Tag Archives: Manpower

ManpowerGroup’s perspective on the BLS’ Employment Situation Report

Weak Demand for Companies’ Core Products and Services Contributes to Slow Jobs Growth

ManpowerGroup Warns Skills are at Risk of Becoming Antiquated as Job Seekers Face Long-term Structural Unemployment

… slow demand for products and services coupled with ongoing talent mismatches are continuing to hamper the labor market, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed the overall July unemployment rate fell slightly to 9.1 percent and 117,000 private sector jobs were created during the month. 
 
Finding people with the right skills is extremely challenging, and employers are unwilling to compromise while demand remains sluggish,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO.

Manpower Employment Outlook Survey

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.

The Power Behind the Power Hour

I recently read an article by Tony Schwartz called, Working Harder Doesn’t Get You Ahead.  

By the end of the article he suggested tackling “your most challenging task first thing in the morning, for 60 to 90 minutes, uninterrupted.” I don’t always have free time first thing in the morning. In fact I usually have my first meeting between 8:00 am and 8:30 a.m.  However, it made me think about the list of Guiding Principles (how we define who we want to be and how we conduct ourselves) that my staff and I created last fall, one of which is, Power Hours – Permission to Focus.

The idea behind the “Power Hour” is to block out a specific amount of time to “power” through a task or project. This uninterrupted time can be an hour or it can be thirty minutes, whatever block of time you need depending upon what you hope to accomplish.  Because this is one of our organization’s Guiding Principals, there’s a great deal of consideration given to an individual who is taking their “Power Hour” and encourage team members to do so often. It’s one way we support each other and tackle those projects that have that looming deadline which appeared out of nowhere.

Let’s face it, our work days are busy enough, so giving your self permission to take a “power hour” may provide you with a bit of calm that we all need in our work days. Try it. Schedule a set block of time on your calendar to focus on your project and power through. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done.

Manpower Releases 2Q 2010 Employment Outlook Survey

Today, Manpower Inc. released the results of its 2nd Quarter 2010 Employment Outlook Survey.

For the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area, hiring intentions are slightly better than they were in the first quarter of the year, and significantly stronger than they were at this time last year, as 17% of employers surveyed plan to add staff, while 9% plan to decrease staff levels.  No change in staffing is anticipated by 72%, and 2% of employers are unsure what direction their hiring activity will take.  In addition to the 2% increase in the net percentage over 1st Quarter, I also find it interesting that the overall percentage of employers who don’t know what they’re going to do seems to be decreasing.  Perhaps that’s at least indicative of a greater level of confidence in forecasting by hiring managers.

For the upcoming quarter, job prospects appear best in Durable Goods Manufacturing, Nondurable Goods Manufacturing, Transportation & Utilities, Information, Financial Activities, Professional & Business Services and Leisure & Hospitality.

Employers in Wholesale & Retail Trade, Education & Health Services and Government plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in Construction and Other Services is expected to remain unchanged.
Of the 18,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 16% expect to increase their staff levels during the second quarter, while 8% expect to reduce their payrolls. Seventy-three percent expect no change in hiring, and 3% are undecided about their Quarter 2 2010 hiring plans.  To see the full U.S. report – click here…
The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on June 8, 2010 to report hiring expectations for Quarter 3 2010.

Summary of Results for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA MSA
Increase
Staff Levels
Decrease
Staff Levels
Maintain
Staff Levels
Don’t Know
Net
Employment
Outlook
Q2 2010
(current)
17% 9% 72% 2% 8%
Q1 2010
(previous quarter)
13% 7% 75% 5% 6%
Q2 2009
(one year ago)
16% 15% 66% 3% 1%
*The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring
activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.

Survey Says… Jan-March 2010

Manpower’s quarterly Employment Outlook Survey polls over 28,000 employers nationwide in order to determine their hiring intentions for the upcoming 3-month period.  As with the data  derived from any survey, most of us fall somewhere towards the middle, but there are always the extremes…

Here then, are the strongest and weakest areas (by Metropolitan Statistical Area) when it comes to hiring.

Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

Note: The Net Employment Outlook number is the difference between those employers planning on adding staff, and those planning on decreasing staff.

The entire survey can be found at www.manpower.com.

November U.S. Unemployment

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment rates were higher in November than a year earlier in all 372 metropolitan areas. Seventeen areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 13 areas registered rates below 5.0 percent. The national unemployment rate in November was 9.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, up from 6.5 percent a year earlier.

Closer to home, Iowa’s unemployment reached 6.4 percent in November, up from 6.1 percent in October and 4.1 percent in November, 2008.  In the Des Moines-West Des Moines MSA, roughly 19,800 or 6.2 percent of the workforce was out of work.

Click here for full press release

Click image to enlarge

No room to complain…

After being generally cold and miserable for the last couple of days, conditions to which I am not normally accustomed, I had to see how we stack up against the rest of the frigid world…

According to TheTravelAlmanac.com, these are the 10 coldest locales on earth:

1. Vostok, Antartica -89.2 °C -138.6 °F
2. Plateau Station, Antartica -84.0 -129.2
3. Oymyakon, Russia -71.1 -96.0
4. Verkhoyansk, Russia -67.7 -90.0
5. Northice, Greenland -66.0 -87.0
6. Eismitte, Greenland -64.9 -85.0
7. Snag, Yukon, Canada -63.0 -81.4
8. Prospect Creek, Alaska, USA -62.1 -79.8
9. Fort Selkirk, Yukon, Canada -58.9 -74.0
10. Rogers Pass, Montana, USA -56.5 -69.7

I don’t feel quite so bad about our forecast now…

Stay warm!

What’s your engagement resolution?

Now that 2009 is in the history books, it’s time to turn our attention towards the prosperity we all hope the new year will bring.  Traditionally, this is a time that we confidently look forward and make resolutions designed to better our health, relationships and lives in general.  Maybe you’ll give up the smokes, or drop those extra pounds that have been hanging around for entirely too long.   I wish you the best!

When it comes to your workplace, your resolutions will take the same level of diligence if you intend to succeed.  Chances are, you’ve already been forced to trim down and are as lean as you can be.  The new battle will be maintaining the staff you’ve fought hard to preserve, and keeping them engaged (or re-engaged) as the job market improves and their alternatives increase. 

According to BlessingWhite President and CEO, Christopher Rice, the following steps should be part of your resolution for success:

1. Quit or commit. You need to decide if you are ready for another year leading your company. You have been bruised, so make sure you are ready for 2010. If feel like you are working at Dunder Mifflin, then you need to move along because you cannot lead unless you are fully engaged. Your employees deserve more than a leader who is half-in.

2. Communicate the vision. You need to create excitement and trust in your leadership. You should highlight the initiatives of 2010 and create faith that your company is on the right path. Your employees now have a choice about where they work. The large majority want more than ‘just a job’. You had better inspire them to be part of your future.

3. Talk about careers again. The top reason employees leave a company is a perceived lack of career opportunities. Don’t be fooled into believing that your leaner organization can’t satisfy those cravings. You have more priority initiatives than employees, so there are plenty of opportunities for individuals to build skill sets, acquire valuable experience, or try something new! When you scratch the surface of what people mean by ‘career’ you often find it’s all about meaningful work and personal growth. Today’s careers are built not on promotions but on assignments.

4. Forget about performance reviews. You need to do ‘engagement reviews’. You already got rid of the people who needed their performance ‘fixed’. And when using the right definition, engagement actually covers off on performance: Fully engaged employees are at their peak — of maximum contribution and maximum satisfaction. When you focus on engagement, results — and retention — follow. Engagement reviews are vastly different in tone from appraisals. There is a lot more dialogue, and the manager is more likely to end up with a rating than the employee. Engagement reviews explore:

    a) The strategy of the company
    b) The importance of the employee to the success of the team and the company
    c) What’s important to that employee (overall job satisfaction, meaning at work)
    d) The employee’s career aspirations and growth goals
    e) Focus and alignment of the employee’s talents and goals with critical organizational priorities
    f) Your own engagement and commitment (unless, of course, you aren’t sure of your answer to ‘commit or quit’ above!)

Your challenge: Your employees don’t wear labels that declare their engagement level on their foreheads. And you can’t assume that the chronic complainer is totally burnt out and disengaged or that the team member who never makes waves is fully satisfied and aligned. Engagement reviews enable you to exchange information to ensure that the employees you rely on are connected to your organization’s larger purpose, getting what they’re looking for at work and applying their unique expertise to carve out a successful future in 2010.  See full story…

Now’s the time to start making sure that your organization is as fit as it can be for the year(s) to come.  The journey to success isn’t a sprint, it’s more of a triathlon.  With the proper training and execution, almost anyone can get there.  Me, I’m going to start by working up to ten sit-ups!

Happy New Year!

On behalf of Manpower Central Iowa we would like to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!

Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”

William Arthur Ward

happy-new-year

Merry Christmas!

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University Study: Working Temp Pays Off

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.

Manpower Wins Pink Magazine Award – Again (2009)

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.

Perfecting the Art of Employee Feedback

business_record

Below is from an article I recently wrote for the Des Moines Business Record about the importance and methods of employee feedback. This is a crucial topic especially during these times when companies are having to survive with less employees. Perfecting the art of feedback is what will keep those stretched employees engaged, motivated and productive.

Article:

Feedback is an interesting topic for a variety of reasons. I believe feedback is incredibly important when it comes to shaping your staff into your A team.

I love what former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry once said: “A coach makes people do what they don’t want to do to become what they want to be.” Though I am not a fan of the Cowboys, I have always been a fan of Tom Landry, and that quotation contains some of the best simple wisdom ever dispensed.

In most companies, I have noticed there is a philosophy along the lines of “feedback is a gift,” which is usually said right before they criticize you. Or they may say, “I have some constructive criticism I would like to share with you.” Who’s kidding whom? Criticism is still criticism.

Click here to continue reading.

Visual: Growing Industries – What’s Hot? What’s Not?

As usual my friends over at Indeed.com have some great information to help you pinpoint your job search. Below is the graph for May 2009 and while everything is at a minus the best bets for opportunities are probably not a surprise. Education and Healthcare are leading the pack - nonetheless the overall amount of postings for jobs out there is encouraging (1,873,158).

If you are not familiar with Indeed.com I would encourage you to add it to your repertoire of job sites. I would also be remiss if I did not mention our own job board at manpowerjobs.com which will put you in touch with the latest and greatest job openings from Manpower.

Indeed Major Industries Graph May 2009

Corporate Casual is the Latest Casualty

business_record

I recently wrote an article for the Des Moines Business Record dealing with what is appearing to be the demise of Corporate Casual (to some degree). In these times of stress and economic hardship it is interesting how it is affecting what people wear to work.

To your possible dismay I do make my case for why the demise or at least shake-up of Corporate Casual is definitely a good thing. While personally I am for Casual work environments I think when you see my reasoning you will join me in my opinion.

Click here to read the article.

Manpower Chief looks to Virtual Growth

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.

Top 10 Hardest to Fill Jobs – 2009

top-ten-gold

We just released our Manpower Top 10 hardest positions to fill study (yes even in these tough recessionary times it is still difficult to fill some positions -crazy I know). Below are the results for America.

The top 10 jobs that employers are having difficulty filling across America are:

1.Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance
2.Production Operators
3. Accounting & Finance Staff
4. Laborers
5. Engineers
6. Sales Representatives
7. Management/Executives
8. Sales Managers
9. Skilled Trades
10.Secretaries, PAs, Administration Assistants & Office Support

Vacancies for technicians are the most difficult to fill for the second year in succession. After not appearing among the top 10 hard-to-fill positions in the 2008 survey, employers are identifying Accounting & Finance positions as the third most difficult to fill.

Click here to see the Global Study including America in a pdf format.

Developing the Manager Within

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Below is an article that I wrote for the Des Moines Business Record on Talent Management. Specifically on how to manage and help your up-and-comers.

Article:

There is one nice thing about working and living in America – OK, actually there are a few nice things. But one in particular is an individual’s ability to pursue his or her dream. With the right determination and skills, someone who starts in the mailroom could someday end up in the CEO’s office. Or someone who starts on the manufacturing floor a few years later ends up being the production manager running the floor.

There are tons of examples of how this plays out daily in America’s work force. The only requirements to participate are to have a dream, a solid work ethic and the right attitude. Although, with these scenarios there is a problem that might not be evident at first but eventually becomes more apparent.

The problem is twofold. First, companies believe that because someone is great at one thing, he or she will be great at another. For example, some companies believe that if someone is great at sales, he or she should be the sales manager. That is terrible thinking, because it assumes that the person would be a great manager of people. In the case of sales, if people are great at selling, let them sell and leave them where they are.

To continue reading click here.

Webinar Alert: How IT Professionals Use Social Media in the Workplace

Social media is a growing hot topic. It has become a resource that touches all types of organizations and industries. It has changed the way we do business and the way professionals utilize the Internet to get their jobs done – with increased productivity and efficiency. Now is your chance to learn from an expert who has been, and continues to be, on the cutting edge of social media.
During this webinar, you will learn:
  • What IT professionals consider to be the most popular social media resources
  • How executives & IT professionals use online communities, including real-life examples
  • How an online community of over 1.4 million members capitalizes on social media to meet their day-to-day demands
  • How to leverage social media during a downturn economy – from managing projects, to key initiatives and your workforce
About our presenter:
George Krautzel, co-founder and president of Toolbox for IT provides guidance and leadership for this innovative online IT community of over 1.4 million global members. He oversees daily operations, directing company-wide implementations, and ensuring long-term business growth. Under George’s leadership, Toolbox for IT has continually advanced its network services to meet the needs of its expanding user base and its impressive list of partners.
Prior to his experience with Toolbox for IT, George held various roles at Accenture and co-founded an IT consulting company. He received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Villanova University.
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Reignite Your Career Hopes

business_record

Below is an article that I wrote for the Des Moines Business Record dealing with employee motivation and satisfaction in tough times.

Article:

I have said and written many times that I love my job, my company and what I do for a living. As I travel and speak at conferences, I know I am not the only one. There are a lot of people in this state who are passionate and highly engaged in their jobs. That said, I know that an even larger number of people are not happy in their jobs and are barely engaged.

I am addressing today’s article to the unhappy. If you are reading this, more than likely you are in some type of leadership position within your company. You are probably scanning the publication for information that can help you in your job or can help your company gain some type of advantage. You saw my headline and were intrigued.

Click here to continue reading.