Randstad Technologies News Release (05/08/12)

A study by Randstad Technologies and Technisource, a Randstad company, shows information technology employees tend to be engaged at work and loyal to their organizations, yet over half (53%) plan to explore other employment options when the job market improves. Findings from the latest Randstad Engagement Index show that IT workers display more volatility than other employees when it comes to their intentions to leave their current jobs.

“With engagement remaining steady and strong for IT workers, employers need to be sure they do not take their employees for granted. Companies should be aware of potential turnover even among their most engaged and top performing employees, especially as more jobs in the industry continue to open up and the market becomes increasingly competitive,” said Bob Dickey, executive vice president of technologies at Randstad U.S., Professionals.

Forbes (05/08/12) Jacquelyn Smith

Adecco Staffing U.S. has compiled a list of the best cities to find employment currently. The Washington, DC, metro region tops the list, followed by the Austin, TX, metro region, and Ithaca, NY. “With all these cities having unemployment rates below the national average, it certainly shows that a job seeker doesn’t need to live in one of the U.S.’s top large cities to find job opportunities,” says Janette Marx, a senior vice president at Adecco Staffing. “From a national perspective, those Americans with a college degree that are looking for work are at a higher advantage, particularly in the sectors we’re seeing demand in.”

Wall Street Journal (05/08/12) Lauren Weber

Nearly a quarter of new college graduates said they wouldn’t take a job where they couldn’t make personal phone calls, according to a study from Adecco Group North America. A third said they likely would stay at any one job for three years or less. Ninety-one percent said they would leave an unsatisfying job within a year. “With social media, this generation can see everything their peers are doing. So they feel like they have to move more often to keep up with where their friends and classmates are,” says Janette Marx, senior vice president of Adecco Group North America.

Seventy-four percent of those surveyed are looking for good health benefits, followed by job security (73%), opportunities for growth and development (68%), work and life flexibility (66%), and a high salary (61%).

MarketWatch (05/09/12)

The struggle to balance career and family starts in the earliest stages of parenthood, according to ASA corporate partner CareerBuilder’s annual study of working moms. One-in-four (26%) working moms who have had a child in the last three years reported they did not take the full maternity leave allowed by their company. One in 10 took two weeks or less.

Competitive work environments and demanding positions may be causing more women to reduce their time off from work after delivery. Almost half of working moms who’ve had a child in the past three years (44%) reported taking more than eight weeks of maternity leave, but 12% said they took two weeks or less. Forty percent were off work for six weeks or less.