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NFIB: Small-Business Sees Moderate Improvement

NFIB News Release (11/11/14)

The National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Optimism Index crept back to its August level of 96.1 with a gain of 0.8 points led by a modest increase in the net percent of owners who plan to increase capital spending and more who expect higher sales in the next three months.

“Those were the two bright spots in an otherwise mixed reading,” says Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist for NFIB.

According to the survey, owners are slightly less optimistic about business conditions over the next six months as well as the outlook for expansion. November’s survey, which will reflect the election outcome, should provide some insight on whether different leadership in Congress has had any effect on small-business optimism, because 28% of owners blame Washington politics for the country’s economic problems.

Below-Target Inflation May Be Result of Ample Labor-Market Slack

MarketWatch (11/10/14) Steve Goldstein

Monetary policymakers should remain patient about removing accommodation until there’s stronger evidence that inflation will return to 2%, says Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Inflation may be below target levels because there may be more slack in the labor market than suggested by the 5.8% unemployment rate. Broader measures of unemployment are greater today than at their highest points after the prior recession, Rosengren says.

Retailers Add More Than 180,000 Jobs, Most Ever in October

NorthJersey.com (11/10/14)

Retail employment grew by a nonseasonally adjusted total of 180,600 last month, the biggest net gain in October since data began being collected in 1939 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The increase was 13% higher than the 160,000 employees added during the same time last year.

“Strong October hiring does not guarantee that holiday hiring will surpass last year’s level, but it is certainly a good sign,” says John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger Gray & Christmas. “We have seen steady increases in the number of seasonal workers hired since 2008, when recession-ravaged retailers added 324,900 seasonal workers in the final quarter of the year. Holiday hiring returned to prerecession levels in 2012 and, in 2013, saw the strongest job gains since 2000.”

More Employers Actively Recruiting Veterans

PRNewswire (11/11/14)

Following years of high unemployment, the hiring outlook for recent U.S. veterans may finally have turned the corner, according to the Veterans Day Job Forecast by ASA corporate partner CareerBuilder. Thirty-three percent of employers plan to actively recruit veterans over the next year, up from 27% in 2013. Furthermore, 31% have hired a veteran who returned from duty in the last 12 months, up from 28% last year.

Sixty-seven percent of all currently employed veterans are satisfied with their jobs, up from 59% last year. Twenty-four percent plan to change jobs next year, up from 20%. Both increases can be viewed as positive news, because workers, in general, are more likely to move between jobs in a healthy labor market. Some 2,440 hiring and human resource managers and 286 employed veterans were surveyed for the forecast.

Veterans, Potential Employers Are Not Speaking the Same Language

Monster Worldwide Inc. News Release (11/10/14)

Fewer than half of post-9/11 veterans feel they can effectively communicate how their military skills and experience translate to a nonmilitary work environment, according to the National Veterans Talent Index report from ASA corporate partner Monster and military.com. VTI results indicate that the unemployment challenge isn’t due to a lack of candidate skills or willingness of employers to hire veterans. The Employer Hiring Index, the section of the VTI measuring motivation to hire veterans, shows that more than two-thirds of employers say they have special talent needs that a veteran candidate would be more qualified to fill than a nonveteran candidate due to his or her specific military experience.

Additionally, nearly all employers report veteran workers perform their job about the same or better than nonveteran workers, and rate veterans about the same or higher when it comes to specific attributes such as career advancement, job turnover, and retention rate. The National VTI suggests the challenge continues to lie in getting veteran candidates over the initial “translation gap,” or aligning a veteran’s unique skills and experience to the requirements of an open job.

Free ASA Webinar Today—Be a Master Recruiter

Don’t miss the ASA webinar “From Average to Great—The Four Key Steps to Becoming a Master Recruiter.” It takes place today from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern time. Find out what distinguishes a great recruiter during the second part of this two-part webinar (the first session took place Nov. 4).

All ASA webinars are free for ASA members, and most qualify for continuing education hours toward ASA certification renewal. To learn more and to register, visit americanstaffing.net.

Staffing Has a Role in Helping the Nation’s Veterans

ASA and its member companies actively support the hiring of military veterans and support services for those transitioning from active duty to civilian life.

Several member firms specialize in hiring veterans; others have created targeted programs as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. Through its “Volt Military Heroes Program,” Volt Workforce Solutions provides employment resources to military personnel transitioning to civilian life. Among other objectives, Volt pledged to hire 2,000 former military personnel in 2013 (and succeeded in hiring 3,138), employ 10,000 veteran and military spouses over five years beginning in 2014, and provide training to National Guard and Reserve employment teams. The program recently received a 2014 ASA Care Award.

Has your staffing firm made a commitment to hiring veterans? Send your stories to msnyder@americanstaffing.net, and get more information about hiring initiatives for veterans at americanstaffing.net.

ASA Headquarters Closed Today

In observance of the Veterans Day holiday, ASA is closed today. It will reopen Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 9 a.m. Eastern time. The ASA webinar will take place today as scheduled.