With California unemployment hovering at 13 percent and the national unemployment rate still above 9.5 percent, long-term unemployment is clearly one of the biggest challenges for the U.S. economy.

Skills beyond technical knowledge are critical when hiring experienced accounting professionals, according to a new study by Grant Thornton.

Businesses will be able to claim up to $8.5 billion in tax exemptions and credits for 4.5 million recently hired employees under the HIRE Act, according to a new Treasury Department report.

Jonathan Judge, president and chief executive at payroll and benefits outsourcing provider Paychex Inc., said he will leave the Rochester, N.Y.-based company effective July 31.

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 125,000 in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, largely due to a decrease of 225,000 temporary employees hired to work on the U.S. Census.

Small businesses lost 1,000 jobs this month, according to payroll giant ADP, but the private sector overall saw an increase of 13,000 jobs.

Small businesses with fewer than 20 employees added 18,000 jobs to their payrolls this month, according to payroll figures from Intuit.

Payroll and benefits outsourcing concern Paychex Inc. has launched Paychex HR Solutions, a blended services offering that merges the features of its Paychex Business Solutions and Paychex Premier Human Resources options.

A difficult economy and an expense charge of $18.7 million at payroll and benefits outsourcing provider Paychex Inc. forced an 11 percent plunge in its fiscal 2010 profits to $477 million for the year ended May 31.

When you think about how to increase your firm's profits, what comes to mind? My guess is that training and learning may not make your short list. Soft skills are even less likely to make the cut. The reality is that preparation precedes profits, and many firms miss out on great earning opportunities because they do not invest enough in training their people the right way.

The majority of HR managers and recruiters who have responsibility for recruiting accounting and finance positions are planning to hire in the next six months, according to a new survey.

Payroll services company CompuPay has partnered with online business incorporation provider BizFilings to provide discounted CompuPay payroll services to BizFilings’ customers and BizFilings special offers to CompuPay clients.

Accounting Tomorrow and Next Generation Consulting have teamed up to create a YouTube video contest for accountants of all ages -- all in the name of showing off the varied talents CPAs have (other than crunching numbers).

CFOs,Optimistic,Just,Not,Hiring

Total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 431,000 in May, largely reflecting the hiring of 411,000 temporary employees to work on the 2010 census, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Private sector employment increased by 55,000 last month, according to a report by payroll giant ADP.

Small businesses created 25,000 new jobs in May, based on the latest figures from Intuit’s Online Payroll customers, which also indicate 240,000 new jobs created since October 2009.

The bipartisan leaders of the Senate Finance Committee have introduced legislation to create job opportunities for veterans returning home from war by providing tax credits for businesses that hire them.

The workplace is changing.

Generational differences in staff productivity, culture and drive have been a hot-button topic for a long time.