Tag Archives: Manpower Inc.

Manpower Employment Outlook Survey

Posted on June 14, 2011 | Leave a comment

Strong Job Market Expected for Iowa 

June 14, 2011 - Employers inIowa expect to hire at a healthy pace during the third quarter of 2011, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

 From July to September, 23% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 8% expect to reduce their payrolls. Another 66% expect to maintain their current staff levels and 3% are not certain of their hiring plans. This yields a Net Employment Outlook* of 15%.

 ”The Quarter 3 2011 survey results point toward improved hiring plans compared to Quarter 2 2011 when the Net Employment Outlook was 10%,” said Manpower spokesperson Sunny Ackerman. “Compared to one year ago when the Net Employment Outlook was 19%, employers are less confident about their staffing plans.”

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in Construction, Durable and Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing, Transportation & Utilities, Wholesale & Retail Trade, Information, Professional & Business Services, Leisure & Hospitality and Other Services. Employers in Financial Activities and Education & Health Services plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in Government is expected to remain unchanged.

Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Results for the United States

Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed in the United States, 20% anticipate an increase in staff levels in their Quarter 3 2011 hiring plans, while 8% expect a decrease in payrolls, resulting in a Net Employment Outlook of +12%. When seasonally adjusted, the Net Employment Outlook becomes +8%. Sixty-nine percent of employers expect no change in their hiring plans. The remaining 3% of employers indicate they are undecided about their hiring intentions.

To view results for Metropolitan Statistical areas surveyed within Iowa, visit http://press.manpower.com.

The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on September 13, 2011 to report hiring expectations for Quarter 4 2011.

About the Survey

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conducted quarterly to measure employers’ intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforces during the next quarter. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey’sUnited Statesresults are based on interviews with 18,000 employers located in the 50 states, theDistrict of ColumbiaandPuerto Rico, which includes the largest 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas based on number of business establishments. The mix of industries within the survey follows the North American Industry Classification System Supersectors and is structured to be representative of theU.S.economy. 

The complete results of the national Manpower Employment Outlook Survey can be found in the Press Room of our website at http://press.manpower.com. There you will also find the results for the 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas surveyed, the 50 states, theDistrict of ColumbiaandPuerto Rico. Questions can be directed to press@na.manpower.com.

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Posted in Employment, Manpower Inc., Manpower News, Workforce News, Workforce Statistics, World of Work

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Manpower Inc. Identifies Four Mega Trends

Posted on January 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

Manpower Inc. is a strategic partner of the 40th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, held in Davos, Switzerland this week. At the Forum, key Manpower Inc. executives are participating in discussions around a slate of topics ranging from global commonalities to gender parity to the future of employment to social networking.

In conjunction with the Forum, Manpower Inc. released information identifying four Mega Trends which are transforming and accelerating the world of work. They are:

  • The Talent Mismatch is deepening as the working age population declines and the nature of work changes. These significant shifts in talent supply are transforming the global labor market.
  • Individual Choice will be exercised by those with the skills that are most in demand, requiring companies to think differently about how jobs are defined and how they will attract and retain scarce talent.
  • Rising Customer Sophistication requires businesses to work in a new way, driven by innovation and delivering greater value and efficiency.
  • Technological Revolutions have the power to change where, when and how we work, enabling organizations to be more agile and innovative – if they know how to leverage it.

“In recent weeks, the status and significance of the rapidly expanding temporary workforce has been widely discussed – and woefully misunderstood,” said Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO. “Companies will increasingly look to temporary workers to gain the flexibility and agility required to appropriately and strategically adjust to consumer demand.  At the same time, individuals are increasingly exercising more choice when it comes to pursuing employment that meets their expectations and taps their motivations.”

“Business leaders around the world will need to ask themselves what the trends mean for their organizations and what they will do to respond to them, according to Manpower research.  Organizations need to carefully consider their people practices, a critical element to navigating the changing world of work.”

“As the economy rebounds, companies will need to prepare for a new normal, carefully adjusting their business strategy and evaluating their workforce,” said Joerres. “In the past, access to capital gave companies their edge; soon talent will become the competitive differentiator and companies will compete for talent as rigorously as individuals now compete for jobs. “

“Given these trends, the temporary workforce will lead the way as the world recovers and companies are forced to do more with less and meet consumers’ ever-rising expectations,” Joerres added. “To attract and retain these ‘workforce accelerators’ who offer highly specialized skills, smart companies will strive to create a workplace culture that is healthy, flexible and satisfying.”

To see an executive summary, click here…

Good stuff!  Take note America – things are changing before our very eyes.

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Posted in Employment, Manpower Around the World, Manpower Inc., Manpower News, Social Networking, World of Work

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University Study: Working Temp Pays Off

Posted on December 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

Temporary workers employed through agencies earn higher hourly wages, are better educated than traditionally employed workers and move quickly between temporary and traditional jobs, according to a study announced today by the University of Florida.

“There has been concern by some advocacy groups that the temporary help industry is creating an entire class of people who are churning through temporary-help jobs and can’t escape from that cycle,” Sarah Hamersma, University of Florida economist and lead author of the study, said in a press release. “We find no reason to believe that a large number of temp workers are ‘stuck’ in a secondary labor market.”

Hamersma and Carolyn Heinrich, a University of Wisconsin public affairs professor, studied occupational records, wages and earnings for 5,877 Wisconsin workers between 1995 and 2004.

Of 3,964 employees who held at least one temporary job, 3,947 held a permanent job at some time in those 10 years, according to Hamersma. In an analysis of a subsample over a four-month period, three-fourths of those in temporary jobs moved into traditional jobs and only 23% took another temporary job.

Temporary employees received about 15% more in pay per hour than traditional employees, according to Hamersma. However, quarterly earnings tend to be lower for temporary workers.

“We learned that the shorter duration of temporary jobs means the employees work fewer hours, which translates into lower quarterly earnings than for traditional employees, but they actually end up getting paid more for the hours that they do work,” she said.

The findings in the study were presented in November at the annual meeting of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management in Washington DC.

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Contingent Staffing Levels Expected to Rise in 2010

Posted on December 4, 2009 | 1 Comment

Garry Mathiason, of labor law firm Littler Mendelson, is convinced the U.S. workforce is shifting to mirror that of the film industry, where crews of contingent production workers are assembled for a movie and then disbanded once the project is finished. In a recent study, 73 percent of employers queried anticipate some level of increase in their contingent workforce between now and late 2010, with nearly 35 percent planning increases of 50 percent or more.


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Posted in Workforce Trends

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Employee Discontent Expected to Reach Crisis Level Next Year

Posted on November 23, 2009 | 1 Comment

 Employee turnover is expected to rise next year as a new survey shows that many workers are unhappy with their present jobs. Sixty percent of employees intend to leave and an additional one-in-four are networking and updating their resumes, according to research from Right Management. Right Management is the talent and career management expert within Manpower, the global leader in employment services.

Right Management surveyed more than 900 workers in North America and asked: Do you plan to pursue new job opportunities as the economy improves in 2010?
– 60% – Yes, I intend to leave
– 21% – Maybe, so I’m networking
– 6% – Not likely, but I’ve updated my resume
– 13% – No, I intend to stay

“The study provides a barometer of employee engagement in the workplace, with results that might alarm and surprise many employers,” said Douglas J. Matthews, President and Chief Operating Officer at Right Management. “Employees are clearly expressing their pent up frustration with how they have been treated through the downturn. While employers may have taken the necessary steps to streamline operations to remain viable, it appears many employees may have felt neglected in the process. The result is a disengaged and disgruntled workforce.”

Matthews cautions that the best workers are mobile in any economy. “We know that people are attracted by career development opportunities, attaining work/life balance and working for an innovative company culture. If management doesn’t provide employees with these opportunities, then workers are going to take their knowledge and skills elsewhere. Talented staff can change jobs because they can and want to, not because they have to.”

“As leaders, we need to accommodate different lifestyles and work choices and find ways to balance these with business needs to ensure high levels of productivity and performance,” states Matthews. “This influences how organizations attract, engage and retain talent. A segmented, customized and flexible talent strategy is critical to stem the alarming levels of employee turnover anticipated next year.”

Right Management surveyed 904 employees in North America via an online poll. The survey ran between October 19 and November 5, 2009.

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Posted in Employee Engagement

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Contingent Workers Add Up

Posted on November 16, 2009 | Leave a comment

Contingent Counts

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Posted in Workforce Statistics, Workforce Trends

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Survey: Seasonal Work is Top Reason for Hiring Contingents

Posted on November 4, 2009 | 1 Comment

Manpower Logo

The most-cited reason for using contingent labor by companies around the world is to complete work during peak seasonal periods, according to a survey released by Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN). Nineteen percent of firms surveyed cited it as the primary reason they use contingent labor.

The next-most cited reason was as cover for employees who may be on leave; it was cited by 7% of firms.

Fifty-four percent of firms said they do not use contingent labor.

In addition, the Manpower survey found that 62% of firms around the world did not view contingent workers as a key element of their workforce strategies. Thirty-four percent of employers said they did, and 4% were unsure.

Manpower CEO Jeffrey Joerres said employers’ natural instinct in the upturn will be to bring in contingent workers first and be cautious about hiring permanent workers. “But, the winners in the post-recovery world will be the companies that leverage contingent workers as ‘workforce accelerators,’ having mastered the art of managing a dynamic mix of permanent and contingent workers to optimize their performance, increasing their speed of execution, building talent capability, keeping fixed costs low and doing more with less,” Joerres said.

The survey included more than 41,000 employers in 35 countries.

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Posted in Uncategorized, Workforce Trends

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Webinar Alert: Answers to More of the World’s Scariest Employment Law Questions

Posted on October 14, 2009 | 1 Comment

hrci-logo1

Time: 11am-12pm

Date: October 28th, 2009

Registration: Click Here

As Chief Legal Officer of North America for a company that employs more than five million employees worldwide and as a former partner in a major employment law firm, Manpower’s Mark Toth has learned a few things about workplace law over the years.

Back by popular demand, Mark will once again answer your toughest employment law questions in this engaging and interactive webinar. Send all the questions that keep you awake at night to blawg@manpower.com. Mark will then design his webinar around those questions and make sure you get all the latest legal developments, tools and tips to help you stay out of legal hot water.

To get a taste of what the webinar will be like, please check out Mark’s blog – or blawg – at www.manpowerblogs.com.

After your participation in this webinar, you will obtain:

· Answers to your most challenging legal questions
· Up-to-the-minute information on the latest employment law 
developments
· Tips and tools on everything from hiring to firing
· Practical solutions based on real-life examples 

Click here to register.

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Sympathy for the Hatchet Man

Posted on September 29, 2009 | Leave a comment

layoff

I recently wrote an article for the Des Moines Business Record about the hard life Human Resources departments are currently having. In the article I point out that even though they may be the one’s swinging the axe, they are suffering almost as much as the person on the other end as well.

Article:

Living, breathing and working in the world of work brings continual challenges. The challenge of staying motivated at work is increasingly difficult when people around you are being let go all of the time. As soon as you start to feel safe and are able to once again focus on your work, another round of layoffs occurs, sometimes without any warning or sense of it coming.

Because work and life are so closely connected, they both become a struggle to get through, and any sense of joy or accomplishment can be sapped away. It is tough on the front lines.

For better or worse, I have an interesting vantage point. In my job, I am on the front lines viewing a lot of what is taking place. The one department in companies that I believe has it the hardest is one that you might not suspect. The human resources department may have the most challenging job right now.

To continue reading click here.

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Manpower Wins Pink Magazine Award – Again (2009)

Posted on September 1, 2009 | 2 Comments

pink cover

Manpower has once again been recognized as one of PINK Magazine’s 2009 “Top Companies for Women,” and is the only employment services firm named to the list for the second consecutive year. PINK’s exclusive annual ranking recognizes organizations that make women’s advancement a part of everyday business, especially in demonstrating a commitment to placing women in top leadership positions and among top earners.

“All companies would do well to adopt the best practices demonstrated by firms like Manpower, who are committed to advancing women in the workplace,” said PINK CEO and founding editor Cynthia Good.

PINK received a record number of entries from America’s leading firms seeking recognition for 2009, with applicants required to complete a multi-step evaluation process. This involved providing responses to almost 100 questions and data points concerning women’s advancement, before the field was narrowed to 15 winners. Each organization was evaluated on several categories, including:

  • Power: The number of women in corporate executive roles, on the board of directors and with Profit & Loss responsibility.
  • Pipeline: Evidence of commitment at the highest levels to hiring, training,mentoring, promoting and retaining women.
  • Pay: Evidence of pay equity, including women who are among the topfive earners within the organization.

“I am proud of the accomplishments of our strong women leaders and their contributions to Manpower around the world,” said Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres. “Our diverse global leaders set a pace and tone that energizes the organization. We recognize that an inclusive workforce creates diversity of thought, perspective, background and experience, generating the energy we need to help our clients win.”

Today, women make up almost 40 percent of the organization’s Executive Management Team and over 40 percent of country managers worldwide are women. Our talented women are a source of immense pride for the company. Earlier this year, Françoise Gri, President of Manpower France, was awarded with the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur Medal in recognition of her achievements as a leading businesswoman. Gri has also been named to Fortune magazine’s “International Most Powerful Women in Business” list for five consecutive years. Barbara Beck, Manpower President of EMEA, has been previously named to PINK’s Top 15 Women in Business – “The Innovators” list.

The list of the Top Companies for Women 2009 is featured in the magazine’s August/September/October issue.

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Recession Wire Interview: The Confidence Game

Posted on August 25, 2009 | Leave a comment

confidence-coaching-pic-main_Full

I was recently interviewed by Recessionwire.com for an article about confidence in interviewing. This is a great topic due to the amount of layoffs and the need for people to find work. When layoffs and job loss occur, coupled with no one calling you back after submitting your resume to dozens of job opportunities. Your confidence can take a visible hit, which can inadvertently undermine your job interview opportunities.

Article:

The Confidence Game

Mark Twain once wrote that the only things required for success are ignorance and confidence. If we humbly assume a good measure of the former, then the only thing needed for a successful job search is confidence.

Simplistic? Perhaps. But for those of us who awake each morning to face yet another day of launching resumes into the ethers and throwing ourselves at the mercy of old cronies or long-lost college cohorts who just might provide that magical, silver-bullet nexus of our LinkedIn fantasies, it can be difficult to crank up the old confidence meter to the appropriate level of chipperness. Each non-returned inquiry and “we’re not hiring right now” response is one more pinprick in the life raft of our confidence.

But let’s get real—sinking beneath the waves simply isn’t an option. That means we must meet each pinhole in the raft with a fresh wad of Double Bubble, chewed vigorously and confidently. Sure, you can hide in the closet now and then, shut the door, cover your mouth with an unused business suit and let out a primal scream or two. But then shake off the dust bunnies and get back in the living room.

“Everything you do, say, or write is a reflection of your confidence,” says Nick Reddin, business development manager for Manpower, one of the largest employment services companies in the world. “Your resume, cover letter, hand shake, telephone demeanor—everything should project that you are ready to take on the position you are applying for.”

In his position at Manpower, Reddin talks with hundreds of prospective candidates, both as an employment advisor and on behalf of employers. He says his instincts can tell when a candidate is been through the grinder and is starting to feel defeated.

To continue reading click here.

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Posted in Nick Reddin, World of Work

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Manpower Wins – Best Temporary Employment Service 2009

Posted on August 12, 2009 | Leave a comment

2009 BEST OF

First, we would like to thank all of you that voted for Manpower. We consider it an honor to have received this award and appreciate the recognition tremendously. Our goal in this business is to help people find meaningful work, while at the same time meeting the needs of our customers. Knowing how important the role of work is in the lives of those that walk through our doors everyday, is what motivates us to be the best. We thank you for recognizing our efforts, our passion, and our everyday commitment to you.  

Article from the Des Moines Business Record.

Best Temporary Employment Service

Manpower Inc.

Mike Lynch has found one silver lining in the nation’s economic struggle: “I don’t recall a time when I’ve had more meaningful, heartfelt conversations with people,” said the president of Manpower Inc.’s Central Iowa franchise. “Everybody is in the same boat, and whether the conversation is personal or about business, it gets to the depth of what’s good and bad.”

Lynch’s mother, Helen, opened the Manpower office here in 1953, and his father was one of the first customers. Lynch, with 27 years of experience in the business, said the past few months have been “a bizarre and interesting kind of a ride,” but foresees smoother sailing in the near future. At Manpower, “I think we’re going to see a gradual increase during the rest of the year,” he said.

The office handles temporary employment services as far north as Fort Dodge and as far south as Creston. “Technology and the professions are a growth area for us,” Lynch said. “Clerical and administrative support are kind of a specialty, and there’s a fairly robust light industrial division. We’re not highly involved in health care and the heavy industrial stuff.”

Revenues have been basically flat for the year, he said. “We’re seeing new customers every day,” he said, ‘but the flip side is that things are going out the back door as new business comes in the front door, as we see large layoffs from the larger companies in town.

“It’s the old saw – it’s all about relationships,” Lynch said. “As we have the opportunity to connect with people during hard times, my belief is that it will make better times that much richer for everybody.”

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College Job Fair Trends

Posted on August 11, 2009 | 1 Comment

business_record

The article below is from a piece I wrote for the Des Moines Business Record. With the economy being what it is, the typical landscape of hiring and firing have definitely changed. One of the changes I have noticed in particular is at college job fairs. While they have always been interesting, these times have made them even more so.

Article:

One of the things I get to do in my job is stay alert to the trends taking place and shaping the way people hire and fire. I tend to write about these trends when I see something that particularly stands out to me as being different from the norm. To be honest, I have recruited at more job fairs than I care to remember – numbering somewhere in the hundreds, I am sure.

Job fairs are interesting as a whole; it is almost a social experiment. You have people who for the most part just want the free stuff at your booth, you have the people who didn’t bring a resume but want you to interview them on the spot, and you have the people who are going booth to booth with their friends, dressed and acting completely unprofessional and yet wanting you to hire them. On the upside, you do meet a lot of very well-prepared professional people who attend job fairs and make them worth your time.
Click here to continue reading.

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Posted in Nick Reddin, Workforce Trends

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Manpower Chief looks to Virtual Growth

Posted on June 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

manpower_011

On Second Life, the virtual-reality website, Jeff Joerres is a barrel-chested bodybuilder with a mop of bright blonde hair.

In the flesh, the chief executive of Manpower is somewhat less muscle-bound and his hair is starting to thin. “What am I going to do, be a 90-year-old man?” he laughs. “It’s called Second Life for a reason.”

Aesthetic improvement is only one reason Mr Joerres is enthusiastic about Second Life. From his perspective at the top of one of the world’s biggest recruitment companies, Mr Joerres says that such virtual worlds and social networking websites are transforming the world of work. Increasingly, he says, “work will get done that way and people will find work that way”.

The economic downturn has accelerated this trend, Mr Joerres believes. He cites a new tie-up between Manpower and LinkedIn, the professional networking website, in which Manpower is offering career services to LinkedIn members – a collaboration prompted by a flood of requests to the networking website for career services in recent months.

Mr Joerres says he is becoming more optimistic about the employment scene in the US. Although he says the unemployment rate – a six-nine-month lagging indicator – will not recover until well into 2010, he sees signs the economy is becoming more stable.

At the start of the year, the Manpower chief said he would not be surprised if 2009 saw an average unemployment rate of 9 per cent , but now says that may have been too gloomy.

Mr Joerres is critical of how some companies slashed jobs during the downward cycle, a phenomenon he says they may pay for when growth returns. “There’s been a lot of blunt instruments out there, companies cutting 10 percent across the board. But what about cutting the right 10 percent?” he says.

“Companies that had the right type of workforce strategy had a better sense of what levers to pull when the downturn hit,” he observes. “But we’ve seen some really good companies panic and hit the trap door. That wasn’t necessarily wrong, but they now have a period to recover and if they don’t use this time carefully, they could find themselves losing market share, or spending more on training new staff.”

Manpower released a surprising global survey last week that underlined this conundrum: it showed that 30 percent of employers around the world are struggling to find the right people to fill jobs even though unemployment is at or near record levels in many countries.

To continue reading click here.

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