MarketWatch (01/30/15)

ManpowerGroup reported revenues of $5.1 billion for the fourth quarter of 2014, down 2.5% (up 4.8% in constant currency) from $5.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013. Net earnings totaled $117.2 million, up 15.9% (26.3% in constant currency) from $101.2 million in the year-ago quarter. The company’s U.S. revenues totaled $789.5 million in the 2014 fourth quarter, up 5.2% (5.2% in constant currency) from $750.6 million in the 2013 fourth quarter.

For all of 2014, revenues totaled $20.8 billion, up 2.5% (4.0% in constant currency) from $20.3 billion in 2013. Net earnings totaled $427.6 million, up 48.5% (51.4% in constant currency) from $288 million the prior year. U.S. revenues totaled $3.1 billion, up 4.0% (4.0% in constant currency) from $3.0 billion in 2013.

Commenting to investors on global market growth and recovery, ManpowerGroup chief executive officer Jonas Prising said, “We believe the value of our services can be even more important during this time of uncertainty and seen as the preferred form of flexibility.”

PRNewswire (01/29/15)

Robert Half International Inc. reported revenues of $1.22 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014, up 13% from $1.08 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013. For the full year, revenues totaled $4.70 billion, up 11% from $4.25 billion in 2013, and net income totaled $305.9 million, up 21% from $252.2 million the prior year. Net income for the fourth quarter was $84 million, up 26% from the same quarter a year ago.

“Secular trends continue to shape the demand for interim talent. More and more companies are using temporary and consulting professionals as a permanent part of their human resource mix,” said Harold M. Messmer Jr., Robert Half’s chairman and chief executive officer, in a call with investors.

Wall Street Journal (01/30/15) Josh Mitchell; Jeffrey Sparshott

The economy grew at an annual pace of 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, down from 5.0% in the third quarter. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast a growth rate of 3.2%. For the year as a whole, GDP grew 2.4%, up slightly from the average 2.2% growth during 2010-13, but down significantly from the 1990s annual average of 3.4%. The government report reveals a persistently uneven recovery—surging job growth and a decline in gasoline prices has led to a sharp increase in consumer spending, but business investment and export growth have slowed. Many economists forecast growth of between 2% and 3% in the first quarter of the year.

Wall Street Journal (01/30/15) Jeffrey Sparshott; Josh Mitchell

The employment-cost index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.6% during the fourth quarter of 2014, indicating that wages are rising slowly for most workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The increase was in line with the forecast of economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal. Wages and salaries rose 0.5% from a pace of 0.8% in the third quarter, and benefit costs rose 0.6%, matching the previous quarter’s pace. The ECI shows that labor costs are growing slowly, despite a tightening labor market.