January 31st, 2008 06:43am
Nate Legue
There’s been a lot of talk about the effect of baby boomers’ looming retirements on the work force. But there’s some evidence to indicate that many will remain beyond traditional retirement age because of the cost of health care and paltry savings.
Some companies are taking advantage of this phenomenon and touting their willingness to hire older employees. While tales of ageism abound, there are employers eager to garner the experience those workers bring with them.
Here’s a Web site full of companies dubbed the National Employer Team; they’ve partnered with the AARP to attract older employees.
January 25th, 2008 09:26am
Nate Legue
Buoyed by union growth in California, national membership in organized labor groups grew in 2007 as a share of the work force for the first time since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking union rolls. From The Center for Economic and Policy Research, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C.:
Unions added about 310,000 members last year, raising the unionized share of the workforce to 12.1 percent from 12.0 percent in 2006.
The increase is small, and may well reflect statistical variation rather than an actual increase in the union membership share, but the uptick is striking because it is the first time since the BLS began collecting annual union membership rates in 1983 that the union share has increased.
Read the whole news release here.
An interesting side note is that the Rockford metropolitan area has bucked the trend against unionization over the last two decades, according to data from UnionStats.com.
In 1986, just 12.1 percent of employed workers here were union members. By 2006, that share had grown to 15.3 percent of the workforce. But the reason for the growth was the robust expansion of public sector unions; private sector membership declined as a share of the work force. Union workers made up 28.6 percent of public employees here in 1986, but by 2006 half of all public employees were unionized.
January 17th, 2008 02:16pm
Nate Legue
Nearly four dozen employers will be looking for workers at the job fair in Belvidere on Wednesday. Another nine employment agencies and 12 education and training organizations will also be on site at the Belvidere Community Center, 111 W. First St.
Employers
Cargill Meat Solutions (Beardstown)
Leading Edge Hydraulics
Bi-State Point of Sale Solutions
Ford Tool and Machine
Gwen Brooks State Farm (Belvidere)
Belvidere Dental Designs
Aflac
Home Depot
Franklin Wire and Display
Servicom
Bourn and Koch
NCO Group
West Corporation
Ingersoll Machine Tool
K & M Machine-Fabricating
Belvidere Police Department
YTB Travel
DialAmerica Marketing
Abrasive-Form Inc.
Benefit Solutions
DHL Express
Consortium Group
Haldex Hydraulics
Allstate Insurance
Rockford Health System
Winnebago County Sheriff
Excel Gear
Advanced Technology Services
Cintas Corporation
Nationwide Insurance
Relive International
Woodward
Printpack Inc.
MetLife
United States Steel Corp.
Ambit Energy
Primerica
Hintzsche Fertilizer
OSF St. Anthony Medical Center
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
Material Testing Laboratories
Averitt Express
Forte Automation Systems
Sure Care Home Health
Wahl Clipper Corporation
Bioadvantage Fuels
Employment agencies
Global Staffing Services
Furst Staffing
Workplace
Stateline Staffing Services
QPS Companies
SRI Systems Research Inc.
Working World Staffing Services
Staff on Site
Assured Staffing
Education and training
TechWorks
Upper Iowa University
Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA)
Rockford Real Estate Academy
Rasmussen College
Rock Valley College
Kishwaukee College
Colorado Technical University
Kaplan University
Building & Fire Code Academy
January 17th, 2008 02:10pm
Nate Legue
The founder of CHIP, the Coronary Health Improvement Project, will give a two-day seminar about using the plan to reduce health care costs at corporations.
Dr. Hans Diehl will direct the Executive FastTrack to Better Health from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, and Friday, Feb. 29, at the new visitors center at Anderson Japanese Gardens.
The seminar is limited to the first 55 executives who sign up. Among the local companies already participating in the healthy lifestyle program are SwedishAmerican Health Systems, Chrysler and Woodward Governor.
For more information or to register, call 815-316-6361 or visit chiphealth.com.
January 16th, 2008 07:51am
Nate Legue
After Chrysler announced the layoffs of more than 1,000 workers at its Belvidere Assembly plant, several job and training agencies put together a job fair for Jan. 23. The fair is open to everyone, not just Chrysler employees.
So far 59 organizations have signed up, including manufacturers, health care providers, insurance companies, employment agencies and education and training groups.
Organizers are looking for more employers to participate, but the sign-up period ends Friday. It’s free. To register your company for the job fair, send an email to John Strandin or call the Workforce Connection at 815-395-6600.
The job fair will be from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the Belvidere Community Builidng, 111 W. First St.
January 8th, 2008 08:33am
Nate Legue
Think you’re overworked? Well, you’re not alone.
Most executives and professionals say they can’t escape their work demands, and log hours on their commutes, at night and even weekends, according to a poll by a major search firm. Seventy percent of the 500 polled by MRINetwork said their company does not do a good job of letting them balance their work and personal lives.
In fact, 65 percent said they worked “frequently” after hours, while 19 percent worked “sometimes,” 9 percent “occasionally” and only 5 percent said “never.”
While working like sled dogs may be common to mid- and upper-level managers, this workflow pattern is fading as as baby boomers head toward retirement. Researchers say Generations X and Y are often more interested in balancing work and personal pursuits than “getting ahead,” like their parents.
“This will inevitably lead to a reevaluation of the performance requirements of individual positions within many companies, especially as the younger generation moves into higher management levels,” said Michael Jalbert, MRINetwork president, in a written statement.
December 18th, 2007 02:42pm
Nate Legue
More than half of companies responding to a Wisconsin staffing firm’s survey said they expect to increase hiring in the first quarter of 2008. QPS polled 200 companies in Wisconsin and northern Illinois this month for its Employment Forecasting Survey.
The poll found that 54 percent plan to hire more and those who plan to increase payroll will do so by an average of 7.54 percent.
Almost three quarters of respondents expect average or above average growth in the first three months of the new year. But they expect a lack of qualified or skilled employees to be among the biggest issues in 2008.
December 7th, 2007 08:54am
Nate Legue
The Workforce Connection, a partnership of agencies providing services to both job seekers and employers, moved its Belvidere office.
The agency is now located in the Logan Square Building at 998 Belvidere Road, just south of Logan Avenue.The office used to be located at 1208 Logan Ave.
A formal ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration is planned for early January.
The Workforce Connection has offices in Belvidere and Rockford to provide one contact for employers to find workers and for job seekers to receive training, education and employment services.
The phone number for the office is still 815-547-9616.
December 6th, 2007 10:24am
Nate Legue
Last month, 136 students from Rockford area high schools piled on four buses to go to the FABTECH show in Chicago, a massive trade show at McCormick Place. It was all part of an effort to get young people interested in manufacturing careers.
Local manufacturers say they’re having a hard time finding qualified workers to run machines — machines that require extensive training in mathematics and computer programming. And the average age of local machinists is getting older. So five companies and three organizations sponsored the students’ trip to see 470,000 square feet of exhibitions from nearly 1,000 companies.
Sponsors were Woodward, Forest City Gear, W.A. Whitney, Specialty Screw and Reliable Machine. The Rockford Area Economic Development Council, the Rockford Community Foundation and the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association also chipped in.
“The shortage of skilled workers is a major industry concern and the number one issue facing employers in the metal forming and fabricating sector,” said Gerald Shankel, president & CEO of FMA in a press release. “This initiative addressed the importance of introducing young people to these jobs in order to train tomorrow’s workforce.”
The event must have had an effect. Some of the students from Guilford are building a Web site and photo slide show of their field trip. Here’s one of the photos:
Caption: Guilford High School students pause to watch an equipment demonstration at the W. A. Whitney booth during the FABTECH Show at McCormick Place on Nov. 14. (Photo provided)
November 27th, 2007 08:12am
Nate Legue
The Rockford Chamber of Commerce will host a seminar on creating a workplace wellness program, a strategy that employers are hurrying to adopt to combat rising health insurance premiums.
I’ve written a few stories, including this one, about a program that has proved rather effective at several local companies this year.
The chamber event will be part of its Breakfast Buzz series. The presentation “What Does It Take to Make a Workplace Well?” will be from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the Woodward Technology Center at Rock Valley College, 3301 North Mulford Road, Rockford. The cost is $10 for chamber members and $20 for non-members and includes breakfast.
Among the presenters are Gary R. Wright of Benefit Planning Services Inc., Lynette Jacques of Destiny Health and Melissa Byrnes of the YMCA of the Rock River Valley. To register, visit this page at rockfordchamber.com or call 815-316-4319.
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