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Welcome from HR Strategy Group
Greetings!
Like the contents of any nicely stocked Easter basket, you must address the needs of the chocolate lovers, the peep eaters and the jelly beaners. With spring is right around the corner and we wanted to offer a little something for everyone this month - all focused on Compensation!
Our main article is from Inc. magazine and talks about the current "skills gap" in our marketplace today and how businesses would like to see that gap closed. Immigration reform is discussed but is not the only component to an answer.
In our Compensation Corner, we offer you a blog specific to federal contractors about how to move forward given the lack of guidance provided about how to comply with non-discrimination requirements and pay practices.
And in the past we have told you about the upcoming changes in the I-9 form and it is now here. See our Spot Check article for information about the new form, links to find it, and further details about the 60 grace period.
There's always so much information to pass on and interests vary from small business, to federal contractor, to new start-up. We hope to address your needs no matter your size, industry, years in business, etc. How can we help you? Give us a call and let's get started!
Best,
 Amy Polefrone, President HR Strategy Group, LLC
410-505-8723
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Small Business to Uncle Sam:
Here's the Help We Need
The so-called "skills gap" has turned hiring into an increasingly tough challenge. But according to a PayScale survey, businesses aren't interested in one of the biggest solutions on the table.
The talent war is officially on: In 2013, finding--and keeping--highly skilled employees will be one of the biggest challenges for businesses.
According to a new survey released Thursday by compensation research firm PayScale, 65 percent of surveyed companies report that "retaining top employees" is their No. 1 priority this year. And it's no wonder: 35 percent of businesses have had vacant positions open for six months or more because they can't find qualified hires.
PayScale's survey, which gathered data from more than 4,000 companies about their hiring and compensation plans for 2013, highlights the problem of the so-called "skills gap"-- the idea that businesses want and need to grow but can't because the American workforce lacks the necessary skills to fill the jobs The fact that businesses are feeling that gap more acutely isn't exactly new. But what is surprising in the PayScale findings is how companies think the country should close the gap: They want government help but they say immigration reform isn't the answer.
Though the unemployment rate rose to 7.9% in January of this year, at least 23% of small businesses have had positions vacant for more than six months, according to PayScale's survey. That goes double for larger companies. The problem, they report, is a dearth of candidates with specialized skills.
"Industries related to STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] fields are hardest hit by the skills gap," says Katie Bardaro, lead economist at PayScale. "Workers [in those fields] are in higher demand, but fewer and fewer of those enter the labor market jobless." The qualified candidates get snatched up early, she says, and demand far exceeds supply.
To read more, click here. |
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Spot Check
Time to Start Using New Form I-9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced March 7, 2013, that the official revised Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 will be made available in the March 8, 2013, Federal Register.
Employers should begin using this new form immediately. The new Form I-9 will contain a revision date of 03/08/13. The revision date is located on the bottom left-hand corner of the form, and the
Link to the new I-9 is here.
Final Changes to the Form I-9
The revised Form I-9 makes several improvements designed to minimize errors in form completion, the agency said. The key revisions to Form I-9 include:
- Adding data fields, including the employee's foreign passport information (if applicable) and telephone and e-mail addresses.
- Improving the form's instructions.
- Revising the layout of the form, and expanding the form from one to two pages (not including the form instructions and the List of Acceptable Documents).
Prior Form I-9 versions (08/07/09) and (02/02/2009) will no longer be accepted after May 7, 2013, however USCIS is providing employers a 60 day grace period to make necessary changes.
For further details and links, please click here.
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Offering Guidance to Federal Contractors, Post Rescission
by Mykkah Herner, MA, CCP: Compensation Consultant PayScale Blogger
Stephanie R Thomas ends her blog post, "Gone With The Wind (Your Guidance, That Is)," with a challenge: "How will you prepare?" She aptly points out that the rescission of the "Compensation Standards" and "Voluntary Guidelines" by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) leaves federal contractors with less guidance about how to comply with non-discrimination requirements outlined in Title VII. I'd like to take a moment to offer some suggestions.
But First, What's The Scoop?The government has decided that it wants to ensure non-discrimination in pay practices across the board-essentially for all groups protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While the " Compensation Standards" and " Voluntary Guidelines" prescribed a way of ensuring fair payment in some cases, they precluded the ability for the OFCCP to investigate the extent of non-discrimination across all protected groups. The Standards and Guidelines gave federal contractors a set of behaviors to follow, but didn't necessarily get at the root of the issue. Now, federal contractors are still expected to practice non-discrimination in compensation practices, per Executive Order 11246. What's different is that they are no longer prescribing the way to accomplish that. Click here to read more.
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© HR Strategy Group, LLC, 2012. All rights reserved.
Amy Polefrone, President
HR Strategy Group, LLC
410-505-8723 |
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