Twenty-six years apparently have not changed much in terms of workers’ attitudes toward the economic climate and the job market.A recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) compared the attitudes of the college class of 2008 to the class of 1982 based on current survey results and those of a similar study conducted by the NACE Foundation in 1982.

Gen Xers grew up in a society that was largely influenced and run by Boomers whose intense lives they often reacted against. Many found their “liberated” parents focused on careers and causes at the expense of families. Their parents had the highest divorce rates in history. Most Gen X kids grew up in single-parent or double-income homes. The child-rearing theory of the day stressed giving kids decision-making power and “not stifling them with rules.” Without a high level of nurturing and emotional bonding, they became skeptical, with an inclination to be independent. Some were forced into adult roles in dysfunctional families.

Barely one-third of companies believe they effectively communicate their reward philosophy and strategy effectively to their employees, according to a new study conducted by Hay Group, WorldatWork and Loyola University Chicago. In contrast, 80% believe that reward communication has an effective or very effective impact on the organization’s performance, employee satisfaction, retention and employee engagement.

As the workforce continues to integrate the newest generation, challenges may present themselves when the youngest generation has different expectations than the older generations. However, experts say managers and coworkers should appreciate Generation Y’s values and listen to what they have to say.

In today's world of everyone believing that they are entitled to special treatment for one reason or another, it's increasingly difficult to be a Human Resource/Human Capital professional or labor lawyer.

Workforce migration and a low birth rate are demographics that will hinder Romania from sustaining long term economic growth, said Romania’s central bank chief economist Valentin Lazea.

With four generations of employees that are as different as LPs are from iPods, companies need to do a better job of identifying and utilizing the varied skills available to them under the same roof. A recent study has found that almost 70% of companies don’t have programs in place to deal with the four different generations currently in the workforce.

Australia's population is set to change substantially over the next 50 years, with around one in four Australians being 65 years or older by 2056, according to the latest population projections released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). These projections are based on a series of assumptions that take into account recent trends in fertility, mortality and migration.

Trans-boundary cooperation is no longer an exception but everyday practise for many local companies today. However, the managers in charge have an additional problem to solve, because the growing internationality demands special characteristics: „intercultural competence“ is in demand, on an the individual as well as the organisational level. In order to make this competence controllable, the consulting companies HILL International and Hauska & Partner International Communications have developed a new evaluation tool: the InterCultureAnalysis.

Most companies do not have a plan to manage and transfer knowledge and even fewer factor cross-generational challenges into business strategy, says a new report from The Conference Board, the global research and business membership organization. “As the Baby Boom generation of corporate leaders and experts approaches retirement, businesses in the U.S., Canada, and many European nations face the loss of experience and knowledge on an unprecedented scale,” says Diane Piktialis, Mature Workforce Program Leader at The Conference Board and co-author of the report with Kent Greenes, Program Director, Learning & Knowledge Management Council, The Conference Board. “Younger workers can’t be counted on to fill the void, as they lack the experience that builds deep expertise. They also tend to change jobs frequently, taking their technological savvy and any knowledge they’ve gained with them.” The result can be a significant drain of business wisdom that decreases innovation, lowers growth capacity, and reduces efficiency in the organization.

As businesses become increasingly global in their nature we have to adapt the talent management and development infrastructures to this new reality. Attracting, identifying and deploying global talent effectively, in a timely fashion, in complex matrix organisations with operations across the globe, are complicated tasks. So is developing the talent pipeline. This article focuses on the opportunities and issues relating specifically to development solutions for global talent. We examine the options at each stage of the process for building global development solutions – from early stakeholder engagement and needs analysis to application of the learning.

Shortages of skilled workers are prompting governments in the EU's newer eastern members to develop strategies to lure back their nationals from western countries. But often the salaries offered back home remain well below workers' expectations. EurActiv's network of eastern media affiliates reports from the region.

EU capital regions in Northern Europe tend to lead the way towards the knowledge-based economy with the highest share of highly qualified workers in science and technology (S&T). At national level, France has the highest proportion of high-tech workers, while Poland's S&T workforce is the Union's youngest, according to the EU statistical office Eurostat.

Employee engagement has been a hot topic in corporate circles overseas for the past few years and it is now gathering steam in New Zealand. It's about unlocking an organisation to release the talent and human potential that is already there. Having a dedicated and energised team of employees who understand and believe in the brand can be the difference between a business being a success or a failure. When staff understand what is at the heart of an organisation, it becomes possible to really mobilise them.

About half of the people who moved to Britain from the countries that joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 have already left the UK, according to a major report published by the ippr.

Recruitment firm Hudson says 19 per cent are actively looking for work through a range of means including calling prospective employers. Nearly four in 10 are passively looking for in scanning newspapers and the Internet. Hudson managing director Gary Lazzarotto says the tight job market means employees are demanding more from their workplaces.

Business leaders are looking for IT to help drive business growth in 2008, resulting in increased pressure for HR to assist CIOs and IT organisations in attracting, developing, and retaining a high-calibre IT workforce. CIOs that want to attract and retain top talent in 2008 and beyond must partner more closely with HR to develop competitive pay practices that address IT-specific needs such as skills shortage, according to Lily Mok, research director for Gartner’s human capital management content development group.

Workplace stress is the most frequently cited reason US employees consider leaving their jobs. While employers acknowledge that stress is affecting business performance, few are taking steps to address it, according to two surveys by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm. Nearly half of US employers (48 percent) say stress caused by working long hours is affecting business performance. However, only 5 percent are addressing this concern, according to Watson Wyatt’s 2007/2008 Staying@Work report.

A surprising new poll conducted by the UK’s leading search and selection site for senior execs (TheLadders.co.uk), reveals that even HR Managers struggle to get ahead, whether it be due to time constraints, or being too busy managingx other people’s careers. The poll revealed some interesting results.

2008 will present business with a number of evolving and complex challenges. One of the most obvious issues for business in 2008 will be planned changes of the new Labor Government, to IBISWorld chairman Phil Ruthven. While Labor is traditionally a union stronghold, he notes that only 18 per cent at most of the workforce are actually union members, and this figure is unlikely to increase in the years ahead.

Executives are increasingly open to “extreme commuting,” which involves traveling by plane to work and back each week or by car for more than 90 minutes one way each day, as an alternative to relocation, according to 70 percent of international recruiters who completed the 12th edition of the quarterly Executive Recruiter Index, released by Korn/Ferry International, a premier global provider of talent management solutions.

Results from the London Business Survey show that two out of three firms in the capital (65%) expect to be troubled by skills shortages over the next six months, and the majority (58%) are already recruiting from overseas to fill gaps. Almost a third (29%) of those turning overseas said they were increasing their recruitment from outside the UK and, contrary to the perception that overseas workers often perform low-skilled jobs, 83% are bringing in those with higher, degree-level skills. The survey revealed that whilst 57% of respondents thought that London's talent pool was one of its leading assets in business success, 24% warned that a lack of suitable skills was a top threat to London's overall competitiveness.

Multinationals that make a beeline for China - lured by, among other things, a seemingly endless supply of cheap labour - could find themselves mired in spiralling manpower costs, research by Hay Group warns. Before making that leap into China, companies should do not just a standard financial audit but also 'people due diligence', says Goh Hern Yin, Hay's former China country manager, reward information services. 'Otherwise, they will run headlong into spiralling hidden operational costs,' says Mr Goh, now regional business development manager at Hay. 'The myth of China's bottomless supply of cheap labour has led to a 'gold rush' as many MNCs relocate their regional headquarters to China to save costs. 'Instead, companies find themselves incurring more manpower costs as they are unable to fill key regional positions with local Chinese and therefore have to import foreign talent at higher-than-expected costs.'

Despite the current skills shortage among senior executives around the world, traditional values about job tenure and loyalty remain well ingrained, with executives taking a cautious view of high job mobility, according to a new study.

Märkte und deren Rahmenbedingungen verändern sich rasant schnell. Die Unternehmen reagieren mit neuen Strategien und Reorganisa­tion ihrer Strukturen. Ihr Personal entlohnen gerade deutsche Unter­nehmen aber immer noch zu häufig nach alter Väter Sitte. Die nicht mehr zeitgemäßen Entgeltsysteme bezahlen sie jetzt mit zum Teil gravierenden Wettbe­werbsnachteilen. Fax, Handy, E-Mail kaum ein anderer Dreiklang steht so für einen schnellen Wandel. Nicht ganz so auffällig, aber genauso rasant verändern sich Märkte und deren Rahmenbedingungen. Die Firmenlenker haben ihre Strategie und ihre Organisa­tion schnell angepasst , urteilt Helge Benz, Experte für Vergütungsmanage­ment bei der Unternehmensberatung Hay Group mit Sitz in Frankfurt. Gerade deutsche Unternehmen haben es aber versäumt, gleichzeitig ihre Entgeltsysteme auf Vor­dermann zu bringen und strategisch neu auszurichten. Das büßen sie jetzt mit Wettbewerbsnachteilen. Die Gefahr: Qualifizierte und vor allem gesuchte Fachkräfte bleiben weg, weil sie besondere Entlohnungsformen und Gehaltshöhen fordern, die ihnen in deutschen Unternehmen aber oftmals nicht gewährt werden können die Entgeltsysteme sind dazu nicht flexibel genug.

New Zealand companies are copping high rates of economic crime compared to companies in other countries, according to a new international study released by PriceWaterhouseCoopers that put the total cost to local companies at $70 million. The PriceWaterhouseCooper Global Economic Crime Survey looked at theft, accounting fraud, bribery, money laundering and intellectual property infringement. Of the New Zealand companies surveyed, 66.7 per cent reported that they had suffered at least one of these crimes, well above the 39.1 per cent rate for the Asia-Pacific region and also well clear of the global rate of 42.7 per cent.

The first wave of 3.2 million baby boomers turns 62 next year — 365 an hour. About 49% of the men and 53% of the women are projected to choose early retirement and begin drawing monthly Social Security checks representing 75% of the benefit they'd be entitled to receive if they waited four more years to retire. In 2011, they'll turn 65 and be eligible for Medicare. In 2012, those who didn't take early retirement benefits will turn 66 and qualify for their full share. By 2030, Social Security's caseload will be 84 million people, up from 50 million today. Medicare will go from 44 million beneficiaries to 79 million. That will leave barely more than two workers paying payroll taxes for every retiree. The boomer retirements have demographers, actuaries and economists worried as they prepare for an estimated $50 trillion in future obligations over the next 75 years. Social Security will rise from 4% to 6% of the nation's economy. Medicare will go from 3% to 11%.

The Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (AEEMA) called on both sides of politics to develop a comprehensive national strategy to address current skills shortages in the high technology industry. The industry group, which represents the electronics, information and communication technologies (ICT) and electrical manufacturing industries in Australia, said the strategy should reverse the decline in student enrolments and expand the pool of available workers in the sector. AEEMA CEO, Angus M Robinson, said investment in skilled human infrastructure is vital to ensure Australia has people with the right skills to underpin technology assisted productivity growth into the future.

One of Poland's biggest exports since joining the European Union has been its own people. But now Warsaw has decided the brain drain needs to be reversed and the government has launched a campaign to entice the migrants to come back home. In one of the biggest exoduses in post-war Europe, between 1.2 and 2 million of Poland's 38 million people have opted to leave home and seek their fortunes in the booming economies of the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as Sweden. These three countries were the only EU member states to welcome the new Eastern European workforce with open arms in 2004, and it has paid off. The host nations estimate the labor injection has helped to keep inflation and wages in check and further boosted the economy. But while many of the young Poles are enjoying their new lives so much they want to put down roots, their native Poland has now decided it needs them back.

Die gute Konjunktur lässt die Angst vor Arbeitslosigkeit in Deutschland sinken. Ihren Arbeitsplatz halten mittlerweile 79 Prozent der Bundesbürger für sicher. Nur elf Prozent der Deutschen schätzen ihren Job als unsicher ein. Das ergab eine Umfrage der Wirtschaftsjunioren Deutschland unter 11 000 Arbeitnehmern. Fast zwei Drittel rechnen demnach mit einer Fortsetzung der wirtschaftlichen Erholung. Im vergangenen Jahr waren noch weniger als die Hälfte vom Aufwärtstrend überzeugt, nur 68 Prozent schätzten ihren Job als sicher ein.

According to the latest data from the Australian Department of Immigration, figures show that 148,200 permanent visas were granted in 2006-07, including 97,920 for skilled migrants and 13,017 for refugees or people entering the country on humanitarian grounds. The most common occupations for skilled migrants were accountancy, IT, nursing, mechanical and civil engineering, marketing and general management. The average age was 31.

Arbeitgeber in einigen ungewöhnlichen Orten sagen, sie haben Probleme, offene Stellen zu besetzen. Firmenmanager in Ho Chi Minh-Stadt berichten, viele ihrer 62$-pro-Monat Arbeiter seien zur Feier des Tet-Festes nach Hause gegangen und nie wiedergekommen. In Bulgarien werden Informatiker so dringend gesucht, dass sie nicht damit behelligt werden, die Anfragen eines Hollywood-Studios zu beantworten. Und in Peoria kämpft Caterpillar Inc. damit, genügend Service-Techniker auszubilden. Das Problem in allen Fällen: nicht genügend Leute, die befähigt und willens sind, die Arbeit für den angebotenen Loh zu verrichten. „Wir haben ein globales Problem ... und es wird noch schlimmer kommen,“ so Stephen Hitch, ein Personaler bei Caterpillar.Eine globale Krise, die schon Auswirkungen auf einige Arbeitgeber hat, scheint sich in den letzten Monaten verstärkt zu haben. Und dass trotz groß angekündigter Stellenkürzungen, inklusive des Plans der Citigroup, mehr als 15.000 Stellen abzubauen. In der Tat bleibt die Arbeitslosenrate der USA niedrig – nur 4,5 % im Februar — und sogar Firmen in Ländern mit höherer Arbeitslosenrate fühlen sich bedrängt. „Es ist nicht nur ein US-Phänomen,” so Jeffery A. Joerres, Generaldirektor von Manpower Inc., der Personalagentur. Manpower veröffentlichte eine Übersicht von fast 37.000 Arbeitgebern in 27 Ländern. Die Studie fand heraus, dass fast 41% Probleme haben, die benötigten Leute einzustellen.

The strong economy has created big skill shortages which are here to stay for some time, according to a report released by the Department of Labour. The Skills in the Labour Market report, covering the June 2007 quarter, showed that the working-age population grew by only 0.2 per cent, the lowest quarterly result for nearly two years. This, combined with falling net migration (from 14,800 in the year to November 2006 to 10,100 in the year to June 2007) means employers have had a smaller pool of people available to recruit from, said the department’s deputy secretary for work directions, Monique Dawson.

Im Jahr 2005 war China der größte Investor in den Bereichen Forschung und Entwicklung. Doch die OECD warnt, dass das Land noch einen weiten Weg vor sich hat, um ein modernes, hochleistungsfähiges Innovationssystem zu errichten, und dafür wird die Qualität der höheren Bildung vom entscheidender Bedeutung sein. Der Bericht stellt fest, dass der Löwenanteil an Chinas Investitionen in Forschung und Entwicklung für die Modernisierung von Einrichtungen und Ausrüstung ausgegeben wurde sowie für experimentelle Forschung im Bereich neuer Produkte. „In den Sektoren Dienstleistungen, Energie, Umwelttechnologie und Grundlagenforschung werden mehr Investitionen benötigt,“ so die OECD.

Ein Damokles-Schwert hängt über unserer Gesellschaft: Immer mehr alte - immer weniger junge Menschen. Der so genannte demographische Wandel hat nicht nur gesellschaftspolitische Auswirkungen, er bringt nicht nur die sozialen Sicherungssysteme ins Wanken - auch die Unternehmen müssen sich mit ihrer Personalentwicklung auf ganz neue Herausforderungen einstellen. Unternehmen oder Abteilungen, die nur Mitarbeiter unter 30 wollen, werden sich in wenigen Jahren sehr schwer tun, ihren Personalbedarf zu decken. In manchen Branchen wird man länger arbeiten. Unternehmen stehen mit ihrer Organisations- und Personalentwicklung vor ganz neuen Aufgaben, wenn sich das Durchschnittsalter der Belegschaft erhöht und auch für ältere Arbeitnehmer geeignete Arbeitsplätze zur Verfügung stehen müssen.

China is producing fewer science graduates than it used to despite its massive drive to promote research and development, says a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).In 2005 China became the sixth biggest spender in the world on R&D. But the OECD warns it still has a long way to go to build a modern and high-performance innovation system, and the quality of higher education will be crucial.The report notes that the lion's share of China's investment on R&D focused on updating facilities and equipment, and experimental research for new products. "More investment is needed in sectors such as services, energy, environmental technology and basic research," says the OECD.

China suffers the worst brain drain in the world, according to a new study that found seven out of every 10 students who enrol in an overseas university never return to live in their homeland.

More than 25 percent of U.S. businesses have done little to plan for the effects of an aging workforce, according to a new national study. Over the next decade, there will be a significant change in the demographics of America's workforce as baby boomers continue to retire, leaving younger workers with less experience to fill their place -- and leaving many businesses unprepared.