Headline News
ADP: 209,000 Jobs Added
Kforce Announces Closing the Sale of KCR and Gives Outlook for the Firm for the Remainder of 2012 and 2013
Randstad US, Professionals Rebrands Clinical One and Locum Medical Group to Randstad Healthcare

Legal Watch
State Offers Help on Contract Work Classifications
How to Handle the Chronically Sick and Absent Employee

Trends and Research
Robert Half and FEI Release Third Annual Benchmarking Report
Companies Put Customers First and Recruit for CRM Skills
Engineers Find New Hope for Jobs in Michigan

ASA for You
Promote Your Firm With the Media Relations Guide From ASA

Headline News

ADP: 209,000 Jobs Added
Wall Street Journal (04/04/12) Kathleen Madigan

Private-sector payrolls increased 209,000 in March, led by the service-providing sector and small businesses, according to the employment report released Wednesday by payroll processor Automatic Data Processing Inc. and consultancy Macroeconomic Advisers. The gain was just above economists' median expectation of 200,000 contained in a survey done by Dow Jones Newswires. The February level was revised to a gain of 230,000 from a prior estimate of 216,000.

Kforce Announces Closing the Sale of KCR and Gives Outlook for the Firm for the Remainder of 2012 and 2013
Kforce Inc. News Release (04/03/12)

Kforce Inc. on April 3 announced the completion of the sale of all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Kforce Clinical Research Inc. for an aggregate purchase price of $50 million in cash. David Dunkel, chairman and chief executive officer at Kforce, said, "Selling this division was a logical step for us as we continue to narrow our focus, streamline our business mix, and concentrate our resources on our core service offerings."

Randstad US, Professionals Rebrands Clinical One and Locum Medical Group to Randstad Healthcare
PRNewswire (04/03/12)

Randstad US, Professionals has announced the rebranding of its professional health care companies, Clinical One and Locum Medical Group, under one unified brand, Randstad Healthcare. The combination of these two health care businesses is intended to make it easier for health care clients and providers to access a broader range of experienced talent from a single, all-inclusive source.

"As health care staffing environments continue to become more complex, organizations need to better align themselves with the evolving needs of their clients," says Steve McMahan, executive vice president of Randstad US, Professionals. "By combining our expertise, Randstad Healthcare will now provide a more seamless staffing solution that better facilitates and meets the longer-term, integrated staffing needs for sourcing, recruiting, and managing top talent. Ultimately, this combination will not only allow our recruiters to source and place highly specialized health care providers across a broader geography, but also better positions us to showcase our multiple service lines as one unified staffing partner."

Legal Watch

State Offers Help on Contract Work Classifications
Press Enterprise (California) (04/03/12) Jack Katzanek

A new worksheet issued by the California Employee Development Department aims to assist employers in categorizing employees as contract or full-time workers. The worksheet is a response to a move by many companies to reduce the number of permanent workers because of the recession, creating a "project-specific workplace" in which temporary employees are taken on for several months to complete a project. However, many employers do not meet the definition of independent contractor, and they must understand the paperwork requirements for compensating contractors. A questionnaire in the worksheet focuses on the level of supervision, and employers should know that contractors actually become employees when they must do things the company's way.

How to Handle the Chronically Sick and Absent Employee
JDSupra (04/02/2012) Kelly Schoening

Disciplining or terminating an employee who chronically is absent, arrives late, or leaves work early is a tricky proposition, and companies must consider a number of factors. Companies should have a written policy that discusses absenteeism and late arrivals. Companies must follow the policy and apply it consistently.

If an employee meets the criteria for federal Family and Medical Leave Act leave, the law protects the employee and his or her job. This is the case even if the employee has not asked for or even mentioned FMLA leave, because it is not the employee's obligation to do so. Instead it is the company's obligation in certain instances.

The need for leave or a flexible schedule can be a reasonable accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Employees must ask for this accommodation from the company, and the requests must be considered.

Trends and Research

Robert Half and FEI Release Third Annual Benchmarking Report
Robert Half International News Release (04/03/12)

Just over seven in 10 (73%) North American financial executives expect increased government regulation to raise the burden of compliance over time, according to a newly released report from Robert Half International and Financial Executives International. A majority of survey respondents (75% of U.S. and 70% of Canadian financial executives) expect the burden associated with maintaining compliance to continue to rise over time. Staffing, including the recruitment and retention of skilled financial professionals, was listed by respondents across all locations as one of the top-three challenges facing accounting and finance departments. Some 37% of U.S. executives and 45% of Canadian financial leaders surveyed use temporary, interim, or contract professionals in their accounting and finance departments.

Companies Put Customers First and Recruit for CRM Skills
Wanted Analytics (04/03/12) Abby Lombardi

Wanted Analytics reports that increasingly, companies are advertising jobs that require customer relationship management skills. In February, more than 24,000 online job ads required CRM skill sets, a 65% increase from a year earlier. Companies are likely to have a difficult time finding candidates with the CRM skills they need. Currently, recruiters in Washington, DC, are having the most difficult time finding candidates. Recruiters in Hot Springs, AR, Jefferson City, MO, and St. Cloud, MN, are having the easiest time filling CRM jobs.

Engineers Find New Hope for Jobs in Michigan
Livingston Daily (Michigan) (04/03/12) Katherine Yung; John Gallagher

Companies in Michigan are seeking engineers. However, a shortage of highly skilled workers is threatening to stall the state's economy. To address the problem, the state has implemented programs designed to attract skilled labor. Companies in the state are looking for engineers in power distribution, nuclear and fossil-fuel power plants, natural gas, and information technology, among other fields.

ASA for You

News coverage offers one of the most effective means for delivering positive information and messages about the staffing industry and your company. Working effectively with local or regional media can help you reach a broad range of audiences, from current clients to industry partners to potential new business prospects.

ASA provides members with a media relations guide as part of the public relations 101 section of the industry marketing tool kit. The comprehensive guide offers an overview of how the media works and lists do's and don'ts to remember when dealing with journalists.

Download the media relations guide at americanstaffing.net.