Finance executives around the world are becoming increasingly worried about recruiting and retaining skilled accounting and finance employees, according to a new survey.

President Obama has been pushing to extend the 2-percentage-point cut in the payroll tax through next year, but this is one tax cut that his opponents in Congress may not agree to allow.

CBIZ has seen a slight decrease in hiring trends among small businesses using its payroll software.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that employers added 117,000 jobs in July, sending the unemployment rate down a tenth of a percent to 9.1 percent.

Paycheck sizes have fallen 1.3 percent year-to-date at small businesses, according to figures from payroll processor SurePayroll, with hiring also declining 2.4 percent.

Small businesses hired 50,000 more employees in July and significantly increased their hours and compensation, according to figures from Intuit’s Online Payroll clients.

Private sector employment increased by 114,000 from June to July, according to payroll giant ADP, with small businesses adding 58,000 jobs.

Accounting and business advisory firm Sikich LLP has begun offering a subscription-based human resources consulting service to business clients.

The sliding economy and the roller coaster securities markets over the past several years have no doubt forced financial planners to keep both aspirin and antacid in close proximity.

IMGCAP(1)]Privately held businesses are aggregately performing better now than at any point since the recession.

IMGCAP(1)]There is a fuzzy line between a worker who is properly classified as an employee and a worker who is properly classified as an independent contractor.

ADP has expanded its payroll offerings by introducing Aline Pay by ADP, a new set of electronic pay disbursement services to distribute wages by direct deposit, checks and reloadable prepaid cards.

The June CBIZ Small Business Employment Index, a barometer for hiring trends among companies with 300 or fewer employees, increased by only 0.67 percent through the month, after posting an increase of 0.22 percent in May.

The unemployment rate climbed a tenth of a percentage point to 9.2 percent after employers added only 18,000 jobs in June, the lowest level in nine months.

Employment in the private sector increased by 157,000 from May to June on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the latest figures from payroll giant ADP, indicating that the May slowdown in employment may have been a pause.

Small business employment rose slightly in June, according to Intuit, as employers added 45,000 positions to their payrolls.

Intuit confirmed this week that the phase-out of its Complete Payroll product will conclude at the end of this year, a process the company said it has been undergoing for several years.

A double-digit bump in its Human Resources Services, coupled with slight upticks in its core payroll unit and checks per client, helped payroll and benefits outsourcing provider Paychex post an 8 percent jump in year-end profits, to $515.3 million, versus the previous year.

A new salary survey by the Institute of Management Accountants has found that Certified Management Accountants and CPAs earn substantially more than those without certification.

Ernst & Young LLP plans to hire approximately 5,000 students from campuses across the U.S. in the 2010-2011 academic year.