Deborah Rothberg

2007 will bring greater expectations of responsibility and self-financing of benefits for U.S. workers, according to a report issued Dec. 28 by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a Washington-based global consulting firm. Among the health care benefit trends predicted in the report is an increased focus on HDHPs (high-deductible health care plans) coupled with reimbursement arrangements such […]

Nearly 40 percent of job seekers feel that their age, and not the economy, has kept them from finding a new job, according to the results of a phone poll released Dec. 28 by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global outplacement consultancy in New York. An additional 6 percent of respondents said other forms of […]

Nearly one in 10 employers will hire more than of 500 new employees in 2007, according to a survey released by Chicago-based CareerBuilder.com on Dec. 26. While more than one-third (36 percent) of employers expect to add 10 employees or fewer in 2007, 29 percent intend to hire more than 50, and 20 percent plan […]

There will be more job growth in the manufacturing and service sectors in January 2007 than in January 2006, according to the findings of a collaborative report from the Alexandria, Va.-based Society for Human Resource Management and the Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations, released Dec. 26. Firms continue to face considerable difficulty […]

When the majority of people talk about work, its almost undoubtedly followed up with a complaint. From “Dilbert” comics to the movie “Office Space,” the grumblings are remarkably similar: too little pay, too many hours, no respect, bad chairs, mean bosses, stifled creativity, under-funded projects, lousy equipment and an assault of busy work. Hearing enough […]

For the week ending Dec. 16, first-time jobless claims grew by 9,000 compared to the week before, according to a Labor Department report released on Dec. 21. The number of newly laid off workers signing up for unemployment benefits was 315,000, up from 306,000 the week prior. Despite the high numbers, many feel that the […]

The new year may bring resignations aplenty, as more than 75 percent of employees are currently looking for new jobs, according to a poll released Dec. 19 by the Society for Human Resource Management and The Wall Street Journals CareerJournal.com. 2006 has already been a big year for losing workers. According to the HR professionals […]

IT temporary staffing firms saw 13.7 percent median revenue increase in the third quarter of 2006 over the same period last year, according to a report released on Dec. 13. The report, issued by contingent workforce analyst firm Staffing Industry Analysts, of Los Altos, Calif., showed that temporary demand for white collar professions grew the […]

After slipping in October for the first time in more than a year, IT employment made headway in November, according a report released Dec. 12 by the trade association representing IT staffing and solutions firms, the NACCB (National Association of Computer Consultant Business), headquartered in Alexandria, Va. IT employment grew by 5,300 workers in the […]

More Americans than ever are staying connected to the office while away this holiday season, but not all are complaining about it, according to a survey released Dec. 12 that was commissioned by Lexmark, a provider of printing and imaging products in Lexington, Ky. Surveyed “knowledge workers”—defined as individuals who use a computer at work […]