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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.”

Promote Your Firm With the Media Relations Guide From ASA

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
.

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.

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.