Consumer confidence hits highest level since 2000

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index increased in February, following a modest increase in January. The index rose to a reading of 130.8 (1985=100) from 124.3 in January.

“Consumer confidence improved to its highest level since 2000 (Nov. 2000, 132.6) after a modest increase in January,”...

Facebook co-founder: Technology continues to ‘destroy work’ — Staffing quote of the week

"I don't have a crystal ball on exactly where technology is headed,” Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes told CNBC. “But I do think that it's going to continue to destroy work." He believes the growing digital economy necessitates a plan to pay a government stipend to working Americans who...

SIA Executive Forum kicks off

SIA’s 2018 Executive Forum North America gets underway at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami. The event kicks off at a welcome reception tonight.

The event will feature information on the latest trends affecting staffing, including changing client demands and the evolving technological, legal and economic...

Huge demand for online staffing from enterprises: Freelancer.com CEO Matt Barrie

More large, enterprise companies are showing interest in online staffing. Matt Barrie, CEO of online staffing provider Freelancer.com, cited this trend during a stop at SIA’s office last week. In the last 18 months, Barrie said he has seen the increase in interest, and it’s coming from firms...

Massachusetts staffing firm to pay $95,000 in wage settlement in Shield Packaging case; buyer settled earlier for $1 million

Southern Mass Staffing Inc., of Worcester, Mass., and owner Mesa Som agreed to pay $95,000 to settle wage hour violations for its role in providing workers to staffing buyer Shield Packaging Inc., the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office announced. Shield Packaging operates a factory in Dudley,...

San Francisco is hardest-working city, study finds

San Francisco is the hardest-working city in the US, according to a report released by personal finance social network WalletHub. 

WalletHub compared the 116 largest cities across nine key metrics. The data set ranges from employment rate to average hours worked per week to share of workers with...

Employers see skills gaps in key areas where college students don’t: NACE survey

Students entering the job market and potential employers have very different perceptions about the “career readiness” of new college graduates, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Using eight competencies that NACE identified as constituting “career readiness,”...

VMS provider Provade gets new owner

Smart ERP Solutions Inc., provider of cloud-based onboarding platform Smart Onboarding, acquired vendor management system firm Provade Inc.

“Smart Onboarding is a robust platform that complements the key functionalities of Provade’s VMS solution,” Provade President and CEO Hans Bukow said....

Michigan-based staffing firm acquires IT provider

Technosoft Corp., a provider of IT digital transformation services and contingent staffing, acquired IT staffing provider Rumba Solutions LLC.

The transaction closed in January; terms were not disclosed. The Rumba Solutions brand will remain for a transitional period.

Rumba Solutions, founded in 2010,...

Hays names chairman and CEO for US operations

Hays plc, the world’s sixth-largest staffing firm, announced Dan Rodriguez, founder of Veredus Corp. and currently CEO of Hays US, will assume the role of chairman of Hays US. David Brown, one of the equity partners of Veredus Corp. and currently executive VP of Hays US, will step into the CEO role....