A recent study revealed that in a down economy many employers shift their recruiting efforts to attract and retain less experienced professionals that will be highly productive and cost-effective for their business. For Q1 2009, the top three industries reported an increase in demand for candidates with less than five years of experience. The following highlights the top three industries in Q1 2009:

• Healthcare and Medical - There was a 15.2% increase in the number of Healthcare professionals searching for a job. The majority of job seekers had 1- 3 years experience while most healthcare jobs required less than one year of experience.
• Information Technology - There was a 54.5% increase in the number of IT professionals searching for a job. The majority of job seekers had 5-10 yrs. experience but candidates with 3-5 yrs. experience were in highest demand.
• Sales & Sales Management - There was a 23.8% increase in the number of Sales professionals searching for a job. Most had more than 21 yrs. experience while candidates with less than one year of experience were most in demand representing nearly 66% of all Sales jobs posted.

A new survey revealed that one in ten workers claim to have taken on a second job in the last year to help make ends meet. Some of the most unconventional ways workers have earned extra dollars included the following:

• Used a portable propane heater to heat oil, and sold catfish dinners on his front porch
• Made Star Wars costumes for people
• Donated blood plasma
• Researched stories for gossip columnist
• Won money on a game show

Because we want to best serve our readers, we feature a segment of our Newsletter where you can submit questions directly to our OperationsInc professionals. Do you have a question related to the management of the Human Resources function? Email it along to enewsletter@operationsinc.com. The best ones will make it into a future newsletter, along with the answer... and those that don't get published will still receive a response.

This week's question:
"What concerns should we have when planning a company-sponsored event?"

--- Office Manager, Financial Services

Answer:
The biggest concerns a company faces is how the social atmosphere impacts how people behave and interact. This can easily be complicated by the introduction of alcohol. That being said a major concern should be liability, with close attention paid to ensure employees who have been provided alcohol by the company are not allowed to drive if they are at all impaired. Other factors include how casual bordering on unprofessional you allow people to act. In short a plan-full process that considers all possible outcomes is key in these cases.

"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

- Theodore Roosevelt

Information provided in The OperationsInc Navigator is researched and reviewed by the HR experts at OperationsInc. The information in every issue of The OperationsInc Navigator is in part gathered via information available in the public domain, as well as in part the original, copyrighted work of OperationsInc and is protected under U.S. copyright laws. As such, you may not reprint or publish in any format any article or portion of article The OperationsInc Navigator without the express permission of OperationsInc.

OperationsInc provides the information in this e- newsletter for general guidance only. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional human resources, legal, or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation.

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