UK - CIPD Predictions for 2007

The year to come will be another good one for job creation, but the overall economic outlook hinges on the crucial winter pay round that is now upon us, according to Dr John Philpott , Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

CIPD forecasts warn of rising pay threat to employment prospects

New Zealand - Minimum Wage

Workers earning the minimum wage will receive a 9.8% pay rise from April 2007, Labour Minister Ruth Dyson announced today.

Largest increase to minimum wage since 1999

New Zealand - Two out of three workers happy in jobs - bosses rated highly

A new international workplace survey has found that the overwhelming majority of New Zealand’s employees are happy in their work, while they also believe that their bosses are doing a good job.

Two out of three workers happy in jobs - bosses rated highly

UK - Britons Keen on Overseas Work - But Not the Languages

The Institute for Public Policy Research has published a report, featured on the BBC website, showing that up to 6 million British people live or work abroad for at least part of the year. The most popular location is Australia, where there are 1.3 million resident Britons, followed by Spain (761,000), the USA (678,000) and Canada (603,000). Many of these have retired overseas, encouraged to seek cheaper accommodation and better weather by TV programmes such as Place in the Sun, but large numbers are also seeking work.

Britons Keen on Overseas Work - But Not the Languages

UK - Graduate Training in Northern Ireland

Invest Northern Ireland has recently appointed business and IT technology services organization Parity, in partnership with Envision, to deliver a new graduate export development programme.

Graduate Training in Northern Ireland

UK - HR Books From Amazon.co.uk

A new selection of bestselling human resource books available from Amazon.co.uk

HR Books

North Americans Stay Productive in the Holiday Season

A recent survey suggests worker productivity will be maintained as the holiday season approaches. The Adecco North America 2006 Holiday Survey, part of the Workplace Insights Series, found two-thirds (67 per cent) of 1023 workers questioned (511 men; 512 women) said they will not be spending any time shopping online during business hours. Of the remainder, 26 per cent estimated that they would spend less than six hours online. The majority of respondents (79 per cent) were not planning to take a personal or sick day to shop during the holidays.

North Americans Stay Productive in the Holiday Season

USA - Lack of After-School Care Affects Parent Productivity

New research has found that millions of American parents are less productive at work because they are worried about what their children are doing after school. The report, entitled After-School Worries: Tough on Parents, Bad for Business, was prepared by Catalyst, a leading non profit organization working to improve conditions for women in employment, in cooperation with the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University.

Lack of After-School Care Affects Parent Productivity

Global - Time Management Produces Results

A recent survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm, has found that when it comes to delivering revenue growth, it is not how many hours a sales force works, it is how they allocate their time. Rewarding salespeople with more incentive- and stock-based pay can also make a big difference.

Time Management Produces Results

USA - Streamlining Makes Meetings Meaningful

A few simple guidelines can make office meetings productive instead of a source of boredom or dread, according to Taggart Smith, professor of organizational leadership and supervision in the College of Technology, Purdue University. One of the key factors to running a good meeting is to make sure it's needed in the first place.

Streamlining Makes Meetings Meaningful

UK - Recruiting Older Employees

A new report from Taleo Research and The Age and Employment Network (TAEN), urges UK companies to address the looming skills shortage and capitalize on the ageing workforce by changing their approach to recruitment.

Recruiting Older Employees

UK - Civil Engineers Back Flexible Working

A new survey to identify challenges faced by today's civil engineers found that they require tools to increase flexibility and efficiency if they are to maximize opportunities presented by a buoyant market.

Civil Engineers Back Flexible Working

UK - Employees and Employers: 'A Marriage Breakdown in Progress?'

Survey shows that relationships between employers and employees in many workplaces are characterized by poor communication and low levels of trust resulting in underperformance, low productivity and high staff turnover.

Employees and Employers: 'A Marriage Breakdown in Progress?'

USA - Few Women in California's Top Decision-Making Roles

New research conducted at the University of California, Davis shows that women still hold only one in 10 top decision-making positions at California's 400 largest publicly traded companies.

Few Women in California's Top Decision-Making Roles

Australia - Commonwealth Bank and ACTU Disagree on Job Contracts

The Commonwealth Bank strongly refutes what it describes as the 'misleading allegations made by the ACTU'.


Commonwealth Bank and ACTU Disagree on Job Contracts