Market Wired (06/09/15)

Indianapolis-based BCforward, an information technology solutions and staffing corporation, announced today that it has acquired Global Networkers Inc., an IT consulting firm based in Charlotte, NC.

NFIB News Release (06/09/15)

The National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Optimism Survey increased 1.4 points to 98.3 with six of the 10 index components increasing. May is the best reading since the 100.4 December reading. However, the index remained in a holding pattern, a few points below the prerecession average and showing no tendency to break out into a stronger pattern of economic growth.

Small businesses posted another decent month of job creation in May, a string of five solid months of job creation. On balance, owners added a net 0.13 workers per firm over the past few months. Fourteen percent reported raising employment, on average 2.7 workers per firm, while 12% reported reducing employment, on average 3.0 workers per firm. Fifty-five percent reported hiring or trying to hire (up two points), but 47% reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. Thirteen percent reported using temporary workers. Twenty-nine percent of all owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period, up two points and the highest reading since April 2006.

National Association for Business Economics (06/08/15)

Real gross domestic product growth from the fourth quarter of 2014 to the fourth quarter of 2015 will be 2.3%, according to the National Association for Business Economics’ Outlook Survey panel’s median forecast, which is sharply lower than that reported in the March survey. The median forecast for 2016 is unchanged at 2.9%.

The median forecast for real GDP growth for the second quarter of 2015 fell to 2.5% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, down from 3.0% in March. Quarterly growth is expected to rebound to 3.2% in the third quarter of 2015 before decelerating to 2.8% throughout 2016. These forecasts are in line with those reported in March.

The survey results reflect a slowing—but still robust—pace of improvement in the labor market. The median forecast for nonfarm payroll growth in 2015 declined from 251,000 in March to 217,000 in June, while the median forecast for 2016 slipped from 216,000 in March to 207,000. Expectations for unemployment are similar to those expressed in March, with the unemployment rate anticipated to decline to 5.2% on average during the fourth quarter of 2015 and to 4.9% during the fourth quarter of 2016.

USA Today (06/08/15) Jessica Durando

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. plans to provide all employees—both full-time and part-time—with paid vacation time, sick pay, and tuition reimbursement, starting July 1. Other restaurant chains such as Starbucks and McDonald’s also have improved their employee benefits within the past year.