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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.

ASAPro Webinar Next Week—The Conscious and Powerful Interview

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.

Earn Recognition From ASA

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.

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.

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.