TechFlash (02/24/12) Brad Broberg

The demand for litigation support personnel—an emerging field where the law and technology overlap—has prompted increased hiring in the legal field. Litigation support hiring among recruiting firm Robert Half Legal clients increased “well in excess of double digits” in terms of percentage growth between 2010 and 2011, says Diane Domeyer of Robert Half Legal, where Domeyer oversees West Coast operations.

A national survey released by the litigation support staffing firm the Cowen Group found that 57% of law firms nationally anticipate hiring litigation support staff in 2012 with an average growth rate of 13.7%. While firms are not eliminating outside suppliers, the growing demand for litigation support makes it cost-effective for firms to bring more work in-house, creating additional billable hours while saving clients money by eliminating the middleman. The biggest driver in the litigation support boom is the proliferation of digital documents and communication. “Technology is playing a larger and larger role (in litigation) and a lot of firms are trying to beef that up,” says Shelly Langley, owner of Langley Recruiting, a Seattle legal staffing firm. “I’m seeing more paralegals being hired with database and e-discovery experience.”

Wanted Analytics (02/24/12) Abby Lombardi

After several unsteady years, hiring among manufacturers began improving in 2011, but declined drastically during the last several months of the year. However, in January 2012, there were 52,000 job ads posted online, an uptick from December. The most demanded field by manufacturers during January was engineering, accounting for more than 9,600 of the jobs advertised in the manufacturing sector. Industrial engineer was the single most advertised occupation in January, with more than 4,200 job openings, with mechanical engineers and electrical engineers also highly in demand.

Chicago Tribune (02/26/12) Jason Lange

U.S. manufacturers are hiring at the fastest rate in more than 10 years, but technological advances could put an end to that trend in the coming years. In 2011, factories added 237,000 jobs, and that rate is likely to continue this year. Over the long term, however, factory job creation will likely stagnate as technology advances, and manufacturers’ role in the labor market is expected to decline. According to a U.S. Department of Labor report published Feb. 1, factory employment will fall to 11.5 million employees by 2020, down from 11.9 million in January 2012.

Southgate News Herald (Michigan) (02/24/12)

As the economy continues to struggle, freelancers are in great demand as companies trim payrolls and turn to part-time and contract workers. According to data from Kelly Services, approximately 44% of the active work force in 2011 were freelancers, a 70% increase since 2008. By 2020, more than 50% of the private work force will comprise freelancers, independent contractors, and solo entrepreneurs, according to MBO Partners.

Fabio Rosati, the chief executive officer of Elance, says there has been a “structural change in traditional employment” as companies increasingly adopt online and contingent work as a key business strategy. The jobs in greatest demand include software development, mobile technology, graphic design, content writing, Internet marketing, and specialists in WordPress, Facebook, and Twitter.