SI Review: September 2014

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Beyond the Daily: Ticking Upward; ACA Mandate; Mass Exodus

Ticking Upward

Small businesses’ average paychecks see first increase of the year.

The average paycheck for small business employees edged up 0.2 percent in July, the first time in 2014 that the average paycheck has increased after being flat or slightly down the rest of the year, according to the SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard survey.

“Small business owners have done a great job maximizing their resources ever since the recession, and as they reap the profits from that, it appears they’re starting to reward employees with some extra cash,” said SurePayroll General Manager Andy Roe.

However, the average paycheck still fell 0.7 percent year over year.

ACA Mandate: Yea or Nay?

On the same day, two federal courts issue conflicting decisions.

The second most important federal court in the United States released a decision in July that, if not reversed or modified, will eliminate individual health insurance subsidies and employer “pay or play” penalties in more than two thirds of the states. Later that day, though, another court reached the complete opposite decision on a nearly identical case.

Mass Exodus

Half of pharma, biotech workers ready to job hunt, study finds.

Employees in the U.S. biotech and pharma industries indicate high interest in near- future job changes, according to a Randstad Pharma Engagement Study. Within the next six months, 51 percent of biotech/pharma workers are likely to seek out a job in a different company or organization, as compared to 38 percent of all employees polled.

Furthermore, should they receive an enticing job offer from another company, 66 percent of biotech/pharma employees are likely to accept, compared to 44 percent of all employees polled.