Following the addition of 315,000 jobs in March (an upward revision), a smaller 175,000 jobs joined nonfarm payroll in April, according to the latest BLS jobs report. This falls below the 12-month average monthly gain of 242,000. Increasing by another 56,000 jobs in April, health care continues to lead job growth, followed by social assistance (+31,000), transportation and warehousing (+22,000), and retail trade (+20,000). Meanwhile, employment in temporary help services experienced another big loss over the month, decreasing by 16,000 jobs.  The unemployment rate inched up to 3.9% in Apr ..read more

Our top articles for April include research showing an increase in the percentage of new hires that were recruited, a look at findings from the most recent State of Staffing Report, and the important things to keep in mind when navigating mergers and acquisitions.  #1. A Formula for Staffing Agency IT Success: Part 2 This article from SmartSource is part 2 in a series that explores the relationship between staffing agencies and their IT providers, explaining what’s needed to achieve nationwide deployment and dedicated support. Nationwide deployment manifests in a rollout of solutions over ..read more

Hires, quits, and job openings all declined slightly in March according to the recently released BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover report. The number of job openings was 8.5 million, slightly less than February’s 8.8 million. Where job openings increased State and local education (+68,000) Information (+43,000) Wholesale trade (+38,000) Accommodation and food services (+34,000) Private educational services (+22,000) Where job openings decreased Construction (-182,000) Finance and insurance (-158,000) Retail trade (-64,000) Professional and business services (-41,000) Health care and socia ..read more

The future of nursing will depend on the right balance of technology and humanity, according to the latest Future of Nursing survey from Cross Country Healthcare and the Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. Data from more than 1,100 nursing professionals and students show that many have reservations about the integration of AI into their practice. While recognizing AI’s capacity to enhance efficiency, documentation, research, skill development, and patient monitoring, respondents are concerned about its perceived lack of empathy, job displacement risks, data secu ..read more

Only 32% of U.S. workers want a fully remote schedule, according to the latest American Staffing Association Workforce Monitor survey. Meanwhile, 39% prefer hybrid and 29% prefer a full return to office. Baby Boomers (37%) are most likely to prefer fully remote work, followed by Gen X (33%), Millennials (31%), and then Gen Z (26%). Workers with children (46%) are more likely to prefer a hybrid schedule than workers without children (35%). In any case, most (57%) employees would not be willing to trade monetary compensation for the opportunity to work remotely. In addition, 43% of workers said ..read more

Our biggest, most ambitious State of Staffing report is now live! The staffing industry’s been on a wild ride. After record growth in 2021, employers made cost-cutting hiring freezes in 2023, leading to a slowdown in revenue for staffing agencies. More than 40% of respondents in our latest survey reported that their business didn’t grow at all last year.  However, despite industry challenges, 35% of respondents managed to grow by 11% or more in 2023. Compared to agencies whose revenue contracted, these fast-growth agencies were more likely to lean on software and technology to automate th ..read more

Members of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) reported a strong first quarter, according to the April 2024 Business Conditions Survey. The Net Rising Index (NRI) profit margins, which is the percentage of panelists reporting rising profit margins minus the percentage reporting falling profit margins, rose to 24. This is the highest reading since the survey in October 2021.  The NRI for sales came in at 49, an increase from January’s index of 37. This is the highest reading since the April 2022 survey, which was taken when COVID-19 recovery was still happening.&nbs ..read more

By Jeremy Bilsky, Senior Director & General Manager, Advance Partners When thinking strategically about your next best move for your staffing business, do you want to grow the business, sell, or perhaps buy another firm? If growth is the mindset, should you buy or build? In the dynamic landscape of the staffing industry, Mergers and Acquisitions (“M&A”) transactions serve as strategic maneuvers to bolster market position, enhance capabilities, and capitalize on emerging opportunities. And 2024 is a great time to make deals. While overall M&A activity in 2023 was down in 2023 compar ..read more

Generative AI’s rapid rise is transforming the world of work, and it’s the subject of the latest edition of The State of Tech Talent report from General Assembly.  To find out how companies are keeping up with the demand for workers with AI skills, General Assembly conducted a survey of more than 1,000 HR leaders from around the world. Nearly all respondents (97%) reported incorporating AI into their operations or products, and the majority have even added AI skills requirements to non-technical positions (95%). But finding AI-savvy talent is no easy feat — 69% of HR professionals sa ..read more

In today’s episode, we delve into the fascinating journey of Tana Greene, the visionary behind MyWorkChoice, as she shares insights into revolutionizing the hourly workforce industry, empowering individuals, and crafting a culture of flexibility and choice. MyWorkChoice is a recruitment agency that provides a modern and human-centered approach to hiring and managing the hourly workforce. In our conversation, we unpack the high turnover rates and absenteeism in the light industrial staffing industry, how her company addressed these issues by giving workers more flexibility, and the benefits of ..read more