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2011 Minimum Wage Increases — Is Your State Going to Increase Your Pay?

The answer is “yes,” if you’re one of the 647,000 minimum wage earners in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, or Washington. These seven states are all raising their 2011 minimum wages, according to Consumer Affairs. The raises themselves aren’t much: Washington boasts the highest increase of 12 cents to $8.67, which will add some […]

Bureau of Labor Statistics releases November 2010 Unemployment Numbers

Regional and state unemployment rates changed little from the previous month, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The November 2010 data shows 22 states recording increased unemployment rates, while 15 report decreases, and 14 report no change. The jobless rate nationwide decreased by 0.2 percent between October and November. However, the current rate of 9.8% […]

California State Agencies Over Report Stimulus Jobs

California has received $12.8 billion dollars in federal stimulus funds since February of 2009. State agencies have reported over 54,000 jobs created with these funds. The problem? A recent report by the California Bureau of State Audits found that the job creation numbers are not being recorded accurately. The December 21 audit report looked at […]

Staffing Companies See Profits Gain Despite High Unemployment 

U.S. staffing companies are seeing a gain in 2010 profits despite a 26-year high in the national unemployment rate, reports Bloomberg’s Steve Matthews and Anthony Feld. Private companies hired fewer new employees last month than they did in each of the previous 10, with hiring the weakest on record since January. However, this has created […]

Preliminary FLSA Record-Keeping Regulations Expected in April

An agency Web chat hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on Thursday, January 6, provided expected dates for proposed regulations on record-keeping under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the “Right to Know Under the Fair Labor Standards Act” initiative is expected […]

Wal-Mart Employee Class Action in USA – Lessons for Canadian Employers?

By Donna Gallant When the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (San Francisco) affirmed an order certifying the largest employment discrimination class action ever in the United States, Wal-Mart was left facing a class of up to 1.5 million members. Employers were left wondering just how big and powerful these opponents might get. On December 6, […]

Physical, Mental, and Environmental Requirements—Dangerous to Ignore

Pinning down physical and environmental requirements for job descriptions is annoying—but it means reduced hassles in hiring, and reduced appearances in court. Even though they seem obvious to you, (and maybe you think they should be obvious to anyone), the requirements need to be in writing on the job description. Deal with the issue up […]

A Matter of Trust

The other day, I was faced with a situation where things were not progressing as I had hoped. My frustration led me to have a conversation with a colleague. I shared my dilemma with him and asked what he thought the key was to resuming progress. His response was, “You need to build trust. Obviously […]

Using Targeted Interview Techniques

Don’t forget the purpose of the interview—to determine whether the candidate is the best match for the job. Skilled interviewers are able to focus on the requirements of a particular job and how closely a candidate matches those requirements. Make sure you understand the job description. Talk with the supervisor or manager so you are […]