ManpowerGroup News Release (04/17/12)

ManpowerGroup has recommended ways for businesses to create effective and sustainable solutions for employing more young workers. ManpowerGroup’s new insight paper, “Wanted: Energized, Career-Driven Youth,” addresses the growing regional and global problem of youth unemployment. An increasing number of young people struggle to participate in the work force—just 48.8% of the potential labor force in 2011, according to the International Labor Organization.

“Employers have a vested interest in making investments to improve young people’s ability to succeed in the world of work,” says Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup president of the Americas. “As older workers exit the work force, the need to nurture the next generation grows ever more critical to ease worsening talent mismatches.”

CareerBuilder News Release (04/18/12)

Approximately 37% of companies use social networking sites to research job candidates, according to a new survey from ASA corporate partner CareerBuilder. Of the employers who do not research candidates on social media, 15% said their company prohibits the practice. About 11% report they do not currently use social media to screen, but plan to start.

The nationwide survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from Feb. 9 to March 2, 2012, included more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes. When asked why they use social networks to conduct background research, 65% of hiring managers said they wanted to see if the candidate presents himself or herself professionally, 51% checked to see if the candidate is a good fit for the company culture, and 45% sought to learn more about the candidate’s qualifications.

“Because social media is a dominant form of communication today, you can certainly learn a lot about a person by viewing their public, online personas,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “However, hiring managers and human resource departments have to make a careful, determined decision as to whether information found online is relevant to the candidates’ qualifications for the job.”

New York Daily News (04/18/12) Phyllis Furman

Outplacement services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas says entry-level job seekers with four-year degrees are in demand, though recent college graduates will have to compete with those who graduated during the last few years and waited out the downturn. Additionally, hiring gains will be more modest this year, with the National Association of Colleges and Employers reporting that employers expect a 10% gain in hiring of spring graduates, versus 21% last year. Those with degrees in accounting and finance, engineering, computer science, sales and marketing, education, and social services have better job prospects and could earn higher salaries than graduates in other fields.