employer and the employee on the employee’s Form W-2 beginning in 2013, with a $200 fine per form for incorrect information. Moreover, beginning Sept. 23, 2012, employers must provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverages document during open enrollment or face an excise tax of $100 per plan participant per day of noncompliance.

Trends and Research

U.S. Factories Help Job Recovery Endure in March
Associated Press (03/15/12) Christopher S. Rugaber

According to surveys by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, manufacturing in the two regions is growing at a healthy rate, and factories in the regions have been hiring more employees. An increase in automobile sales and rising demand for heavy equipment are keeping factories busy. However, the surveys show new orders and shipments have slowed, suggesting that future activity may be weaker.

ASA for You

The new 2012 “Why Staffing?” brochure will surely simplify your message about the benefits of working with a staffing firm. This colorful and affordable leave-behind piece communicates to potential clients and candidates that

• Flexibility, training, and choice add up to very high job satisfaction for staffing employees.
  
• Staffing firms provide qualified employees who fill a broad range of assignments.
  
• Staffing firms fuel the economy with millions of workers who get the job done right, right now.

Available to ASA members at a significantly reduced price of $39 per 100—nearly 50% off the previous price—the brochure is easy to understand and a great way to complement your firm’s marketing efforts.

Read more about the new 2012 “Why Staffing?” brochure and see how a simple message can help expand your client base.

Headline News

Jobless Rates Decline in Key States
Wall Street Journal (03/14/12) Josh Mitchell

Joblessness remains high but has fallen in a handful of states expected to be closely contested in this November’s presidential election. The biggest job gains have come in the industrial Midwest—places such as Ohio and Michigan—where manufacturers have stepped up hiring in response to a surge in auto sales and other exports. The unemployment rate in Michigan fell more sharply than in any other state, to 9% in January, down nearly two percentage points from a year ago. The jobless rates in Colorado and Ohio fell by at least a percentage point each to 7.8% and 7.7%, respectively. In all, six of 10 states expected to be closely contested in the election have a jobless rate below the national average.

Nevada and North Carolina, two states hit hard by the housing bust, each saw their unemployment rate fall by more than a percentage point over the past year, but both states were still stuck in double digits in January, the most recent month for which data are available. U.S. Federal Reserve officials project U.S. unemployment will be between 8.2% and 8.5% by the end of the year.

Confidence at U.S. Small Companies Climbs to One-Year High
Business Week (03/13/12) Shobhana Chandra

The National Federation of Independent Business reports its optimism index increased to 94.3, the best reading since February 2011 and the sixth consecutive monthly gain, from 93.9 in January. The pickup in confidence was broad-based as more small companies also said they are increasing wages, anticipating better sales, and planning to grow inventories. The results are “good news for economy watchers,” says William Dunkelberg, the group’s chief economist. Small businesses are “mostly headed in the right direction, just at a glacial pace.” Measures on hiring and investment were a bit less promising. The small-business gauge of plans to add to payrolls dropped one point to net 4%, and those intending to make capital purchases over the next three to six months fell a point, the first decline in five months, to net 23%.

Legal Watch

New EEOC Task Force Aims to Help Small Businesses
Business Management Daily (03/13/12)

To help small-business owners without expert legal advice or experienced human resources professionals comply with federal antidiscrimination laws, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has created a small-business task force. The task force will determine how to broaden outreach to small businesses via technology, create technical assistance and training initiatives for small businesses, and develop approaches that specifically target firms with 50 or fewer employees and those owned by women or minorities. It also will enhance the EEOC’s Web site to improve small-business training.

Court: Worker Can Sue Supervisor as Individual in Medical Leave Claim
Mondaq (03/12/12) Peter L. Frattarelli

A ruling by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals for the Delaware Valley adds the federal Family and Medical Leave Act to the list of employment laws for which supervisors and managers can be held individually liable, meaning that they can face lawsuits from employees dissatisfied with how their FMLA requests have been handled. In Haybarger v. Lawrence County Adult Probation and Parole, an employee sued her employer and her supervisor for allegedly terminating her in retaliation for work that was missed for medical reasons. While the trial court dismissed the claim against her supervisor because she only has the ability to recommend termination, the appeals court broadened the FMLA definition of “employer” to include individuals that have supervisory authority over the employee making the complaint and that are wholly or partly responsible for the alleged violation. It remains to be seen whether the U.S. Supreme Court will make a decision on the matter, but in the meantime, experts stress that employers ensure supervisors and managers receive sufficient training in handling FMLA requests.

Trends and Research

One in Four Attorneys Plans to Hire in Second Quarter, Robert Half Legal Survey Finds
Robert Half International News Release (03/13/12)

More than one-quarter (26%) of the attorneys interviewed for the quarterly Robert Half Legal Hiring Index plan to hire full-time legal staff during the second quarter of 2012, while 4% anticipate staff reductions. The net 22% increase in hiring activity compares with a net hiring increase of 27% predicted in the first quarter of 2012. Some 57% of attorneys polled expect no change in staff levels in the next three months. More than half (59%) of the attorneys say it is challenging to find skilled legal professionals, up eight points from the previous quarter. Hiring activity is expected to take place predominantly at law firms, and bankruptcy or foreclosure, litigation, and general business or commercial law are the practice areas expected to see the most growth in the coming months.

Marketing and Advertising Executives Reveal Second-Quarter Hiring Plans: The Creative Group
Robert Half International News Release (03/13/12)

Some 13% of marketing and advertising executives plan to add full-time staff in the next three months, according to the Creative Group Hiring Index for Marketing and Advertising Professionals, and 3% predict reductions in staff. Most survey respondents, 80%, expect to make no changes to the size of their teams; this is up four points from the previous quarter’s forecast. The net 10% of executives planning to hire in the second quarter is up one point from the same time period in 2011 and down four points from the first-quarter 2012 forecast. Account services, Web design or production, and brand or product management are the specialties in greatest demand, according to survey respondents.

The Sky Is the Limit for Cloud Hiring
Wanted Analytics (03/13/12) Abby Lombardi

More than 5,000 cloud computing job ads were placed online in the U.S. last month, according to Wanted Analytics. Hiring demand for people with cloud skills has spiked dramatically, up 92% compared with February 2011 and 400% compared with February 2010. More than 3,400 of the ads placed last month were for tech talent, a 99% increase from a year ago. Other jobs that increasingly require cloud experience include marketing managers, sales managers, management analysts, and financial analysts.

Auto Parts Suppliers Hiring as Fast as They Can
NPR Online (03/14/12) Tracy Samilton

Automakers are creating thousands of new jobs amid a sales boom, and their suppliers are racing to keep up with the industry’s growth, adding tens of thousands of new jobs. In a dramatic reversal, many suppliers, after improving efficiency—through downsizing and buyouts—find themselves short-handed.

With the memory of the recent deep recession still so fresh, companies are still wary about hiring too freely. However, Sean McAlinden—an economist with the Center for Automotive Research—says there actually is a danger of having a shortage of parts and workers. He says the supplier industry will need 174,000 additional workers by 2015, and the pace of hiring right now appears to be too slow.

9 to 5—at 75
SmartMoney (03/13/12) Anne Kadet

For millions of workers, retirement has been delayed for years, with some saying they may never retire. The number of working people over age 65 reached an all-time low in 2001, when just 13% held a job. Now that rate is rebounding, and fast; last summer, it hit 18%, the highest level since 1962.

Some employers are beginning to appreciate the unique strengths—people skills, accrued wisdom, and a strong work ethic—that seniors can bring to the table. Principal Financial created a formal staffing program that brings retirees back for part-time temporary work while they continue to collect pensions. “They know the culture and they know their way around,” says human resource director Polly Heinen. The typical employee returns three to six months into retirement, taking short-term assignments doing clerical or administrative work for 10 to 20 hours a week. However, according to the Society for Human Resources Management, just 6% of U.S. companies offer formal “phased retirement” programs, down from 13% in 2006.

Executives Fear Leadership Shortage
IndustryWeek (03/14/12) Jonathan Katz

Employers have long fretted about a lack of applicants with the necessary skills to meet modern labor demands, but executives say they are now also having difficultly filling leadership roles within their organizations. Nearly a third of executives polled by Right Management, the talent and career management experts within the ManpowerGroup, cited a lack of high-potential leaders in their organization as their most pressing human resource challenge.

The sluggish economic climate has hampered recruiting efforts, says Michael Haid, senior vice president of talent management for Right Management. “Lean times make it hard for organizations seeking to recruit, retain, or develop future leaders,” he says. “And they’re keenly aware of the tough competitive environment they’re in and the need to hold onto and build leadership.”

ASA for You

Rooms at the Westin City Center Hotel, Washington, DC, have sold out for the 2012 ASA Staffing Law Conference, which takes place at this hotel April 17–18. However, ASA has secured a block of rooms at the Hotel Helix, which is about a 10-minute walk from the Westin. The exact distance between the hotels is 0.3 miles.

Make reservations by calling the Hotel Helix at 800-706-1202 and asking for the 2012 ASA Staffing Law Conference group rate. The group room rate, available until March 23, is $259 (plus tax) per night for single or double occupancy (includes complimentary Internet access), and is subject to room availability.

After March 23, reservations may be accepted at the hotel’s prevailing rate, space permitting. Check-in starts at 3 p.m.; check-out is 12 noon. For more information about the 2012 ASA Staffing Law Conference, visit americanstaffing.net.

Headline News

More U.S. Employers Using Temporary Labor to Vet New Hires
Reuters (03/09/12) Nick Zieminski

Companies that provide temporary labor are seeing more contract workers hired as permanent employees, in a sign job gains may be broadening as U.S. employers gain confidence in the recovery, staffing executives report. The staffing sector added 45,000 jobs in February, while temporary job gains in January and December were stronger than initially estimated, data from the U.S. Department of Labor showed. The percentage of temporary workers in the U.S. labor force, at 1.86%, marked the eighth straight monthly increase. Employment analysts expect that metric to pass its April 2000 peak above 2.0% as more employers embrace temporary labor in an uncertain economic climate.

Companies are using temporary employees to try out candidates for permanent jobs, says Jeff Joerres, chief executive of ManpowerGroup. “Our temporary to permanent conversions are very high,” Joerres says. Taking on temporary workers “also is a way of being agile and cautious, so if something happens in the Middle East and demand goes down precipitously, (they) have a way to adjust without affecting the permanent work force.” Small and mid-size companies are stepping up use of temporary workers as easier access to credit allows them to invest, notes Randstad employment analyst Joanie Ruge. “It is robust,” Ruge says. “Companies are going to look for more flexibility in their work force. They will expand and contract as their demand fluctuates.”

Joel Capperella, vice president of Yoh, points out that wages are still flat. A Yoh index of wages for skilled temporary workers found only a 1% gain over a year ago. “Wages aren’t really moving a whole lot,” Capperella says. “Clients of our services are in the driver’s seat. Things are good but you have to temper it.”

Piecing Together the Job-Picture Puzzle
Wall Street Journal (03/12/12) Jon Hilsenrath

The unemployment rate has fallen 0.7 percentage point from a year earlier, companies have expanded payrolls by more than 200,000 a month for the past three months, and the number of people filing claims for government unemployment benefits has fallen. Despite all this, the economy is barely growing, with many economists in the past few weeks having again reduced their estimates of growth. The economy by many estimates is on track to grow at an annual rate of less than 2% in the first three months of 2012.

Traditionally, economists have believed that when the economy grows faster than its long-run trend, the unemployment rate tends to fall by about half as much as the additional growth in percentage terms. So growth of 3.5% in a year—one percentage point above a long-run trend of 2.5%—would bring down the unemployment rate by a half percentage point in that year. However, that rule has been unreliable lately.

Christina Romer, President Barack Obama’s former chief economic adviser, has a theory for why the jobless rate rose more than predicted during the recession and why it has fallen more than the rule predicted since the recession: She believes that company managers were so shocked by the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009 that they fired workers more aggressively than they would in a conventional downturn. Over the past six months, she continues, as fear and uncertainty have dissipated, firms appear to have reversed course and gone back toward more normal staffing levels. Romer worries that these overshoots might soon run their course and that the traditional rule will reassert itself, potentially keeping the unemployment rate at high levels because the economy isn’t growing fast enough to justify more hiring.

More Younger Workers Finding Jobs
USA Today (03/12/12) Paul Davidson

Job prospects for younger workers are improving. In February, jobs for 25-to-34-year-olds rose by 116,000 to 30.5 million. The unemployment rate for these workers declined from 9% in January to 8.7% in February, the lowest level since January 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Meanwhile, the employment-to-population ratio for these workers rose from 74.5% to 74.7%.

Monster Employment Index U.S. Rises 11% on Annual Basis
MarketWatch (03/09/12)

Monster Worldwide Inc., parent company of ASA corporate partner Monster, reveals annual growth of 11% in its Employment Index U.S. in February. Positive annual growth trends were recorded in 19 of 20 industries, with transportation and warehousing up 36%, retail trade up 22%, wholesale trade up 22%, finance and insurance up 21%, and professional, scientific, and technical services up 17%; the biggest decline of 8% was recorded in public administration. Demand for workers increased in 22 of 23 occupational categories on a year-over-year basis, with transportation and material moving up 33%, legal up 23%, architecture and engineering up 23%, computer and mathematical up 19%, and management up 14%. Regionally, all 28 metro markets showed positive annual growth, ranging from 21% in Washington, DC, to 7% in Los Angeles.

Legal Watch

NLRB Weighs in on Social Media Activity in the Workplace
American Staffing Association (03/12/12) Anne Duffy

In recent months, there has been a flurry of opinions issued by the National Labor Relations Board that address employees’ right to discuss the terms and conditions of their employment through social media outlets.

The National Labor Relations Act applies to virtually all employees, regardless of whether they are represented by a union, and protects their right to seek mutual aid and support regarding the terms and conditions of their employment. Lafe Solomon, acting general counsel of the NLRB, has sued employers under the NLRA, alleging that their social media policies were overbroad and unlawfully restricted employees’ protected activities—such as using online tools to complain about or discuss their disciplinary actions or pay with other employees.

NLRB, in turn, has ruled that employer social media policies cannot be so sweeping as to prohibit or restrict social media activity protected under the NLRA.

In light of the recent NLRB ruling, the law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP has provided an updated sample social media policy for ASA members. This policy is not intended as legal advice, and staffing firms should review and, as warranted, modify the policy upon the advice of their legal counsel to ensure compliance with the law.

E-Verify—It’s Yes, It’s No!
Lexology (03/06/12) John Fay

Some observers believe states that have passed legislation dealing with the E-Verify system are motivated by economic and migration factors and that those requiring its use have large foreign-born populations, but U.S. Census Bureau data show otherwise. Foreign-born residents make up 25% of California’s population, yet the state passed a law prohibiting a requirement that employers enroll in the E-Verify program. Illinois, where foreign-born residents account for 13.7% of the population, passed a law banning state agencies from enrolling in the program. Meanwhile, foreign-born residents make up about 6.36% of the population in the nine states that have passed laws requiring employers to enroll in E-Verify. Moreover, rather than institute such a mandate for economic or migration reasons, a bill up for consideration in New Hampshire that would prohibit the use of the E-Verify system cites federalist concerns.

H-1B Petitions April 1 Deadline
Lexology (03/08/12) Benjamin T. Kurten

Companies that want to sponsor a first-time H-1B employee may file their petitions to do so beginning April 1, and should file as close to that date as possible, before the H-1B “cap” is reached. Employees that are “cap exempt” include those who already have an H-1B visa and want to extend the duration of their stay in the U.S.; those who, in the past six years, have been counted toward the cap, unless they would be eligible for an additional six years of admission because they have been outside the U.S. for at least one year since they last had H-1B status; and those who are current H-1B visa holders who want to work simultaneously in a second H-1B job.

Trends and Research

States Hardest Hit by Housing Lead Jobs Recovery
Bloomberg (03/10/12) Steve Matthews

The states that were most hurt in the real estate collapse over the past five years—Arizona, California, Florida, and Nevada—added 222,100 jobs from August through December, accounting for 28% of the increase in U.S. employment in that period. Their outperformance may continue, say economists at Moody’s Analytics Inc. and IHS Global Insight.

Households in these states—where homes have lost on average half of their value since the 2006 peak in the housing bubble—are healing after cutting debt and bolstering their net worth, says Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Their stabilization may signal a broader improvement by U.S. consumers that supports a faster expansion in employment growth. Meanwhile, the broadening national recovery is helping local industries, including gambling in Nevada, tourism in Florida and Arizona, and social networking in California.

7 Reasons the Job Gains in 2012 Could Prove More Durable Than Last Year’s
Chicago Tribune (03/11/12) Paul Wiseman

Job gains since the start of the year look promising, and observers believe these gains are more sustainable this year than they were in 2011. They point out that companies will continue to hire more workers because they cannot increase output at current staffing levels. Also helping to sustain job gains are increased consumer spending, an ease of tensions in Congress that led to a payroll tax extension, signs of recovery in the housing market, an ease in concerns about Europe’s debt crisis, and a jump in lending to businesses by U.S. banks. Additionally, state and local governments appear to be adding jobs, with 10,000 jobs added at the state level so far this year and 2,000 jobs added by local governments last month.

ASA for You

Staffing and recruiting professionals have to understand social media to stay competitive. Learn trends and ideas for your firm’s Web presence tomorrow, March 13, 3–4 p.m. Eastern time, during the ASAPro Webinar “Social Media Marketing Must-Do Trends—Stay Ahead of Your Competition.”

Jennifer Abernethy, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Social Media Marketing, will teach you what needs to be on your Web site, what your firm should be doing on Facebook and LinkedIn, and more.

ASAPro Webinars are free for ASA members ($295 for nonmembers) and qualify for continuing education hours toward ASA certification renewal. Register online at americanstaffing.net.

Headline News

Korn/Ferry International Announces Third Quarter Fiscal 2012 Results of Operations
Korn/Ferry International News Release (03/07/12)

Korn/Ferry International’s net income in the third-quarter of fiscal year 2012, which ended Jan. 31, fell to $11.7 million, down from $13.9 million a year ago. The company’s year-to-date net income rose to $42.3 million, up from $38.5 million in fiscal year 2011. “We had a solid seasonal quarter despite an uneven economic recovery,” said chief executive Gary Burnison. “As the recovery carries forward, we will continue to drive our differentiated strategy and solutions to help our clients not only attract, but engage, develop, and retain the talent needed to effectively execute their business strategy.”

U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Rose 8,000 to 362,000
Bloomberg (03/08/12) Alex Kowalski

Jobless claims in the U.S. rose to the highest level in five weeks, climbing by 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 362,000, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today, a level consistent with an improving labor market. Economists forecast 352,000 claims, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. The average over the past four weeks held close to a four-year low at 355,000.

Services Power Job Growth
Wall Street Journal (03/08/12) Neil Shah

U.S. companies added more workers to their payrolls in February than they did in January, according to Automatic Data Processing Inc., 170,000 of them in the services industry. A separate report by Intuit found that small companies with no more than 25 workers added 45,000 jobs in February, a 0.2% increase from January. In addition to the reports, there are other signs the economy is improving. The recovery in manufacturing and exports has spread to the services industry, and initial claims for unemployment insurance have fallen for four months.

Legal Watch

HR Issues Are a Hot Topic in State Legislatures
Business Management Daily (03/07/12)

The Society for Human Resource Management expects states to pass new employment laws while federal lawmakers concentrate on the upcoming election. Five states already have passed laws limiting the use of credit reports in hiring decisions, and more are expected to follow suit. Connecticut has passed legislation mandating paid sick leave, and other states likely will do the same. Meanwhile, more states could mandate the use of the E-Verify work authorization system, pass laws that prohibit discrimination against workers who are victims of domestic violence, and hold employers liable for instances of workplace bullying.

Court Confirms That Request for Additional Leave of an Unspecified Duration Is Not a Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA
Franczek Radelet (03/06/2012) Mark Wilkinson

In the case Valdez v. McGill, a warehouse supervisor took leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act for a surgery related to colon cancer, then after returning from the surgery, he took intermittent FMLA leave over the course of a year due to recurring health issues. He then presented a note from his doctor saying he could not work for two weeks, as his health issues had not changed, and when those two weeks were up, he presented another letter from his doctor saying that he “may return to work” in another three weeks. Noting that he had used up the 12 weeks of FMLA leave available and citing poor work performance and excessive absences, he was terminated. The worker filed suit against his employer for failing to make a reasonable accommodation for his disability under the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.

However, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says employers are not obligated to accommodate requests for leave of an indefinite duration, and the court confirmed this position. Thus, employees must communicate regularly with their employers and provide firm dates for when they will return to work. Even so, employers should be mindful of the interactive process under the ADA in which they must communicate with employees regarding a need for leave and make individualized assessments of these requests.

Can You Refuse to Hire a Felon?
JDSupra (03/05/2012)

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states that employers may be in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by refusing to hire people with criminal conviction records, unless a business necessity justifies such a practice. The EEOC says basing employment decisions on criminal conviction records puts African-Americans and Hispanics at a disadvantage because they are convicted at a rate that is disproportionately higher than their representation in the population. It defines “adverse impact discrimination” as a “substantially different rate of selection in hiring, promotion, or other employment decision which works to the disadvantage of members of a race, sex, or ethnic group.” To determine whether basing hiring decisions on criminal convictions is a business necessity, the EEOC says they must consider the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction or completion of the sentence, and the nature of the job.

Employers, especially in the hospitality industry, have been targeted by the EEOC’s systemic investigations as part of its E-RACE (Eradicating Racism and Colorism from Employment) initiative, which focuses on the use of arrest and conviction records in hiring practices. Experts say employers using criminal background checks should assess their current policies to ensure that the credit reporting agency they use complies with state laws and the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and that their policy makes the aforementioned considerations set forth by the EEOC regarding the applicant’s offense. Additionally, they should avoid implementing blanket policies in which no one with a criminal record is hired.

Trends and Research

Accountant Hiring Expected to Remain Steady in Q2
Accounting Today (03/07/12)

A survey of chief financial officers by Robert Half International reports that staffing levels in accounting and finance are anticipated to stay fairly steady in the second quarter. The company’s Financial Hiring Index found that 91% of the 1,400 CFOs surveyed said they expect to maintain their current personnel levels in the second quarter, up from 69% at the beginning of the year. Additionally, 4% of the CFOs polled said they plan to add employees, while 5% predict staff decreases.

The CFOs surveyed are increasingly optimistic about their businesses, with 91% expressing confidence in their companies’ growth prospects in the second quarter, up four points from the first-quarter survey. “As economic signs continue to improve incrementally in the U.S., companies are hiring skilled accounting and finance professionals at a steady rate to meet demand,” says Robert Half International chairman and chief executive officer Max Messmer. “Staff reductions are trending downward as businesses seek to avoid weakening their bench strength at a time when growth opportunities are emerging.”

Paying to Play: Hiring Demand for Video Game Developers Increases
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (03/07/12)

Over the past 60 days, recruiters have posted more than 1,100 online job ads for video game programmers and developers, a 40% increase over the past year and a 65% increase since 2010, according to Wanted Analytics. The most commonly advertised job titles include video gaming user specialist, software engineer, Flash developer, Web developer, and video game tester. The technology jobs typically require gaming knowledge; other jobs that increasingly require this knowledge include marketing managers, merchandise displayers, market research analysts, graphic designers, and retail salespersons. Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and San Jose, CA, were the cities with the highest volume of job listings for video game developers, but the best markets for recruiting people with these skills are Madison, WI; Denver; and Salt Lake City.

IT to Power Future Job Creation
Network World (03/07/12) Kenneth Corbin

A new report from the Technology CEO Council concludes that the companies that best leverage information technology will account for most new jobs and propel the next wave of economic growth. New technologies such as remotely managed computing infrastructure options and the increasing number of cloud applications have lowered the entry barriers for innovative young startups to compete in a global economy, according to the study from TCC. “It is a lot easier to start a business today than ever before,” says Dell chief executive Michael Dell, chairman of TCC.

The study found that small services firms with fewer than 100 workers that rely heavily on IT to run their business employed between 5% and 6% of all U.S. workers from 2002 to 2008, but accounted for 34% of the new jobs created over that time. The study’s authors noted that the few businesses that emerge as high-growth, transformative companies will leverage technology throughout their business operations, lowering the cost of back-office operations such as payroll and procurement, driving into new markets, and making better-informed, data-driven decisions.

ASA for You

Measuring the return on investment of recruitment advertising should be a major priority for every staffing firm owner and recruiting professional. Get tips for maximizing the ROI of your online recruitment advertising this afternoon, 3–4 p.m. Eastern time, in the ASAPro Webinar “Source-Tracking: Maximize Your Online Recruitment Budget.”

Shane O’Donnell, senior director of sales at Indeed.com, will help you identify inefficiencies in your company’s candidate source-tracking processes and make measurable improvements to your recruitment strategies.

ASAPro Webinars are free for ASA members ($295 for nonmembers) and qualify for continuing education hours toward ASA certification renewal. Register online at americanstaffing.net.
Staffing and recruiting professionals have to understand social media to stay competitive. Learn trends and ideas for your firm’s Web presence Tuesday, March 13, 3–4 p.m. Eastern time, during the ASAPro Webinar “Social Media Marketing Must-Do Trends—Stay Ahead of Your Competition.”

Jennifer Abernethy, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Social Media Marketing, will teach you what needs to be on your Web site, what your firm should be doing on Facebook and LinkedIn, and more.

ASAPro Webinars are free for ASA members ($295 for nonmembers) and qualify for continuing education hours toward ASA certification renewal. Register online at americanstaffing.net.