Recession
Posts Tagged Recession


Just after the nation endured one “superstorm,” it now faces another: the fiscal cliff.
Election 2012 is over. It could be weeks until you hear anyone “approve this message” again. That’s the good news.
The ominous news is that the fiscal cliff is dead ahead. Both the short- and long-term fates of the economy may be altered by what Congress does in the coming months.
“Fiscal cliff” was first coined by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. It refers to the combination of automatic tax increases and spending reductions that will occur on or around Jan. 2, 2013, if Congress does nothing.
For a variety of reasons, including limited budget, many U.S. companies have had to put some management development initiatives on hold during the past four years, according to a survey released Sept. 13, 2012, by AMA Enterprise, a division of American Management Association International. Forty-seven percent of respondents delayed at least one program, and 36 percent did so in several cases. Among the 17 percent of organizations that have thus far avoided delays, a majority conceded that there are planned initiatives that may yet be postponed.
In case you missed it, here’s what happened on We Know Next this week.
Just under three-quarters (73%) of manufacturing organizations reported mild to significant improvement in overall financial health in 2012 compared with 59% in 2011. About the same percentage in 2012 (75%) were currently hiring; however, two-thirds (67%) of these organizations were having difficulty recruiting for specific jobs. One of the strategies for dealing with this challenge is hiring U.S. veterans, which has increased from 44% in 2011 to 59% in 2012.
The majority (80%) of respondents from the high-tech industry were hiring full-time staff in the fall of 2011, an increase from 75% in 2010. Of the high-tech organizations that are currently hiring full-time staff, 71% reported having difficulty recruiting for specific open jobs. The five most difficult positions to fill for the high-tech industry are engineers (95%), high-skilled technical (e.g., technicians and programmers) (88%), sales representatives (79%), managers and executives (78%), and customer service representatives (47%).
A large majority (89%) of organizations in the health industry were hiring full-time staff, and of those 50% reported having difficulty recruiting for specific open jobs. The five most difficult positions to fill for the health industry are high-skilled medical (90%), high-skilled technical (e.g., technicians and programmers) (69%), managers and executives (69%), accounting and finance professionals (60%), and HR professionals (46%).
Is the U.S. job market finally starting to thaw, or is this déjà vu?
Remember 2011’s strong start? From February to April 2011, U.S. employers created an average of 239,000 jobs per month. Then from May to July 2011 that rate fell by two-thirds; only an average of approximately 78,000 jobs per month was added during that time frame, according to data tallied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The construction, mining, oil and gas industries appear to be stabilizing following the recession and have begun hiring again, according to continuing research conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). But skill deficiencies might be making it harder to re-staff, particularly for positions that traditionally have been hard to fill, SHRM’s polling results show.
The construction, mining, oil and gas industries appear to be stabilizing following the recession and have begun hiring again, according to continuing research conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). But skill deficiencies might be making it harder to re-staff, particularly for positions that traditionally have been hard to fill, SHRM’s polling results show.
The recession is taking its toll not only on businesses and unemployed Americans—it’s also affecting the employees still reporting to work, day in and day out. In fact, the stresses have grown so great that workers are starting crack under the pressure.
Employees are reporting thoughts of suicide, violence against co-workers and mental breakdowns at the highest rates seen in three years, according to Harris, Rothenberg International (HRI), a provider of employee assistance program (EAP) services.
According to the SHRM Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) Report for February 2012, although the pace of job creation at this time last year was higher, the hiring outlook for this February shows that far more companies are expected to hire than lay off.
President’s State of the Union Address Highlights Priorities for 2012
On Tuesday evening, Jan. 24, President Obama addressed Congress to lay out his priorities going into a contentious election year. Some of the issues he raised were taken right out of the HR policy playbook.
