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ASA Skills Gap Index Identifies 172 Hard-to-Fill Jobs

The American Staffing Association’s Skills Gap Index identified 172 hard-to-fill occupations in the U.S. for the 12 months ended June 2015.

During the past quarter, microbiologists and surgeons moved into the top 10 list of hardest-to-fill positions, displacing merchandise displayers and window trimmers, and physician assistants.

“Demand for staffing and recruiting services continues to grow as labor markets tighten and companies place a higher strategic focus on talent as a key business differentiator,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. “Partnering with staffing and recruiting firms to develop and implement new and more effective workforce solutions helps companies more successfully source qualified talent and narrow their skills gaps.”

Members can download the full ASA Skills Gap Index report for the second quarter of 2015, and updated presentation materials, at americanstaffing.net.

Adecco Group Reports Second-Quarter Results

Adecco Group News Release (08/11/15)

Adecco Group reported revenues of €5.6 billion in the second quarter of 2015, up 12% (4% in constant currency) from €5 billion in the second quarter of 2014. Net income totaled €177 million, up 22% from €145 million in the year-ago quarter.

In North America, revenues were €1.2 billion, an increase of 2%. General staffing accounts were approximately half of revenues and grew by 4%. In the industrial staffing segment, revenue growth remained strong at 11%, while in the office staffing segment, revenues declined by 4%. In professional staffing, revenues were flat; the company saw growth of 10% in medical and science, 5% in finance and legal, and 3% in information technology; engineering and technical declined by 9%. Permanent placement revenues in North America were up 12%. Management noted that a slowdown in Canada, particularly in oil and gas and in defense, had a negative effect on North America revenues across most segments.

“We continue to be committed to achieving our EBITA margin target of above 5.5% in 2015,” said incoming Adecco Group chief executive officer Alain Dehaze in a call with investors. “Given the trends in our business and the current economic outlook, and helped by an easier comparison base, we continue to expect such a pickup.”

Command Center Reports Second-Quarter Financial Results

Command Center Inc. News Release (08/11/15)

Command Center Inc. reported revenue of $22.8 million in the second quarter of 2015, up 5.3% from $21.7 million in the second quarter of 2014. Net income totaled $530,000, down 64.7% from $1.5 million in the year-ago quarter.

Recruit Holdings Reports Second-Quarter Results

Recruit Holdings Co. Ltd. (08/10/15)

Recruit Holdings Co. Ltd. reported gross profits of ¥344.2 million for the second quarter of 2015, up 12.6% from ¥305.8 million for the second quarter of 2014. Net income totaled ¥22.4 million, up 20.4% from ¥18.6 million in the year-ago quarter.

Florida IT Firm Acquires Recruiting Division of Digital Marketer

Orlando Sentinel (08/10/15) Marco Santana

Valintry Services, a Winter Park, FL-based finance, accounting, and technology staffing firm, has acquired the recruiting division of digital marketing firm PaperBoat Media. The terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

After Two Steps Backward in June, Small-Business Optimism Takes One Step Forward in July

NFIB News Release (08/11/15)

The Small Business Optimism Index rose 1.3 points to 95.4 in July. After giving up over 4 points in June, the index clawed back 1.3 points in July, a familiar theme now, which has produced the most grudging gains in the index’s history—and still not above the 42 year average of 98.

Job creation was flat in July. Small-business owners added a net 0.05 workers per firm in recent months, better than June’s -0.01 reading, but still close to zero. Fifty-seven percent reported hiring or trying to hire (up 5 points), but 48% reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. Sixteen percent reported using temporary workers, down 2 points. Twenty-five percent of all owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period, up 1 point, but 4 points below the highest reading for this year. A net 12% plan to create new jobs, up 3 points and reversing last month’s loss.

U.S. Productivity Increases at 1.3% Pace in Second Quarter

Wall Street Journal (08/11/15) Eric Morath; Anna Louie Sussman

Employee productivity increased at a modest pace in the second quarter, despite steady hiring. Nonfarm worker productivity rose at a 1.3% seasonally adjusted annual rate in the second quarter, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Productivity was up 0.3% from a year ago. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast a 1.6% increase from the first quarter.

Meanwhile, unit labor costs rose at a 0.5% annual rate in the second quarter. Economists had forecast a 0.1% increase. Unit labor costs were up 2.1% from a year ago.

The increase in second-quarter productivity coincides with a boost in economic growth. Gross domestic product rose at a modest 2.3% annual pace in the second quarter, up from a 0.6% gain in the first quarter.

ASA Marketplace Connects Industry Professionals With the Products and Services They Need

The ASA Marketplace gets rave reviews from staffing professionals looking to purchase products and services for their companies.

Unlike any online resource of its kind, the content-rich, user-friendly ASA Marketplace features one-click access to supplier company news releases, allows searches by industry sector, delivers geographical search capabilities for firms with multiple locations, and much more.

The ASA Marketplace is the No. 1 source for suppliers to the staffing industry. Suppliers interested in getting listed or advertising should contact Antoinette Dixon at 703-253-1142.