ManpowerGroup News Release (01/30/13)

ManpowerGroup reported a decrease in net earnings from $63.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 to $53.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2012. A reorganization charge tied to office consolidations and severance costs of $26.6 million is included in the fourth-quarter figure. Net earnings fell to $197.6 million for all of 2012 from $251.6 million in 2011. U.S. revenues fell from $765.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 to $750.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, and from $3.137 billion in 2011 to $3.010 billion in 2012 (unchanged in constant currency). The company’s revenues totaled $5.2 billion in the fourth quarter, down 5% from the prior year, and $20.7 billion for all of 2012, marking a decline of 6% from 2011.

Robert Half International News Release (01/29/13)

Robert Half International Inc. reported net income of $58.6 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2012, on revenues of $1.03 billion. Net income for the prior year’s fourth quarter was $42.6 million on revenues of $973.5 million. For the year ended Dec. 31, net income was $209.9 million, on revenues of $4.11 billion. U.S. staffing revenue grew 9.6% in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Harold M. Messmer, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Robert Half International, noted that “revenue growth in our staffing operations reflects ongoing demand for skilled talent on an interim and full-time basis, most notably in the U.S.”

The Accountemps division had $379.2 million in revenues for the fourth quarter (36.7% of the company total), while OfficeTeam had $208.4 million (20.1%).

Bloomberg (01/30/13) Alex Kowalski

The U.S. added 192,000 private-sector jobs in January, the ADP Research Institute estimated today. The median forecast of 38 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a January advance of 165,000.

Growing payrolls show that U.S. businesses see strong enough demand in the future to hire even as lawmakers in Washington spar over the federal budget. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report on Feb. 1 may show companies added 168,000 workers in January while the unemployment rate held at 7.8%, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey.

Wall Street Journal (01/30/12) Eric Morath; Sarah Portlock; Kathleen Madigan

The U.S. gross domestic product shrank for the first time in three and a half years in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. GDP declined at an annual rate of 0.1% in the fourth quarter as companies pared back their inventories, government spending declined by 15%, and the fiscal cliff discussions dragged on. Hurricane Sandy and a drought in the Midwest also took a toll on the economy. Economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires had anticipated annualized growth of 1.0% for the quarter. Still, GDP rose 2.2% for the year, up from 1.8% growth in 2011.