In case you missed it, here’s what happened on We Know Next this week.
SHRM's latest research series examines how the economic recession is impacting employers in the U.S., and looks specifically at topics such as recruiting and skill gaps, organizational financial health and hiring, and global competition and hiring strategies. In addition to providing overall results for U.S. organizations, we have created industry-level reports for each of the eight sectors included in the sample. The poll was conducted August 18-September 2, 2011, and the sample included 2,286 HR professionals from eight different industries in SHRM’s membership.
- 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%).
- 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%).
- 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.
With little fanfare, the one-year-old Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has become the chief enforcer of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and has issued revised FCRA forms employers and consumer reporting agencies must start using no later than Jan. 1, 2013.
For the first time in the 12 years the Law and the Boardroom Study has been conducted, the risk surrounding cybersecurity was chosen by the largest percentage of responding directors and general counsel as the top issue of concern. The annual survey by Corporate Board Member, an information and education resource for senior officers and directors, and FTI Consulting Inc., a global business advisory firm, found that 55 percent of general counsel and 48 percent of directors listed data security as their primary concern, outpacing operational risk and company reputation.
We Know Next is the leading resource for business executives, policymakers and human resource leaders to explore and discuss the latest workforce and workplace trends—providing the in-depth research and insights needed to adapt and take advantage of what’s next.