Recruiting

CBIZ said its index of small business employment suffered its largest drop in employment last month since January 2010.

The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 of a percentage point to 9.0 percent in January, while nonfarm payroll employment changed little, with the addition of 36,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday.

Small business managers are expecting hiring activity within their organizations to improve in 2011, according to a new survey, but say it will likely be hindered by continued challenges related to accessing credit, government regulations and health insurance costs.

Private sector employers in the U.S. added 187,000 jobs last month, according to the latest monthly payroll figures from ADP.

Companies concerned about keeping their top performers and attracting new ones this year may be sweetening the pot with non-monetary benefits, according to a new survey.

Chief financial officers in the U.S. lead CFOs in Europe in terms of economic optimism, access to credit and plans for hiring new workers, according to a new survey.

MY INTRO TO THE PROFESSION

Small business employment continued to show growth in January, with hours worked and wages also showing modest increases, according to payroll figures from Intuit.

As the economy gradually recovers, some mature workers are feeling more comfortable about retiring now compared to last year at this time.

While the U.S. economy is gradually gaining momentum, the economic outlook in the U.S. among small-business owners has retreated over the past six months amid concerns about local economic growth.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced legislation Wednesday to create job opportunities for veterans returning home from war and help businesses create jobs.

IMGCAP(1)]The big economic question these days is when is hiring going to pick up and the unemployment rate drop?

Nearly half of accounting and finance workers are likely to make a job transition in the next 12 months, according to a new survey.

The unemployment rate fell four-tenths of a percentage point to 9.4 percent in December, as nonfarm payroll employment increased by 103,000.

Approximately 89 percent of public accountants in a recent survey believe that businesses will either hire more in 2011 than they did in 2010 or maintain the same employee count from 2010 in 2011.

Few early signs of economic recovery will get as mixed a reception as the news that salaries in accounting are likely to rise in 2011.

IMGCAP(1)]Several months ago, I got an e-mail from a young CPA asking my advice about whether he should stay with his firm, or leave to start his own. He was depressed. He had lost respect for his partners during the recession, when the firm made what seemed like overreaching layoffs. In addition, they'd stripped away perks like telecommuting that he and many of his colleagues valued. And at the end of 2009, the firm leaders quietly celebrated a "very profitable year." Deeply saddened by this behavior at a firm he once loved, he wondered if it was time to move on.

While flexibility at work and work/life balance remain important for young staff in CPA firms, advancement opportunities and compensation rank higher on a list of what they want out of their job. They also want their partners to communicate better about what success means.

A net 2 percent of CFOs said they plan to hire full-time accounting and finance professionals in the first quarter of 2011, according to a new survey.