GDP estimate upgraded to 3.4% for Q4

US real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 3.4% in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the third estimate released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The GDP increased slightly more than economists had estimated but less than the 4.9% reported in the third quarter of 2023. ...

Consumer sentiment hits nearly 3-year high: University of Michigan

Consumer sentiment in the US rose incrementally in March as consumers exhibited confidence that inflation will continue to soften, according to the final results from the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers released today. 

The index of consumer sentiment rose to a reading of 79.4 in March...

AI to force evaluation of skills and HR

The majority of business leaders globally, 81%, believe AI and other tech disruptions will force organizations to radically rethink skills and human resources across large areas of their workforce, according to a survey conducted by the World Employment Confederation. 

The survey polled hundreds...

Instacart to pay $730,000 to settle alleged violations of Seattle’s gig worker ordinance

Instacart agreed to pay $730,041.15 in remedies to 5,567 affected workers to settle allegations it violated the city’s Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, the Seattle Office of Labor Standards announced March 26. 

Additionally, the San Francisco-based grocery delivery platform will pay...

Top staffing execs talk state of economy, business outlooks

Five top executives from some of the largest staffing firms weighed in on the economy during an executive panel at SIA’s Executive Forum North America on March 26. SIA Chief Analyst Barry Asin also asked about the outlooks in their businesses and why they believe growth in staffing remains subdued...

Inclusive culture, the right kind of training are needed for remote work

Remote work and internal staffing employees working from home was one of the topics at Executive Forum North America. It’s a trend that’s continuing, but managing remote workers can bring challenges. For more on the topic, read the latest post in Staffing Stream. 

Finance execs are most optimistic since Q2 of 2021: Richmond Fed

Chief financial officers are the most optimistic about the US economy since the second quarter of 2021, according to The CFO Survey released today by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Virginia. On a scale of 0 to 100, CFOs rated their optimism as 61 in the new survey. That’s up from 58 in the previous...

Glassdoor CEO confirms commitment to anonymity following allegations

Glassdoor will continue to allow users to anonymously sign up to review companies they have worked for, Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong confirmed.

The jobs community site was accused last week of revealing the identity of an anonymous user profile.

“Protecting anonymity is at the core of our...

Optimism amid turbulence, even as staffing and GDP diverge

Special note: The growth rate for 2023 has been updated to a contraction of 15%.

The staffing industry should grow along with GDP, right? Not recently. GDP growth is positive, while industry revenue fell 15% last year, according to preliminary estimates from SIA. This was after strong growth in 2021 and...

Staffing hours suggest market conditions deteriorated during Q1: SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator

US temp staffing hours edged down 0.6% in the week ended March 16 compared to the previous week, according to the latest SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator report. Commercial staffing hours also fell 0.6%, while professional staffing hours were down 0.9%.