Although the Canadian Staffing industry Index is up 19 points over this time last year, industry leaders are looking for explanations for the fact that there was a single point drop in the index last month. They know that business is up so why is the index pointing (slightly) down?
The Canadian Staffing Index is the best data that this country has ever collected on temporary help hours but it is far from perfect. No data is perfect. I have been watching writing and providing editorial on the Statistics Canada monthly Employment data for years and it has some serious flaws too. I put a lot more credibility into the Canadian Staffing Index than I do Stats Can numbers but I also have enough industry insight that I can read between the Staffing Industry numbers
Here are a few insights.
1. The Canadian Staffing Index counts hours of work within a month and it is not adjusted for days of work within the month. April had 22 billable work days minus Good Friday while May only had 21 days minus Victoria Day. That is a 5 percent reduction in the number of days available to work! So when the May Index reports a meager decline in hours worked by only 1%... business activity is really up.
2. Some Staffing companies bill by the week and report their numbers according to their accounting or billing cycles which may have nothing to do with the number of work days within a month. For example, my company will produce 5 sets of weekly invoices during the month of June. This means that my company's number will jump by 25% in June then settle back down again in July. This will happen during 4 months of the year producing an hours growth anomaly.
3. Flat is the new up! A huge portion of temporary help temp to perm transitional work. When the Staffing industry remains flat that means that thousands of workers have transitioned to full time work and new tempo assignments were created and filled. When the temp industry is flat, that means that new jobs are being created.
Here is a copy of the Press release.
May Shows Steady Economic Improvement
ACSESS Staffing Index Indicates a Cautious Recovery
MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 17 /CNW/ - The May 2010 Canadian Staffing Index was released this week by the Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services (ACSESS).
The May report shows a slight decrease in temporary and contract hours of 1 point compared to April 2010. The Index also illustrates a healthy 13 point gain as reported in May 2009.
An Index value of 78 indicates the hours of labour supplied by the Canadian Staffing industry during the month of May remained 20% below the 100 Benchmark of July 2008 and 29 points below the industry high reported in October 2008. The Index continues to show a steady recovery but it also reflects the nuances of the temporary and contract staffing industry and the sensitivity of the recovering Canadian economy.
"The validity of the data collected by the ACSESS Canadian Staffing Index is consistent with real time information," says Steve Jones, President of ACSESS. This slight decline in May reflects normal seasonal declines based on college and university students flooding the employment marketplace and being hired into positions staffed by staffing firms during the balance of the year. Jones predicts that based on the data collected, Statistics Canada will report a moderate job increase for June in its upcoming Employment Report to be released at the beginning of July.
Each monthly release of the ACSESS Canadian Staffing Index clearly answers the question, "How's business?" Temporary and contract hours are coincidental with real time economic activity and ACSESS believes serves an excellent indicator for journalists, economists and analysts who are focused on current staffing and employment trends.
About the Canadian Staffing Index:
Hours of labour data is collected by Staffing Industry Analysts, an independent company specializing in the staffing industry. The source data is provided by a representative number of Canadian staffing companies providing services in almost every industry across the country.
The data is collected on a monthly basis, with the initial data capture dating back to July 2008, providing real historical insight into the Canadian staffing landscape.
-------------------------
Date Not Seasonally
Adjusted
-------------------------
Jul-08 100
-------------------------
Aug-08 97
-------------------------
Sep-08 99
-------------------------
Oct-08 107
-------------------------
Nov-08 94
-------------------------
Dec-08 81
-------------------------
Jan-09 75
-------------------------
Feb-09 67
-------------------------
Mar-09 71
-------------------------
Apr-09 70
-------------------------
May-09 65
-------------------------
Jun-09 68
-------------------------
Jul-09 73
-------------------------
Aug-09 70
-------------------------
Sep-09 78
-------------------------
Oct-09 78
-------------------------
Nov-09 77
-------------------------
Dec-09 74
-------------------------
Jan-10 69
-------------------------
Feb-10 71
-------------------------
Mar-10 82
-------------------------
Apr-10 79
-------------------------
May-10 78
-------------------------
About ACSESS
ACSESS is the single voice for promoting best practices and ethical standards for the recruitment, employment and staffing services industry in Canada. For more information visit: (less than)http://www.acsess.org/(greater than) www.acsess.org
About Staffing Industry Analysts
Staffing Industry Analysts is the premier research and analysis firm covering temporary employment and the contingent workforce. Known for its independent and objective insights, the company's proprietary research, data, support tools, publications and executive conferences provide a competitive edge to decision-makers who supply and buy temporary staffing. In addition to temporary staffing, Staffing Industry Analysts also covers these related staffing sectors: third party placement, and staff leasing (PEOs). Founded in 1989, the company is headquartered in Los Altos, California. For more information visit: www.staffingindustry.com
_____________
Steve Jones is the Volunteer President of ACSESS and President of Aimco, Allen, Professional Search, La Banque de Personnel, The Medical Recruitment Network and The People Bank, all divisions of Design Group Staffing Inc. www.thepeoplebank.com
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Recruitment & Social Media
The world is a buzz with social media sites as an emerging alternatives to the big job boards.
For example, LinkedIn has over 40 million users. LinkedIn is rapidly becoming an employment networking site more than anything else. I personally have over 3,770,500 total Linkedin users that I can contact through an introduction. That's powerful stuff! There may come a day soon when a LinkedIn profile will replace traditional resumes.
The immensely popular social networking site Facebook has over 200 million users and can be used in a low key medium for job seekers and job postings. Employers and recruiters should know their Facebook etiquette before they risk their brand by unintentionally offending hardcore Facebook users. Advertising on Facebook is a cost effective recruitment tool with a CPC (Cost per Click) billing model. Its also a great place to set up a free corporate profile with some built in Web 2.0 features. Facebook users are a committed community so it only makes sense for recruiters to get into the network rather than constantly attempting to lure job seekers to other platforms.
Twitter and the Blogsphere are also fabulous platforms for corporate marketing and job broadcasting. Twitter still has a long way to go to catch up with Facebook in terms of user volume but just wait and see how Twitter explodes in the following weeks as it becomes a primary communication source for FIFA World Cup soccer.
While most job boards and good corporate websites have features that allow job seekers to set up a profile and receive job notices, twitter helps bridge the gap between web sites, email, smart phones and text messaging. HR departments will soon be Tweeting every new openings to meet the needs of the growing Twitter community.
An interesting online recruitment development is emerging within the buy/sell Internet sites like Craigslist and 
Kijiji. These sites offer low tech, high traffic, free employment advertising sections. GenNext job seekers lean toward Indy-bands, Indy-movies and so it follows that they also tend toward the grassroots job marketplace rather than the big corporate job board space.
New media and social networking sites are not yet structured to interface and systematically broadcast every job postings from a corporate website. They all require some form of individual intervention. But, most large job boards are figuring out how to integrate their services with these popular new media formats.
The People Bank is always trying to say ahead of the recruitment advertising curve. Our jobs already appear on hundreds of Internet job boards but it won’t be long before all of our jobs are also rebroadcast to targeted audiences through Twitter, Kijiji, Facebook and Craigslist. We call our strategy "A Thousand Pathways". We take the view that all job boards, new media, traditional media, social networks and Buy & Sell sites should lead the way back to www.thepeoplebank.com
For example, LinkedIn has over 40 million users. LinkedIn is rapidly becoming an employment networking site more than anything else. I personally have over 3,770,500 total Linkedin users that I can contact through an introduction. That's powerful stuff! There may come a day soon when a LinkedIn profile will replace traditional resumes.
The immensely popular social networking site Facebook has over 200 million users and can be used in a low key medium for job seekers and job postings. Employers and recruiters should know their Facebook etiquette before they risk their brand by unintentionally offending hardcore Facebook users. Advertising on Facebook is a cost effective recruitment tool with a CPC (Cost per Click) billing model. Its also a great place to set up a free corporate profile with some built in Web 2.0 features. Facebook users are a committed community so it only makes sense for recruiters to get into the network rather than constantly attempting to lure job seekers to other platforms. 
Twitter and the Blogsphere are also fabulous platforms for corporate marketing and job broadcasting. Twitter still has a long way to go to catch up with Facebook in terms of user volume but just wait and see how Twitter explodes in the following weeks as it becomes a primary communication source for FIFA World Cup soccer. While most job boards and good corporate websites have features that allow job seekers to set up a profile and receive job notices, twitter helps bridge the gap between web sites, email, smart phones and text messaging. HR departments will soon be Tweeting every new openings to meet the needs of the growing Twitter community.
An interesting online recruitment development is emerging within the buy/sell Internet sites like Craigslist and 
Kijiji. These sites offer low tech, high traffic, free employment advertising sections. GenNext job seekers lean toward Indy-bands, Indy-movies and so it follows that they also tend toward the grassroots job marketplace rather than the big corporate job board space.New media and social networking sites are not yet structured to interface and systematically broadcast every job postings from a corporate website. They all require some form of individual intervention. But, most large job boards are figuring out how to integrate their services with these popular new media formats.
The People Bank is always trying to say ahead of the recruitment advertising curve. Our jobs already appear on hundreds of Internet job boards but it won’t be long before all of our jobs are also rebroadcast to targeted audiences through Twitter, Kijiji, Facebook and Craigslist. We call our strategy "A Thousand Pathways". We take the view that all job boards, new media, traditional media, social networks and Buy & Sell sites should lead the way back to www.thepeoplebank.com
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
April Indicates a Slight Correction in the Recovering Economy
ACSESS Staffing Index Continues to Show a Steady Recovery
MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 2 /CNW/ - The April 2010 Canadian Staffing Index was released this week by the Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services (ACSESS).
The April report shows a slight decrease in temporary and contract hours of 3 points compared to March 2010. The Index also illustrates a healthy 14 point (21.5%) gain since the industry low in May of 2009.
An Index value of 79 means that hours of labour supplied by the Canadian staffing industry during the month of April remained 21% below the 100 Benchmark of July 2008 and 28 points below the industry high reported for October 2008. The Index continues to show a slow but persistent recovery but it also reflects the dynamic nature of the temporary and contract staffing industry and the sensitivity of the recovering Canadian employment market.
"The dramatic 10 point jump reported by the Canadian Staffing Index in the previous month of March 2010 accurately predicted the large employment gain that was subsequently released by Statistics Canada for the month of April." says Steve Jones, President of ACSESS, "This slight decline in April reflects the industry's normal seasonal decline of April and May and may also reflect a minor correction for the extraordinary gain reported in the prior month. Our members continue to report strong year over year growth including a healthy transition of temporary workers to full-time employment."
Each monthly release of the ACSESS Canadian Staffing Index clearly answers the question, "How's business?" Temporary and contract employment hours are coincidental with real-time economic activity and ACSESS believes the Staffing Index serves as a valuable leading indicator for economists, journalists, analysts and policy makers who are interested in current staffing and employment trends.
About the Canadian Staffing Index:
Hours of labour data is collected by Staffing Industry Analysts, an independent company specializing in the staffing industry. The source data is provided by a representative number of Canadian staffing companies providing services in almost every industry across the country.
The data is collected on a monthly basis, with the initial data capture dating back to July 2008, providing real historical insight into the Canadian staffing landscape.
Canadian Staffing
Index Not Seasonally Adjusted
-----------
Jul-08 ---- 100
Aug-08 ---- 97
Sep-08 ---- 99
Oct-08 ---- 107
Nov-08 ---- 94
Dec-08 ---- 81
Jan-09 ---- 75
Feb-09 ---- 67
Mar-09 ---- 71
Apr-09 ---- 70
May-09 ---- 65
Jun-09 ---- 68
Jul-09 ---- 73
Aug-09 ---- 70
Sep-09 ---- 78
Oct-09 ---- 78
Nov-09 ---- 77
Dec-09 ---- 74
Jan-10 ---- 69
Feb-10 ---- 71
Mar-10 ---- 82
Apr-10 ---- 79
About ACSESS
ACSESS is the single voice for promoting best practices and ethical standards for the recruitment, employment and staffing services industry in Canada. For more information visit: www.acsess.org
About Staffing Industry Analysts
Staffing Industry Analysts is the premier research and analysis firm covering temporary employment and the contingent workforce. Known for its independent and objective insights, the company's proprietary research, data, support tools, publications and executive conferences provide a competitive edge to decision-makers who supply and buy temporary staffing. In addition to temporary staffing, Staffing Industry Analysts also covers these related staffing sectors: third party placement, and staff leasing (PEOs). Founded in 1989, the company is headquartered in Los Altos, California. For more information visit: www.staffingindustry.com
For further information: Media Contact: Suzanne McInerney, CPC, Communications and Marketing Specialist, Phone (905) 826-6869, Toll Free: 1-888-232-4962, Email: smcinerney@acsess.org
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
First, Break all the Rules
"People leave their immediate managers, not the companies they work for."
Different authors, speakers and mentors have their own unique styles of telling us what we should already know. In their book, "First, Break all the Rules", Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman have a very effective style in describing their research on great managment and leadership. This book cuts to the point.
Here is a re-print of the book summary from Bizsumm.com , Break All The Rules The book is highly recommended. Reading the summary is an absolute must.
_________________________________________________
‘What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently’
By Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
Simon & Schuster, 271 pages
Based on a mammoth research study conducted by the Gallup Organization involving 80,000 managers across different industries, this book explores the challenge of many companies - attaining, keeping and measuring employee satisfaction. Discover how great managers attract, hire, focus, and keep their most talented employees!
Key Ideas:
1. The best managers reject conventional wisdom.
2. The best managers treat every employee as an individual.
3. The best managers never try to fix weaknesses; instead they focus on strengths and talent.
4. The best managers know they are on stage everyday. They know their people are watching every move they make.
5. Measuring employee satisfaction is vital information for your investors.
6. People leave their immediate managers, not the companies they work for.
7. The best managers are those that build a work environment where the employees answer positively to these 12 Questions:
a. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
b. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
c. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?
d. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
e. Does my supervisor or someone at work seem to care about me as a person?
f. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
g. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
h. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
i. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
j. Do I have a best friend at work?
k. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
l. This last year, have I had the opportunity at work to learn and grow?
The Gallup study showed that those companies that reflected positive responses to the 12 questions profited more, were more productive as business units, retained more employees per year, and satisfied more customers.
Without satisfying an employee’s basic needs first, a manager can never expect the employee to give stellar performance. The basic needs are: knowing what is expected of the employee at work, giving her the equipment and support to do her work right, and answering her basic questions of self-worth and self-esteem by giving praise for good work and caring about her development as a person.
The great manager mantra is don’t try to put in what was left out; instead draw out what was left in. You must hire for talent, and hone that talent into outstanding performance.
More wisdomin a nutshell:
1. Know what can be taught, and what requires a natural talent.
2. Set the right outcomes, not steps. Standardize the end but not the means. As long as the means are within the company’s legal boundaries and industry standards,let the employee use his own style to deliver the result or outcome you want.
3. Motivate by focusing on strengths, not weaknesses.
4. Casting is important, if an employee is not performing at excellence, maybe she is not cast in the right role.
5. Every role is noble, respect it enough to hire for talent to match.
6. A manager must excel in the art of the interview. See if the candidate’s recurring patterns of behavior match the role he is to fulfill. Ask open-ended questions and let him talk. Listen for specifics.
7. Find ways to measure, count, and reward outcomes.
8. Spend time with your best people. Give constant feedback. If you can’t spend an hour every quarter talking to an employee, then you shouldn’t be a manager.
9. There are many ways of alleviating a problem or non-talent. Devise a support system,find a complementary partner for him, or an alternative role.
10. Do not promote someone until he reaches his level of incompetence; simply offer bigger rewards within the same range of his work. It is better to have an excellent highly paid waitress or bartender on your team than promote him or her to a poor starting-level bar manager.
11. Some homework to do: Study the best managers in the company and revise training to incorporate what they know. Send your talented people to learn new skills or knowledge. Change recruiting practices to hire for talent, revise employee job descriptions and qualifications.
Friday, May 07, 2010
APRIL Job Boom Predicted by Staffing Index
May 7, 2010 - Statistics Canada’s Employment report for the month of April shows an astonishing increase of 109,000 jobs during the month April. This tremendous increase surpasses any analysts’ previous expectations by more than 100% and supports the theory that the Canadian Staffing Industry Index is an early indicator of job and employment activity in the Canadian economy.
During the month of April, the Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services reported that the Staffing Industry Index for March increased 11% over February 2010; the largest single month gain since the creation of the report.
ACSESS believes there is a close correlation between staffing industry performance and the real-time state of the economy. The Canadian Staffing Index can be used as a barometer of Canadian economic performance and a predictor of other lagging economic indicators such as the Statistics Canada Employment Report
The Staffing Industry Index uses July 2008, prior to the recession, as the benchmark index of 100 and tracks the performance of the staffing industry on a monthly basis.
In an earlier press release I stated "Although some of the increased numbers reflect a seasonal correction, the recovery that seemed to have stalled in December is now gaining momentum. We predict that April results will display another notable increase. Our industry is a leading indicator of economic performance, and we are confident in the ability of Canada's economy to show moderate but consistent growth throughout the balance of the year", Said Steve Jones, ACSESS National President.
Statistics Canada reports that unemployment in April fell from 8.2% to 8.1%. Full Report
Canadian Staffing Index Not Seasonally Adjusted
Jul-08 - 100 (indexed to July 2008)
Aug-08 - 97
Sep-08 - 99
Oct-08 - 107
Nov-08 - 94
Dec-08 - 81
Jan-09 - 75
Feb-09 - 67
Mar-09 - 71
Apr-09 - 70
May-09 - 65
Jun-09 - 68
Jul-09 - 73
Aug-09 - 70
Sep-09 - 78
Oct-09 - 78
Nov-09 - 77
Dec-09 - 74
Jan-10 - 69
Feb-10 - 71
Mar-10 - 82
About the Canadian Staffing Index:
The data is collected by Staffing Industry Analysts, an independent company specialized in the staffing industry.
The data is provided by a representative number of Canadian staffing companies providing services in the provinces across the country.
The data is collected on a monthly basis, with the initial data capture dating back to July 2008, providing real historical insight into the Canadian staffing landscape.
About ACSESS
ACSESS is the single voice for promoting best practices and ethical standards for the recruitment, employment and staffing services industry in Canada. For more information visit: www.acsess.org
About Staffing Industry Analysts
Staffing Industry Analysts is the premier research and analysis firm covering temporary employment and the contingent workforce. Known for its independent and objective insights, the company’s proprietary research, data, support tools, publications and executive conferences provide a competitive edge to decision-makers who supply and buy temporary staffing. In addition to temporary staffing, Staffing Industry Analysts also covers these related staffing sectors: third party placement, and staff leasing (PEOs). Founded in 1989, the company is headquartered in Los Altos, California. For more information visit: www.staffingindustry.com
Media Contact:
Suzanne McInerney, CPC
Communications and Marketing Specialist
Phone 905-826-6869 / Toll Free: 1-888-232-4962
Email: smcinerney@acsess.org
During the month of April, the Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services reported that the Staffing Industry Index for March increased 11% over February 2010; the largest single month gain since the creation of the report.
ACSESS believes there is a close correlation between staffing industry performance and the real-time state of the economy. The Canadian Staffing Index can be used as a barometer of Canadian economic performance and a predictor of other lagging economic indicators such as the Statistics Canada Employment Report
The Staffing Industry Index uses July 2008, prior to the recession, as the benchmark index of 100 and tracks the performance of the staffing industry on a monthly basis.
In an earlier press release I stated "Although some of the increased numbers reflect a seasonal correction, the recovery that seemed to have stalled in December is now gaining momentum. We predict that April results will display another notable increase. Our industry is a leading indicator of economic performance, and we are confident in the ability of Canada's economy to show moderate but consistent growth throughout the balance of the year", Said Steve Jones, ACSESS National President.
Statistics Canada reports that unemployment in April fell from 8.2% to 8.1%. Full Report
Canadian Staffing Index Not Seasonally Adjusted
Jul-08 - 100 (indexed to July 2008)
Aug-08 - 97
Sep-08 - 99
Oct-08 - 107
Nov-08 - 94
Dec-08 - 81
Jan-09 - 75
Feb-09 - 67
Mar-09 - 71
Apr-09 - 70
May-09 - 65
Jun-09 - 68
Jul-09 - 73
Aug-09 - 70
Sep-09 - 78
Oct-09 - 78
Nov-09 - 77
Dec-09 - 74
Jan-10 - 69
Feb-10 - 71
Mar-10 - 82
About the Canadian Staffing Index:
The data is collected by Staffing Industry Analysts, an independent company specialized in the staffing industry.
The data is provided by a representative number of Canadian staffing companies providing services in the provinces across the country.
The data is collected on a monthly basis, with the initial data capture dating back to July 2008, providing real historical insight into the Canadian staffing landscape.
About ACSESS
ACSESS is the single voice for promoting best practices and ethical standards for the recruitment, employment and staffing services industry in Canada. For more information visit: www.acsess.org
About Staffing Industry Analysts
Staffing Industry Analysts is the premier research and analysis firm covering temporary employment and the contingent workforce. Known for its independent and objective insights, the company’s proprietary research, data, support tools, publications and executive conferences provide a competitive edge to decision-makers who supply and buy temporary staffing. In addition to temporary staffing, Staffing Industry Analysts also covers these related staffing sectors: third party placement, and staff leasing (PEOs). Founded in 1989, the company is headquartered in Los Altos, California. For more information visit: www.staffingindustry.com
Media Contact:
Suzanne McInerney, CPC
Communications and Marketing Specialist
Phone 905-826-6869 / Toll Free: 1-888-232-4962
Email: smcinerney@acsess.org
Monday, May 03, 2010
Bill 168 Webinar Invitation
Are You ready?
The New Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention Law
Webinar Date: Tuesday, May 11
Webinar Time: 10am to 11am Eastern Time
You are invited to participate in a complimentary webinar on the amendments to the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and the new Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention Law.
In this 55-minute webinar, Steve Jones and subject matter expert Christopher McOuat will discuss the new legal requirements in Ontario. You will receive valuable information and template samples that you can modify for your business.
We will be discussing:
• What constitutes workplace violence and harassment;
• Employer requirements and obligations under the new law;
• Prevention policies and programs;
• Risk assessments including domestic violence in the workplace;
• Worker rights; and
• Penalties associated with non-compliance.
Steve Jones is the President of The People Bank, a division of Design Group Staffing Inc. Design Group Staffing is Canada's largest privately owned staffing company. Steve has over 26 years of leadership experience in the recruitment and staffing industry. He is also the current President of ACSESS (Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services), the single national voice and governing body for staffing providers.
Christopher McOuat is The People Bank's Operational Excellence and Quality Control Team Lead. With over seven years' experience in this role, Christopher is responsible for developing, implementing and analyzing policies and procedures for ISO certification, Quality Management, and Workplace Health and Safety, including the new Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention Legislation.
Register Here
The New Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention Law
Webinar Date: Tuesday, May 11
Webinar Time: 10am to 11am Eastern Time
You are invited to participate in a complimentary webinar on the amendments to the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and the new Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention Law.
In this 55-minute webinar, Steve Jones and subject matter expert Christopher McOuat will discuss the new legal requirements in Ontario. You will receive valuable information and template samples that you can modify for your business.
We will be discussing:
• What constitutes workplace violence and harassment;
• Employer requirements and obligations under the new law;
• Prevention policies and programs;
• Risk assessments including domestic violence in the workplace;
• Worker rights; and
• Penalties associated with non-compliance.
Steve Jones is the President of The People Bank, a division of Design Group Staffing Inc. Design Group Staffing is Canada's largest privately owned staffing company. Steve has over 26 years of leadership experience in the recruitment and staffing industry. He is also the current President of ACSESS (Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services), the single national voice and governing body for staffing providers.
Christopher McOuat is The People Bank's Operational Excellence and Quality Control Team Lead. With over seven years' experience in this role, Christopher is responsible for developing, implementing and analyzing policies and procedures for ISO certification, Quality Management, and Workplace Health and Safety, including the new Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention Legislation.
Register Here
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Employment Data Shows Hope
Canadian Staffing Index Continues to Demonstrate Employment Recovery
MISSISSAUGA, ON - April 21, 2010 - The February 2010 version of the Canadian Staffing Index was released by the Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services (ACSESS) today. ACSESS believes there is a close correlation between staffing industry performance and the state of the economy, hoping that in time this index could provide a "near real time" indicator of the current state of the Canadian economy. As each month's number is released this correlation becomes more and more evident.
The index uses July 2008, prior to the recession as a benchmark index of 100 and tracks the number of hours worked by flexible and contract workers, therefore tracking the performance of the industry on a monthly basis. The following are some observations based on the latest results:
February 2010 saw an almost 3% increase month over month from January 2010. Although the numbers are 29% off the July 2008 benchmark they have seen a gradual increase of 8% from the low numbers in May 2009.
ACSESS believes this modest upturn in February supports the anecdotal evidence from ACSESS members that the economy is improving. Numerous ACSESS Members in regions across Canada have reported a significant increase in activity and are anxiously waiting to see if this will be reflected in the upcoming March numbers which will be released shortly.
"These recent statistics accurately reflect what is happening in Canadian businesses on a real time basis. Staffing services provide a valuable, dynamic, 'just-in-time' delivery of labour to businesses when they need it. As a result, these numbers predict that the more traditional lagging statistical measures such as the Canadian Employment data will reflect continued moderate employment growth through April and May." said Steve Jones, ACSESS National President.
About the Canadian Staffing Index:
The data is collected by Staffing Industry Analysts, an independent company specialized in the staffing industry.
The data is provided by a representative number of Canadian staffing companies providing services in the provinces across the country.
The data is collected on a monthly basis, with the initial data capture dating back to July 2008, providing real historical insight into the Canadian staffing landscape.
ACSESS believes that this "real data" supports U.S evidence that the Staffing Industry is a barometer of economic performance, and will provide information for economists, politicians, analysts, researchers and journalists in addition to members of the staffing industry.
About ACSESS
ACSESS is the single voice for promoting best practices and ethical standards for the recruitment, employment and staffing services industry in Canada. For more information visit: www.acsess.org
About Staffing Industry Analysts
Staffing Industry Analysts is the premier research and analysis firm covering temporary employment and the contingent workforce. Known for its independent and objective insights, the company's proprietary research, data, support tools, publications and executive conferences provide a competitive edge to decision-makers who supply and buy temporary staffing. In addition to temporary staffing, Staffing Industry Analysts also covers these related staffing sectors: third party placement, and staff leasing (PEOs). Founded in 1989, the company is headquartered in Los Altos, California. For more information visit: www.staffingindustry.com
Media Contact:
Suzanne McInerney, CPC
Communications and Marketing Specialist
Phone 905-826-6869 / Toll Free: 1-888-232-4962
Email: smcinerney@acsess.org
MISSISSAUGA, ON - April 21, 2010 - The February 2010 version of the Canadian Staffing Index was released by the Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services (ACSESS) today. ACSESS believes there is a close correlation between staffing industry performance and the state of the economy, hoping that in time this index could provide a "near real time" indicator of the current state of the Canadian economy. As each month's number is released this correlation becomes more and more evident.
The index uses July 2008, prior to the recession as a benchmark index of 100 and tracks the number of hours worked by flexible and contract workers, therefore tracking the performance of the industry on a monthly basis. The following are some observations based on the latest results:
February 2010 saw an almost 3% increase month over month from January 2010. Although the numbers are 29% off the July 2008 benchmark they have seen a gradual increase of 8% from the low numbers in May 2009.
ACSESS believes this modest upturn in February supports the anecdotal evidence from ACSESS members that the economy is improving. Numerous ACSESS Members in regions across Canada have reported a significant increase in activity and are anxiously waiting to see if this will be reflected in the upcoming March numbers which will be released shortly.
"These recent statistics accurately reflect what is happening in Canadian businesses on a real time basis. Staffing services provide a valuable, dynamic, 'just-in-time' delivery of labour to businesses when they need it. As a result, these numbers predict that the more traditional lagging statistical measures such as the Canadian Employment data will reflect continued moderate employment growth through April and May." said Steve Jones, ACSESS National President.
About the Canadian Staffing Index:
The data is collected by Staffing Industry Analysts, an independent company specialized in the staffing industry.
The data is provided by a representative number of Canadian staffing companies providing services in the provinces across the country.
The data is collected on a monthly basis, with the initial data capture dating back to July 2008, providing real historical insight into the Canadian staffing landscape.
ACSESS believes that this "real data" supports U.S evidence that the Staffing Industry is a barometer of economic performance, and will provide information for economists, politicians, analysts, researchers and journalists in addition to members of the staffing industry.
About ACSESS
ACSESS is the single voice for promoting best practices and ethical standards for the recruitment, employment and staffing services industry in Canada. For more information visit: www.acsess.org
About Staffing Industry Analysts
Staffing Industry Analysts is the premier research and analysis firm covering temporary employment and the contingent workforce. Known for its independent and objective insights, the company's proprietary research, data, support tools, publications and executive conferences provide a competitive edge to decision-makers who supply and buy temporary staffing. In addition to temporary staffing, Staffing Industry Analysts also covers these related staffing sectors: third party placement, and staff leasing (PEOs). Founded in 1989, the company is headquartered in Los Altos, California. For more information visit: www.staffingindustry.com
Media Contact:
Suzanne McInerney, CPC
Communications and Marketing Specialist
Phone 905-826-6869 / Toll Free: 1-888-232-4962
Email: smcinerney@acsess.org
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Canadian Staffing Industry Awards - ACSESS
It’s ACSESS award season. The timing couldn’t be more perfect to feature our highly respected industry awards. As I write this message for Dialogue magazine, the Vancouver Winter Olympics are in full swing. Omnipresent on every television set, in every home and in every restaurant, is the background chatter and ticker tape reminding us of the medal winners.
Whether awards are international Olympic medals, commemorating incredible athletic feats, or national ACSESS industry awards, acknowledging outstanding contributions to staffing in Canada, it is always exciting and uplifting to celebrate award recipients and recognize their extraordinary accomplishments.
We will be announcing our industry award recipients at the national annual conference in Mississauga, Ontario, in May, 2010. Each of our ACSESS awards has meaning on many levels. Intensely vigorous competitors pause and join together to honour and celebrate their business rivals’ special accomplishments, leadership, chapter success, community service, and health and safety performance. The recipients deserve every bit of recognition we can offer.
We all deserve a little bit of special recognition. I propose that we introduce the “Survivor Award”. If you are reading this magazine, you survived the most difficult economic cycle ever experienced by the Canadian staffing industry. Although we are still in a fragile recovery period, it’s probably safe to say that the worst is now behind us. You survived. Congratulations…you are a winner!
During these tough economic and political times, ACSESS has demonstrated the depth of its strength. While most staffing associations in other countries experienced reduced membership levels accompanied by service and staff reductions, ACSESS held strong. Canadian staffing companies turned to ACSSES for representation, training, tools and resources. More companies became new members and our membership continued to grow. ACSESS has clearly secured its status and reputation as the single national voice of staffing, effectively representing our industry and membership. If there were an international award for best industry association, ACSESS would be a winner, too.
We remain in a fragile economic environment and there is no easy path to follow; there never will be. We remain surrounded by political and social forces that do not fully appreciate the value we offer to people, companies and the economy; we always will be.
Every permanent, contract and temporary job that we fill is exciting and uplifting. That’s the nature of our business. The best way for us to achieve greater recognition is to stand on the award podium and proudly show the world what we have accomplished. We have a lot to celebrate. This spring, ACSESS will recognize our award-winning member companies, chapters and individuals. Let’s take a lesson from the Olympics and flaunt our every success for the whole world to see.
This is a reprint of the Presidents Message in the spring edition of the ACSESS Dialogue magazine (Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services.
You can download the entire magazine from the ACSESS Website
Steve Jones
ACSESS
National President
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Canadian Staffing Index: A Leading Indicator of Economic Recovery
The Canadian employment rate is heading in the right direction and temporary staffing is leading the way!
Last week, the Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services (ACSESS), in conjunction with independent research firm Staffing Industry Analysts, released a new groundbreaking monthly index that tracks temporary employment across Canada. The Canadian Staffing Index reported consistent job growth for several months as far back as May 2009. Statistics Canada then followed with the news that 25,000 Canadian jobs were created during the month of February 2010.
It’s a well known fact that Statistics Canada’s job creation numbers are a lagging indicator of the economy, however, it is believed that the new Canadian Staffing Index, which measures temporary help hours, will provide a real-time barometer of employment activity and a reliable leading indicator of near-future full-time job creation.
The March 12, 2010, the Labour Force Survey produced by Statistics Canada says that “employment has been on an upward trend since July 2009 (+159,000 jobs),” and that “this contrasts with the sharp drop of 417,000 between the peak in October 2008 and July 2009.”
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/subjects-sujets/labour-travail/lfs-epa/lfs-epa-eng.pdf)
In comparison, the Canadian Staffing Index shows that temporary employment hours were on an upward trend three months ahead of the more traditional Labour Force and Unemployment data.(http://www.acsess.org/NEWS/IndustryPress-Feb8-2010.asp)
It’s interesting to note that the lagging Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey and the current Canadian Staffing Index both confirm that employment peaked in October of 2008. Had the Staffing Index been in place at that time, the decline in temporary personnel hours may have provided an ominous foreboding of the devastating job losses that ultimately followed. It only makes sense considering that temporary workers are typically the first to be cut back in slow periods and the first to return in a recovery.
Temporary staffing is primarily used by business managers to hedge against the uncertainties and fluctuations in the economy. Other research data shows that temporary employment will often transition to regular full-time employment when the work requirements become more consistent and predictable.
The Canadian Staffing Industry Index is a reliable tool for business managers, economists and governments in their development of policy and decision making. The names of the actual survey participants and the individual companies’ data is kept confidential, administered by an independent research firm, Staffing Industry Analysts, but we know that no other survey of its type with such an extraordinarily high percentage of the total market share has ever been collected or reported on in Canada.
All of our companies within Design Group Staffing Inc., including The People Bank, Placement Group, Design Group Technical Staffing, Allen Professional Search, INTEQNA, Aimco Industrial Staffing, The Medical Recruitment Network and La Banque de Personnel participate in the submission of confidential and timely data. When our data is combined with the other respondents’ data, the survey provides trends and hours worked by over 30,000 employees. Now that’s a sample size to be reckoned with!
We will continue to deliver future Canadian Staffing Index results through future editions of the Staffing Insider. The way things are going, we predict that the next Canadian Staffing Index will verify that there is more job growth in the current month. That’s because we are busy…so you will be, too.
This article was written by Steve Jones and published during the week of March 15, 2010 in the Staffing Insider, a regular email broadcast produced by The People Bank, Aimco, Allen Professional Search, La Banque de Personnel and the Medical Recruitment Network.
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Friday, March 12, 2010
Internet Job Boards - Friend or Foe
By Steve Jones, CPC March 11, 2010 for www.working.com Photograph by: Handout, ACSESS
The Internet and job boards have given you and the rest of the entire world an equal ability to discover and apply for all the same jobs.
The Internet and job boards have given you and the rest of the entire world an equal ability to discover and apply for all the same jobs. Technology makes it easier for the qualified and the unqualified to clutter the field making it more difficult for you to stand out from the crowd. Understanding Internet job board technology can give you the upper hand when developing your resume and employment application strategy.
Here are a few quick tips that will increase your job board application results.
Tip #1 - Resume Key Words
Most employers use indexed database technology where the words and phrases contained within your resume are stored and then searchable within the database. It is very important that your resume contains the words and phrases that an employer will likely use in their resume searching and filtering process. For example, you may have had the title of "Product Support Specialist" in a call centre for an electronics company. If your job search is focused around customer interaction then the words "Customer Service", "Call Centre", "Client Support", "Inbound" and "CSR" are common words and expressions that might work for you. On the other hand, if your career objective is more technically focused than people focused then you should shift the emphasis of words in your resume to describe the specific products and technologies that you are familiar with.
You already have the headings in your resume like “Career Objective”, “Education” and “Career History” so why not include a heading called “Key Words” then list a set of key words that might match common words used by employers when using a database search engine.
Tip #2 - .doc File Format
Employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to store and sort the resumes and applications they receive. Most ATS are capable of handling Microsoft word .doc file formats but many have difficulty handling resumes in other formats such as PDF, .docx, wpd, html and other standards. These formats may have their advantages but not when attaching your resume to an on-line application form. If the words and phrases within your resume cannot be extracted by the employer’s applicant tracking software then you run the risk of never being noticed by a real person. Always submit your resume in the world's most common format.
Tip #3 - Follow Up
The biggest problem with on-line systems is the lack of human interaction. In the end, people will hire people to work with other people. Do your research and figure out who the human resources or hiring manager is and then send them a personal note pointing out that you have applied on-line. Include a professional letter that contains information that will motivate them to bypass the computer sorting process and go directly to your application. Try to make contact in person, over the phone or by email.
We frequently hear people talk about how lucky or unlucky they are in their job search. Luck has nothing to do with it. Remember that the smarter you work, the luckier you'll get.
The People Bank is an active member of ACSESS, the Association of Canadian Search Employment and Staffing Services and Steve Jones is President of both The People Bank and ACSESS.
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