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| Factors That Contribute to Job Satisfaction |
| RefreshLeadership.com – Feb. 10, 2015 |
In a recent poll by Refresh Leadership, the Express Employment Professionals blog for business leaders, readers were asked which factors most contribute to job satisfaction. And with 1,291 people responding, this is a significant matter for many in the professional world. According to the results, 26% of respondents said “engaging and meaningful work” is the number one factor that leads to overall work satisfaction. Coming in second, 19% of those who participated in the poll said “compensation” most contributed to job satisfaction. The rest of the results are as follows: “leadership” (14%), “job security” (13%), “benefits/perks” (11%), and “room for advancement” (9%). In a separate poll on Movin’ On Up, the Express job seeker blog for up-and-coming professionals, readers were asked the same question, and subsequently, the number one factor with 32% of votes was also “engaging and meaningful work,” followed by 29% saying “feeling valued” leads to job satisfaction.
| Markets With the Most Unfilled Jobs Caused by Skills Gap |
| PRWeb – Feb. 11, 2015 |
| Express Employment Professionals released a report revealing which markets have the most unfilled jobs. In many cases, these jobs remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified workers. Most of these jobs pay above minimum wage with a range of $11 to $30 per hour in fields such as manufacturing, accounting, medical services, administrative, sales, engineering and information technology. “Everyone knows there are millions of people looking for jobs, but what people don’t realize is that there are often many jobs looking for people,” said Bob Funk, CEO of Express, and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. “If you have the skills that are in demand, you may be able to leverage that into a higher-paying job. Likewise, if you’re looking to start a new chapter in your career, it may be time to consider acquiring some additional skills or moving to where the jobs are.” Express has openings for more than 49,700 jobs. That’s an increase from January 2014, when openings totaled 47,550. The following are the top five cities among Express locations in which jobs are looking for people in 2015: Bowling Green, KY, Stillwater, OK, Orlando, FL, Salem, OR, and Garland, TX. |
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| US Temp Jobs Fall, Temp Penetration Rate Drops Slightly |
| Staffing Industry – Feb. 6, 2015 |
| Temporary services jobs fell by 4,100, while the temporary penetration rate decreased slightly to 2.033% in January 2015 from a revised 2.039% rate in December 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The temporary penetration rate is calculated by dividing the total number of temporary services jobs by the amount of Americans currently employed. The U.S. added 178,400 temporary jobs in 2014, making the seasonally adjusted year-over-year growth the best in the past 12 months. Job growth in temporary services is usually a positive indicator of the current state of employment. |
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| Small Business Adds 20,000 Jobs, Hours Hit Record High |
| Staffing Industry – Feb. 2, 2015 |
Small businesses added 20,000 new jobs in January 2015, a 0.9% increase from December 2014, according to the Intuit Inc. small business and revenue indices. Since March 2010, small businesses have added 880,000 jobs. Hours worked were also up in January. According to the indices, small business hourly employees worked an average of 112 hours in January, a 30-minute increase from December. The average monthly pay for employees is also up from $2,828 in December to $2,841 in January. The Intuit Inc. indices are based on employment data of nearly 247,000 businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
| Consumer Confidence Highest Since 2007 |
| The Conference Board – Jan. 27, 2015 |
| After The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased to 92.6 in December 2014, it continued its trend and rose sharply in January 2015 to 102.9, the highest level since August 2007. The Present Situation Index also edged up from 99.9 in December to 112.6 in January, while the Expectations Index increased from 88.5 in December to 96.4 in January. According to Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board, the more favorable outlook of the current economic and labor market conditions helped boost consumer confidence. “Consumers also expressed a considerably higher degree of optimism regarding the short-term outlook for the economy and labor market, as well as their earnings,” Franco said. |
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| U.S. Retail Sales Continue to Fall in January |
| Wall Street Journal – Feb. 12, 2015 |
After experiencing a drop of 0.9% in December 2014, U.S. retail sales continued to fall in January 2015, decreasing by 0.8% to a seasonally adjusted $439.77 billion, according to the Commerce Department. The two-month slump is a sign that despite savings due to lower gasoline prices, the lower-than-expected consumer spending during the holiday season has continued into the new year. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected retail sales would decrease a more modest 0.5% in January over December. Excluding gasoline and auto sales, however, retail sales rose 0.2% in January. Compared to 2014, year-over-year sales rose 3.3% in January 2015. With consumer spending accounting for more than two-thirds of the U.S. economy, retail sales are a good indicator of current economic conditions.
| US Economic Confidence Index Highest in Seven Years |
| Gallup – Feb. 3, 2015 |
| The Gallup U.S. Economic Confidence Index officially rebounded in January from its all-time low of -65 in October 2008, marking the first month the index has averaged a positive score since its inception. Including the final two weeks of 2014 and through the month of January, the index has been positive for six weeks, finishing the first month of 2015 with a +3 score. The index is based on Americans’ outlook on the current U.S. economy and whether or not the economy is improving or declining. For instance, if the reading is -100, 100% of Americans believe the economy is bad, and a +100 means 100% think the economy is good. Since its initial installment, the index has recorded a negative reading until the end of 2014 when it first moved into positive territory. According to Gallup, in January, 27% of Americans said the economy is “excellent” or “good,” while only 26% said it was “poor.” |
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| Employment Situation Summary |
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| The U.S. economy added 257,000 jobs in January, as the unemployment rate was little changed at 5.7%. The Education and Health Services industry saw the largest growth in employment in January, adding 46,000 positions. Learn more from the recent employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and view the unemployment rate in your state. |
| Major Industry Employment: |
• Construction: + 39,000
• Manufacturing: + 22,000
• Retail Trade: + 45,900
• Professional & Business: + 39,000 |
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• Education & Health: + 46,000
• Information: + 6,000
• Transportation: – 8,600
• Government: – 10,000 |
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