HR departments strive to understand the functions of their employees and how they relate to company operations. Insights into the behavior of workers can help managers improve conditions and boost productivity. According to InformationWeek, one big data application that HR services have begun to utilize is predictive analytics: use of statistics to estimate workforce tendencies, such…

In response to the new health care legislation, many small businesses plan to reduce worker hours or cut full-time positions. Under stipulations of the Affordable Care Act, employers with at least 50 full-time equivalent workers will be required to provide benefits by 2015. In response, more than half of small businesses with 40 to 70…

Most employees will be will keep an eye open for new jobs next year. According to an annual poll by Right Management, 83 percent of North American workers plan to actively seek a new position in 2014. An additional 9 percent said a job change is a possibility. Only 5 percent are fully confident about…

Many college graduates are following career paths different from their major. According to a recent survey from CareerBuilder, 47 percent of college-educated workers said their first job after graduating was in a field unrelated to their major. As they grew older, many continued to work outside their area of study. Among workers aged 35 and…

Manufacturing companies are discovering the benefit of adding temporary workers to their production teams. Because many products are in demand seasonally - such as motorcycles and lawn care equipment in the summer - some companies are ramping up production months in advance to help them adjust to the demands of the market.Harley-Davidson recently announced hundreds of…

Many small-business owners are looking forward to hiring, but are challenged by an unavailability of qualified workers and new health care legislation. Almost one-third plan to hire more workers in the 12 months, yet, nearly half of owners see a shortage of talent in the labor pool, according to the latest Small Business Owner Report…

Although technology companies have plans to hire, many are concerned about a shortage of qualified workers. According to the National Survey of Technology, Policy and Strategic Issues, 63 percent of IT executives plan to hire in the next 12 months, yet 69 percent perceive a shortage of talent in the labor pool.Despite the challenge of…

As U.S. states have opened online marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act, some have found technical challenges. In Oregon, the state's healthcare marketplace - called Cover Oregon - has been unable to process applications due to technical errors. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber said that the glitches could prevent people from meeting a key deadline to attain…

The number of temporary employees rose marginally in October, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An increase of 3,300 temp jobs was reported in October, amounting to a total of 2,737,700 temp workers in the U.S.While the amount increased, the temporary penetration rate - the percentage of the workforce employed in temp positions -…

Although the economy grew last year, a new survey shows employee pride dropped significantly during the same period. This year, only 38.5 percent of Americans said they feel fulfilled by their work, which is down from 59.2 percent in 2012, according to surveys from Salary.comAll around, workers expressed more negative sentiment about their careers. Almost…