Bloomberg (01/13/12) Black, Thomas

Companies are adding U.S. workers, accelerating a rebound in hiring, as chief executive officers prepare for greater demand in a strengthening economic recovery. The hiring reflects optimism among chief executives that the economy will continue to strengthen and more workers will be needed to meet demand. Manufacturing has already been a bright spot in the labor market, with U.S. factory payrolls expanding by 225,000 jobs in 2011, more than double the total from a year earlier. “The ground seems to be set for a pretty decent near-term outlook for manufacturing,” says Stephen Stanley, chief economist for Pierpont Securities. “There’s still room for job growth there if demand continues to pick up.”

The U.S. may add 1.7 million jobs in 2012, the fastest pace since 2006, based on economists’ estimates compiled by Blue Chip Economic Indicators. Faster payroll growth should spur a 2.3% expansion in the U.S. economy this year, according to the median estimate of 84 economists compiled by Bloomberg. Hiring already started picking up in mid-2011 among employers seeking engineering and technology-related workers, notes Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide Inc.

Maryland Gazette (01/13/12) Shay, Kevin James; Robbins, Lindsey

Coming off the state’s strongest year for job creation since 2005, many Maryland employers are cautiously optimistic they can build on that trend this year, even though many businesses continue to struggle. Temporary-help employers often serve as a bellwether for permanent hiring trends. Temporary help employment nationally for December was 4.4% higher than a year ago, according to federal figures. “Staffing firms added about 100,000 new jobs to the economy in 2011,” says Richard Wahlquist, president and CEO of the American Staffing Association. “And indicators remain positive for the year ahead.”

Wanda Smith, president and CEO of Symphony Placements—a Timonium, MD, staffing services firm—reports her company had a strong finish in 2011 and expects that to continue this year. Gross sales finished up 20%, while profits continued to increase over 2010 despite the continuation of high state tax assessments for unemployment. In 2011, staffing firms faced challenges in finding qualified individuals who were actually serious about finding a job, she says, noting that many did not want to jeopardize their unemployment benefits. “As the unemployment figures fall, this will continue to be a strong challenge,” Smith says. Clients are particularly using temporary-to-permanent hires to fill new openings, as well as to cover for long-term vacancies due to illness, she adds.

MSNBC (01/13/12) Linn, Allison

Despite the high number of unemployed people seeking work, more than half of U.S. employers surveyed by the staffing firm ManpowerGroup say are having trouble filling job openings because they can’t find qualified workers. That represents a 38 percentage point increase from 2010, when only 14% said they were having trouble filling positions.

Melanie Holmes, a vice president with ManpowerGroup, says “employers have been spoiled by the recession.” She notes the high unemployment rate left many recruiters feeling they did not have to look very hard to find a great candidate. Also, with potential employees less willing to move because of the housing bust, many employers have not had the luxury of looking very far afield. Employers also may not be willing to spend the time or money training someone for a highly specialized job, or one that requires very unique skills. “Employers are getting pickier and pickier,” Holmes says. “We want the perfect person to walk through the door.”

North Bay Business Journal (01/12/12) Verel, Dan

The Nelson Family of Cos. has announced the sale of a “majority and controlling interest” in its WorkforceLogic division to Orlando-based ZeroChaos, a work force solutions company, along with its financial partner Snow Phipps. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

WTVM-9 (Georgia) (01/13/12)

More than 100,000 people will get hired at the two top home improvement chains in the U.S. during this year’s spring selling season. Home Depot has announced it plans to hire 70,000 temporary workers this year, while Lowes will add 40,000 seasonal workers during 2012. Home Depot says many of the jobs will likely turn into permanent positions. About half of Home Depot’s 2011 seasonal hires stayed on in permanent positions.