US Factory Orders Up
US Factory Orders up 1.9 Percent in April, Best in 6 Months
Orders to U.S. factories increased by the largest amount in six months but much of the strength came from a rise in demand for commercial aircraft.
A key category that tracks business investment plans fell.
Factory orders increased 1.9 percent in April, the biggest gain since a 2.4 percent rise in October, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Orders had been up 1.7 percent in March after having fallen in February.
Demand in a category that serves as a proxy for business investment spending declined 0.6 percent after a small 0.3 percent increase in March and a 2.1 percent February decline.
Manufacturing has been hurt in the past year by a big plunge in investment spending in the oil industry and weakness in exports, which reflect a global slowdown and the strong dollar.
Orders for durable goods such as autos and appliances increased 3.4 percent, unchanged from a preliminary report, while demand for nondurable goods such as chemicals and paper, increased 0.4 percent after a 1.4 percent rise in March.
The increase was led by a 65.3 percent surge in orders for commercial aircraft, a volatile category from month to month, which was rebounding after two months of declines.
Orders for machinery fell 1.9 percent, led by an 86.1 percent plunge in demand for mining and oil field equipment. This sector has been hurt by the cutbacks in exploration and drilling that have come after the big plunge in energy prices.
Demand for computers rose 3.5 percent while orders for furniture dropped 2.2 percent in April.
The Overtime Rule
The Overtime Rule
In 2014, President Obama directed the Secretary of Labor to update the overtime regulations to reflect the original intent of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and to simplify and modernize the rules so they’re easier for workers and businesses to understand and apply. The department has issued a final rule that will put more money in the pockets of middle class workers – or give them more free time.
The final rule will:
- Raise the salary threshold indicating eligibility from $455/week to $913 ($47,476 per year), ensuring protections to 4.2 million workers.
- Automatically update the salary threshold every three years, based on wage growth over time, increasing predictability.
- Strengthen overtime protections for salaried workers already entitled to overtime.
- Provide greater clarity for workers and employers.
The final rule will become effective on December 1, 2016, giving employers more than six months to prepare. The final rule does not make any changes to the duties test for executive, administrative and professional employees.
Overtime updates will extend protections to 4.2 million workers across the country.
We are attending SC Manufacturing Conference & Expo!
Gallman Consulting is attending SC Manufacturing Conference & Expo! Are you?
APRIL 20-21, 2016
TD Convention Center // Greenville, SC // Exhibit Halls 1 & 2
The inaugural 2015 SC Manufacturing Conference and Expo turned out to be South Carolina’s most significant manufacturing event in recent memory. The event included: The Salute to Manufacturing Awards Luncheon, six keynote speakers (including Gov. Nikki Haley), 33 other speakers from across the United States, eight panel discussions, an exposition for manufacturing suppliers, a community job fair, a career fair for high school students, workshops, manufacturing tours and much more.
More than 3,500 people attended! WERE YOU ONE OF THEM?
If not, be sure to register for the 2016 Conference, which is quickly shaping up to be even bigger and better. Join manufacturing professionals from across the Southeastern U.S. to discuss the latest manufacturing trends and topics, share their vision, become inspired and immerse yourself in manufacturing culture. Over the coming months, this website will be updated frequently to reflect new speakers and new topics.
Please come visit Gallman Consulting at the 2016 South Carolina Manufacturing Conference & Expo!
Companies adapt to recruit, retain millennials
Companies adapt to recruit, retain millennials
Millennials were the first generation to have smartphones available before adulthood. Text messaging is often their preferred form of communication, and social media was part of many millennials’ high school experience. (Photo/Blue Acorn)
By Liz Segrist
lsegrist@scbiznews.com
Published March 24, 2016
From the March 21, 2016, print edition
Search online for “millennials in the workplace” and more than 500,000 results will surface on Google, including “how to train for and manage millennials,” “millennial characteristics” and “how to not irritate the hell out of millennials.”
Millennials are one of the fastest-growing generations in the workforce, and companies are looking for ways to recruit and retain them, according to Charleston-based recruiters and data from the Pew Research Center.
Millennials are defined by Pew as the generation born between 1981 and 1996, meaning adult millennials are now between 19 and 34 years old.
They were the first generation to have smartphones available before adulthood. Text messaging is often their preferred form of communication, and social media was part of many millennials’ high school experience.
Several human resources managers, CEOs and millennial-aged employees said millennials often seek flexible hours, the ability to leave for an appointment or gym class and a micromanagement-free environment.
They said millennials need to feel passionate about their work. They want to be challenged and valued for it. A strict environment can squelch a creative atmosphere, said Taylor Driesell, a millennial and talent acquisition specialist for Blue Acorn, a Charleston-based e-commerce tech firm.
Open floor space, pingpong tables and beer on tap help augment the office’s “cool factor,” but according to Jared Hellman, also a millennial and an optimization account manager at Blue Acorn, his generation desires a culture that truly supports work-life balance.
“I think at the highest level, what’s attractive to me is a place where I can be myself,” Hellman said. “I grew up watching both of my parents compartmentalize their lives so that they were one person at home and one person at the workplace. A lot of us are looking for a place where we don’t have to suppress our playful side at work. We want to be ourselves.”
Millennials in the workplace
When Peggy Frazier was recruiting employees to Apple, she worked a minimum of 60 hours a week, “and loved it.” Now, as vice president of global talent acquisition for Blackbaud, a Daniel Island-based tech firm focused on nonprofits, Frazier said she recruits millennials who want more balance between work and their life outside of it.
“My kids are millennials, and they grew up watching me work crazy hours, and they didn’t want to do that. … It’s a different view of what’s important,” Frazier said.
As the generation continues to become a larger part of the workforce, millennials are sometimes characterized as lazy or entitled. They also are seen as creative and efficient workers, as well as tech-savvy without training, said human resources professionals.
Keyana Cordano works with mostly millennial-aged students as the employee relations and career development director for the College of Charleston’s MBA program.
Cordano said the students often need to hone their verbal and written communication skills when applying for jobs, because “so many of them are used to texting and doing shorthand for everything.” Some of the millennials also need a push to take the initiative to pursue opportunities.
In her experience, nearly all job-seeking millennials want a mission-driven organization that aligns with their values, as well as the option for work-life balance and international travel.
“I don’t think these traits are a stereotype; I think it’s often their personalities. I can’t say it’s everybody, but I work with a very large group of millennials, and they all have similar traits and desires,” Cordano said.
Recruitment
Margaret Pilarski of the Charleston-based marketing firm SeaChange Consulting — and also a millennial — said good benefits, including a 401(k) and health insurance, and an interesting job description are important to her when she is looking for a job.
As the former senior editor of two Skirt publications, Pilarski was laid off when the magazine’s editorial department shut down. During her job search, she said she found mostly impersonal job descriptions that failed to explain the position or company culture well.
“I like a good fit for the place where I’m going to spend most of my waking hours, but so many job listings were dry and, frankly, sad. … I know I do my best work when I’m challenged and believe in what I get to do,” Pilarski said. “Those things aren’t usually apparent at first glance in a job post. … With fewer opportunities to ‘climb a career ladder’ at a place, I think we find value in day-to-day satisfaction rather than over years.”
Pilarski said she wants to see companies offer flexible scheduling. She said her generation is willing to work long hours, but not in a nine-to-five, desk-only environment when technology enables working remotely and after regular business hours.
“The 40 hours a week is just so old-fashioned now,” Pilarski said. “We are truly optimizing the rest of our lives. If I have something in the afternoon, like a doctor’s appointment, I do not want to have guilt for not being present at my desk at the moment.”
Cristy Jamison, a 27-year-old account manager with Touchpoint Communications, said a creative, collaborative office culture that fosters growth were crucial when she was job hunting.
“If leaders give them the ability to grow within the company — through title changes or perks, professional development opportunities, going to conferences or being part of different organizations in the community — that would help keep millennials longer,” Jamison said.
Retention
Tommye Priest, Blue Acorn’s human resources director, said the 130-employee tech firm has a mostly millennial workforce. She said having employees take anonymous surveys about the company and then implementing changes from the responses has been a good way for millennials to have their opinions heard.
“Our generation basically did what we were told,” Priest said of the baby boomers. “Millennials are very vocal; they know what they want and they are willing to fight for it. You have to be open to that.”
Priest said Blue Acorn has created training and mentorship programs to help millennials see a future for themselves within the company. She said learning different ways to reward millennials based on personalities helps instill a feeling of value.
“Turnover is painful. The question companies have to ask is: Do you want valuable employees to stay? These employees bring so much energy, and we need to help them want to stay here,” Priest said.
Five years ago, Virgil Virga said he did not understand the need to get buy-in from his employees on a project — he felt it was their job to do so. Virga, COO of Metronome, a Fairfax, Va.-based IT provider for the federal government with operations in Charleston, said he struggled to retain millennial-aged workers.
Virga said he has since realized millennials typically need to see the passion and reasoning behind why something needs to be done. They have a strong sense “to get their hands on a lot of projects” and “wear a lot of hats.”
“Millennials are not going to tolerate an iron fist. They will be gone, out the door. This forced me to become a much more thoughtful, caring leader. I’m the first one to show emotion, which gives everyone the freedom to do that,” Virga said. “We’re investing in this because nobody wants to lose good, institutional knowledge. It’s all about retention. You want to keep what you have.”
So Virga started baking that concept into his company’s culture. He hired a consultant and implemented a leadership program to help millennials scale and learn new skills. It also was meant to help them work better with employees from different generations, who often have different perspectives and experiences to pull from.
“In my last company years ago, it was like pulling teeth to have people wanting to do things,” Virga said. “Now we have people jumping in who understand the purpose behind why we want to do something, and people are excited for it. To me, that’s invaluable to know that people want to be involved.”
Frazier of Blackbaud said companies should focus on ensuring employees from different generations can work together, but she added that it is also important to understand what’s important to each generation to effectively recruit them.
Millennials often seek a coaching style of leadership from their managers, which spurred Blackbaud to eliminate annual performance reviews.
To keep millennials longer than the average of two to three years — her goal is at least seven years — Frazier said they need the company to invest in them, need to have opportunities to lead and grow within their roles and need to feel they have a voice within the company.
Millennials want a job that helps them make a difference, and one that has “a meaning bigger than themselves,” said Frazier, also the council co-chair for the Charleston Open Source talent attraction campaign.
“It’s all about understanding how to leverage all these different strengths, based on experiences and backgrounds, to create something special,” Frazier said. “The companies that are going to be successful in recruiting are the ones that figure this out.”
Reach staff writer Liz Segrist at 843-849-3119 or @lizsegrist on Twitter.
Laurens County Job Fair TODAY!
GPS is participating in the Laurens County Job Fair TODAY!
Stop by our booth and visit with Debbie St. Mark (GPS Client Relations) today from 9am-2pm:
The Center for Advanced Manufacturing
109 Innovation Drive
Laurens, SC
This job fair is hosted by Piedmont Technical College and Laurens County Development Corporation.
Debbie St. Mark
American Businesses Struggling to Hire STEM Talent
National Survey: American Businesses Struggling to Hire STEM Talent Due to Increasing Scarcity, Higher Costs and Government Fees
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American Competitiveness Alliance (ACAlliance), a coalition of organizations dedicated to advancing common-sense immigration policies, today released a national survey highlighting the increasing challenges businesses face when recruiting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and IT professionals, including scarcity of talent, climbing administrative and regulatory costs, and constricting wage pressures.
As a result of this scarcity, wages have steadily increased for high-paying, in-demand positions in STEM fields, with three in four executives reporting higher salaries for their STEM workers than in the previous five years. Further, many of these jobs go unfilled for weeks or even months due to the limited pool of qualified candidates and increasing costs associated with recruitment and retention of skilled employees. Subsequent economic pressures decrease productivity and limit expansion, negatively impacting the marketplace and hampering job growth.
The survey – conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group – analyzed responses from 400 hiring managers and executives from companies nationwide and found that:
- 8 in 10 executives report their company is investing more in STEM recruiting as a result of IT hiring challenges;
- 82 percent of business professionals report hiring a skilled foreign worker costs as much or more than hiring a U.S. worker;
- 3 in 4 professionals say the costs associated with sponsoring and complying with the H-1B visa program are already too high for most American companies.
The recent doubling of H-1B visa fees for some employers is particularly troubling in light of these data. In December 2015, the U.S. Congress included a provision in the omnibus spending bill which increased the visa processing fee from $2,000 to $4,000 per application. Businesses without the resources to pay this and other increasing costs – typically, smaller, local businesses already struggling to compete against their larger rivals – will be hardest hit. Large businesses, meanwhile, may relocate operations outside the U.S., where a large base of skilled talent is readily available to ensure they remain globally competitive.
“These data make clear that we need a multi-faceted approach to tackling America’s SKILLS gap,” said Matthew Slaughter, Dean of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and Academic Advisor for the American Competitiveness Alliance. “While a robust investment in STEM education will help our economy in the long-run, we clearly need policies from Washington that support growth, not slow it.
A 2013 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce report found that the U.S. is already on track to face a shortage of five million workers by the end of this decade, with nearly 80 percent of those positions requiring various levels of advanced education.
Additional details on the survey, the first of two to be released this year, can be found on the ACAlliance website at www.acalliance.org.
About the ACAlliance
The American Competitiveness Alliance (ACAlliance) is a coalition of organizations dedicated to advancing modern immigration policies that ensure America’s global competitiveness through attracting and keeping talent here in the United States.
The ACAlliance is led by co-chairs former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. The ACAlliance works to educate and inform stakeholders of the positive impact immigration reform can have on our economy, while cautioning against proposals that would do our economy harm. Visit us online at www.acalliance.org or follow us on Twitter: @AC_Alliance
CONTACT: Elysa Montfort, 410-916-1369, elysa@acalliance.org
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150331/195596LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-survey-american-businesses-struggling-to-hire-stem-talent-due-to-increasing-scarcity-higher-costs-and-government-fees-300226285.html
SOURCE American Competitiveness Alliance (ACAlliance)
RELATED LINKS
http://www.acalliance.org
Interview No-Nos
Interview No-Nos: Screaming, Stealing, Lying—and Bringing Your Pet Bird
HR and hiring managers share stories of weirdest interview moments
By Dana Wilkie 1/14/2016
SHRM
Your job candidate sits down, takes a family photo off your desk and deposits it into her purse. Another one slips off her shoe, pulls out some Johnson’s baby lotion and proceeds to slather it on her foot.
Seriously?
Yes, seriously. Those are real stories from HR and hiring managers who replied to a CareerBuilder survey on the worst interview flubs they’ve ever witnessed.
The nationwide survey, the results of which were released Jan. 14, was conducted online by Harris Poll from Nov. 4 to Dec. 1, 2015, and canvassed more than 2,500 hiring and HR managers. CareerBuilder specializes in HR software.
In addition to sharing stories about strange job interviews, the respondents answered questions about interview behaviors that annoyed or angered them. Lying, answering a cellphone during the interview, appearing arrogant, dressing inappropriately and swearing were among hiring managers’ top 5 deal breakers. Half of respondents said they knew within the first five minutes of an interview if a candidate was a good fit for the position. The survey results have a sampling error of +/- 1.92 percentage points.
“Preparing for an interview takes a lot more than Googling answers to common interview questions,” said Rosemary Haefner, chief HR officer for CareerBuilder. “Candidates have to make a great first impression appearance-wise, have a solid understanding of the target company, know exactly how to convey that they’re the perfect fit for the job and control their body language.”
Strange Interview Behavior
The survey asked HR and hiring managers to share the biggest mistakes job candidates have made or the most unusual things candidates have done during an interview. According to the interviewers, candidates have:
• Taken a family photo off the interviewer’s desk and put it into her purse.
• Started screaming that the interview was taking too long.
• Said her main job was being a psychic/medium and tried to read the interviewer’s palm, despite the interviewer’s attempts to decline the offer.
• Said “painter of birdhouses” when asked what his/her ideal job was. (The company was hiring for a data entry clerk.)
• Sung her responses to questions.
• Put lotion on her feet during the interview.
• Replied “My wife wants me to get a job” when asked why he was applying for the position.
• Started feeling the interviewer’s chest to find a heartbeat so the two of them could “connect heart to heart.”
• Had a pet bird in his/her shirt.
• Conducted a phone interview in the bathroom—and flushed.
• Spread confetti around during the interview.
• Said she didn’t want to leave her old job, but her boyfriend wanted her to work for the company so she could get discounts on products.
• Shared a story about finding a dead body.
• Said he wouldn’t be willing to wear slacks because they didn’t feel good.
Body Language Mistakes
When asked to share interview behaviors that they disliked, hiring managers named the following:
• Failing to make eye contact (cited by 67 percent of respondents).
• Failing to smile (39 percent).
• Playing with something on the table (33 percent).
• Having bad posture (30 percent).
• Fidgeting too much in their seats (30 percent).
• Crossing their arms over their chests (29 percent).
• Playing with their hair or touching their faces (27 percent).
• Having a weak handshake (21 percent).
• Using too many hand gestures (11 percent).
• Having a handshake that was too strong (7 percent).
Dana Wilkie is an online editor/manager for SHRM. – See more at: http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/employeerelations/articles/pages/interview-mistakes.aspx#sthash.OLPmqPHz.dpuf
Core inflation posts largest gain in 4-1/2 years
Core inflation posts largest gain in 4-1/2 years
Friday, 19 Feb 2016 | 8:30 AM ET
Reuters
Rising rents and medical costs lifted underlying U.S. inflation in January by the most in nearly 4-1/2 years, signs of an uptick in price pressures that could allow the Federal Reserve to gradually raise interest rates this year.
The Labor Department said on Friday its Consumer Price Index, excluding the volatile food and energy components, increased 0.3 percent last month. That was the biggest gain since August 2011 and followed a 0.2 percent rise in December.
In the 12 months through January, the core CPI advanced 2.2 percent, the largest rise since June 2012. The CPI had increased 2.1 percent in December. The Fed has a 2 percent inflation target and monitors a price measure that is running well below the core CPI.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core CPI up 0.2 percent last month and increasing 2.1 percent from a year ago.
Inflation is being watched for clues on whether the Fed would continue raising interest rates this year after the U.S. central bank lifted borrowing costs in December for the first time in nearly a decade.
Tighter financial market conditions in the wake of a recent sharp stock market sell-off and slowing domestic and global growth have almost wiped out bets for a March rate increase.
Signs of a pick-up in underlying inflation are likely to be welcomed by Federal Reserve officials, but significant gains remain a challenge against the backdrop of very low inflation expectations by households.
Still, the firming in the core CPI, together with a strengthening labor market suggest rate hikes for the rest of the year remain on the table.
The overall CPI was unchanged last month after slipping 0.1 percent in December. The CPI increased 1.4 percent in the 12 months through January, the biggest rise since October 2014, after gaining 0.7 percent in December.
The year-over-year inflation rate is rising as the oil price-driven weak readings in 2015 wash out of the calculation.
The government on Wednesday published revisions to the inflation data going back five years. Those revisions showed both the monthly CPI and core CPI readings a bit firmer in the last months of 2015 than previously reported.
Last month, the rental index increased 0.3 percent after a similar gain in December. Medical care costs rose 0.5 percent, with prices for prescription drugs also increasing 0.5 percent. The cost of doctor visits edged up 0.1 percent after falling 0.2 percent in December. Hospital costs increased 0.4 percent.
Apparel prices rose 0.6 percent after falling for four straight months. The increase in apparel is surprising as retailers have been offering deep discounts to sell unwanted inventory. Prices for new motor vehicles advanced 0.3 percent.
Gasoline prices fell 4.8 percent, while food prices were unchanged.
EEOC Releases Fiscal Year 2015 Enforcement and Litigation Data
PRESS RELEASE
2-11-16
EEOC Releases Fiscal Year 2015 Enforcement and Litigation Data
Retaliation, Race Discrimination and Harassment Persist; Disability Charges Increase
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today released detailed breakdowns of the 89,385 charges of workplace discrimination that the agency received in fiscal year 2015. Retaliation charges increased by nearly 5 percent and continue to be the leading concern raised by workers across the country. Disability charges increased by 6 percent from last year and are the third largest category of charges filed.
EEOC resolved 92,641 charges in fiscal year 2015, and secured more than $525 million for victims of discrimination in private sector and state and local government workplaces through voluntary resolutions and litigation. Learn more about our 2015 agency accomplishments.
“Over the past year, EEOC removed barriers to hire and obtained relief for thousands of people facing retaliation, unfair pay, harassment, and other forms of discrimination,” said EEOC Chair Jenny Yang. “At the same time, we demonstrated our strong commitment to working with employers to voluntarily resolve charges of discrimination by achieving the highest mediation and conciliation success rates in our history.”
The year-end data shows that retaliation again was the most frequently filed charge of discrimination, with 39,757 charges, making up 45 percent of all private sector charges filed with EEOC. The agency is currently seeking public input on its proposed update of enforcement guidance addressing retaliation and related issues as part of its commitment to inform the public about the Commission’s interpretation of the law and promote voluntary compliance. Preserving access to the legal system, which includes retaliatory actions, is a national priority for EEOC.
The charge numbers show the following breakdowns by bases alleged:
- Retaliation: 39,757 (44.5% of all charges filed)
- Race: 31,027 (34.7%)
- Disability: 26,968 (30.2%)
- Sex: 26,396 (29.5%)
- Age: 20,144 (22.5%)
- National Origin: 9,438 (10.6%)
- Religion: 3,502 (3.9%)
- Color: 2,833 (3.2%)
- Equal Pay Act: 973 (1.1%)
- Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act: 257 (0.3%)
These percentages add up to more than 100 because some charges allege multiple bases.
Charges raising harassment allegations-which span industries and affect our nation’s most vulnerable workers-made up nearly 28,000 charges, or 31 percent. Preventing harassment through systemic enforcement and targeted outreach is also a national priority for EEOC. Employees claimed harassment in charges based on race, age, disability, religion, national origin and sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity. To address this pressing issue, EEOC launched a Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace in March 2015. Co-chaired by Commissioners Chai R. Feldblum and Victoria A. Lipnic, the task force will examine the various forms of workplace harassment and identify and promote strategies to prevent it.
The agency filed 142 merits lawsuits last year, up from 133 the previous year. The majority of the lawsuits filed alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, followed by suits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This included 100 individual lawsuits and 42 lawsuits involving multiple victims of discriminatory policies, of which 16 were systemic. Legal staff resolved 155 lawsuits alleging discrimination.
The fiscal year ran from Oct. 1, 2014, to Sept. 30, 2015. EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability or genetic information. Further information about EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.