May 2016

106, 2016

Research Report: The Appetite Returns

By |June 1st, 2016|

The combination of low interest rates and historically high levels of cash on corporate balance sheets has helped whet the appetites for merger and acquisition (M&A) activity on the part of both strategic (i.e., corporate) and financial (i.e., private equity) buyers. According to data from Bloomberg, global M&A activity reached $3.8 trillion in 2015, surpassing the previous record from 2007 prior to the onset of the Great Recession.

Echoing […]

305, 2016

Up at Night

By |May 3rd, 2016|

Threats that go bump in the night, keeping CEOs up, is common in business. But there are some risks that can impact the staffing industry that keep the C-suite pacing the floors, burning the midnight oil.

We spoke with several experts about some of the risks. Yes, many of these top-of-mind issues can’t completely be erased as they are […]

305, 2016

The Buzz: The Sword in the Stone

By |May 3rd, 2016|

We at Staffing Industry Analysts call it “The Sword in the Stone,” nicknamed thus for its ability to find exceptional researchers. It’s a short, skills-based assessment — built by our former VP of research. The process works. But if we had 700 researchers (or if we were a staffing firm that needed to place 700 […]

305, 2016

Elevating the Ecosystem

By |May 3rd, 2016|

At Staffing Industry Analysts, we sit at the intersection of several groups where we can observe the changes happening around the edges of the staffing industry. Since we talk to thousands of industry executives each year, we have a unique viewpoint on what the industry is worried about, what are the current hot topics and […]

305, 2016

The Other Side: Learning to Be Professional

By |May 3rd, 2016|

Graduating from college doesn’t always ensure that you have a job waiting for you. I was one of those who went to a staffing firm hoping that my lack of experience would be something agencies could help me with. I struggled with finding one that was willing to find me a job due my lack […]

305, 2016

Expert’s Corner: Helping Hands

By |May 3rd, 2016|

Staffing has long been an excellent industry for women to build rewarding careers. For a number of years now, gender balance (and even a skewing toward women) has been apparent in the employee and mid-level management ranks, but much less so at the C-level. We have made some strides. Just recently, Act-1 founder and CEO […]

305, 2016

Working to Recruit

By |May 3rd, 2016|

Low unemployment is a good thing, but when it comes to recruiting it can create complexity and challenges. This month’s column focuses on a staffing firm located in an area with one of the lowest employment rates in the country. The firm, Prince, Perelson & Associates, is based in the Salt Lake City area — […]

305, 2016

At This Rate …

By |May 3rd, 2016|

Bill rate and mark-up. Increasing presence of VMS. Compressed margins. These are concerns we hear about as we travel the country meeting with staffing companies. When buyers of staffing services try to commoditize our clients with bill rate and mark-up, we teach them to state the following:

“Well I can certainly appreciate the fact that you are […]

305, 2016

After the Polls

By |May 3rd, 2016|

The current presidential campaign is significant for the future of the staffing industry. As I see it, the overriding theme of the race is the struggle between progressive and conservative philosophies of business and government, which are roughly aligned, respectively, with the Democratic and Republican parties. Here is how that conflict arises in employment in my […]

305, 2016

Research Report: Transatlantic Crossings

By |May 3rd, 2016|

In the 21st-century world of social media, it seems many of us are willing to share our most intimate experiences. That’s fine — it’s our choice — but when someone else holds your personal data, you are no longer in control of what happens to that data. Within Europe, it is reasonable to assume that […]