One employer in three expects to hire over the next quarter
According to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for Canada for Q3 2007, companies plan to continue hiring between this June and September. The survey of 1,700 Canadian employers revealed that 33% plan to increase their payrolls over the next three months, while only 5% anticipate reductions. Employers in the booming construction industry reported the best outlook out of the ten sectors surveyed. The net employment outlook of 31% was 14 points higher than what was announced at this time last year. Employers in mining, education, wholesale and retail trade, and finance, insurance and real estate were also very optimistic. Western Canada and the Atlantic provinces had the most positive employment outlooks, bolstered by the performance of the construction sector. Quebec and Ontario also expected healthy hiring climates.
The success of .job
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), company recruiting sites ending in .job attract more candidates. They have a better performance than generic .com sites with only one recruiting section. The main reasons proposed are the better visibility and browsing specially designed for job hunting. 69% of HR managers polled by SHRM considered that it was quite difficult to attract high-level candidates with a .com site, 39% found that resources were too limited and 30% believed that this type of site was not visible enough. Another objective of the survey was to look at methods for seeking out passive candidates; it was shown that recruiters use association or alumni directories, then social networking sites and finally, forums, blogs and niche discussion groups.
Stay-at-home dads: is this what men want?
A survey conducted on Monster.com in June with more than 1,000 users showed that 68% of fathers would consider becoming a stay-at-home parent if money were no object! Fathers are seeking a better work-family balance, with more than half of respondents feeling that their employer should be more considerate of the needs of working dads. The survey also showed that men were increasingly likely to take paternity leaves when they were given the opportunity to do so: 71% of fathers with a child under 5 took paternity leave when it was offered, compared with just 48% of fathers with a school-aged child. The company benefits most appreciated by fathers included a flexible work schedule (53%), telecommuting (24%), on-site daycares (12%) and paid paternity leaves (10%). Such benefits are significant factors in attracting talent and building employee loyalty. As proof, 82% of fathers said that when job hunting, they viewed companies that offered flex time to balance family life and work more positively.
Launch of Taleo Enterprise Edition 7.5
Taleo, the leading Quebec-founded talent management software provider, has just announced the launch of the new version of its talent management solution for large companies: Taleo Enterprise Edition 7.5. A major new feature is the inclusion of Web 2.0 technologies. Taleo 7.5 offers a new-generation candidate portal making filing applications easier and encouraging referrals. Taleo has also created two new interactive modules, Taleo Voice Response and Taleo Scheduling Center, which allow candidates to apply and schedule their interviews online. Recruiters will have access to more advanced profile and skills analysis tools featuring better screening, selection and onboarding functionalities. Finally, international deployment of the solution has been facilitated with the automatic configuration of career sections based on the regulations in effect in each country.
Vurv announces record results for Q1
On June 20, 2007, Vurv Technology, the global provider of technology and services for human resources management, announced record results for its fiscal first quarter. The company’s recurring revenues increased 70% over the same period a year ago. Vurv signed 17 new enterprise customers during this period, including SuperValu, Georgia-Pacific LLC, Charter Communications Operating, LLC, Aeropostale, the International Monetary Fund, Sonoco Products Company, Epicor Software Corporation, and Oriental Trading Company, Inc. Vurv also realized record-setting revenue from its Vurv Express dedicated product line for small and medium businesses (SMBs). The Florida-based company continued to grow its business abroad, with 16% of revenues generated from its European and Asia/Pacific offices. The total number of users is more than 2.5 million worldwide, including more than 553,000 outside North America.