In case you missed it: Dec. 10

Posted by: Ashley Smith

After a few weeks hiatus, thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday, we return to you with this regularly scheduled edition of “In case you missed it.” Let’s take a look at what we’ve been reading about hiring the past few weeks as we move toward another — and hopefully, more prosperous — year.

The Wall Street Journal’s Real Time Economics: CFOs More Optimistic on Hiring this Year. A recent survey of CFOs by Bank of America Merrill Lynch found 47 percent expect to hire additional employees next year. This is up from 28 percent last year. (12/9/10)

Computerworld: IT jobs outlook modest for 2011. IDC is predicting 5.7 percent growth in worldwide tech spending next year. But will this translate into jobs? A new study from Computer Economics found that 48 percent of managers (at U.S. and Canadian companies with revenues over $50 million) planned to add staff next year. Meanwhile, eleven percent plan to reduce staff. Noted trends include taking on new IT projects, extending staff hours, hiring contractors, and turning to outsourcing. (12/8/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Smaller Firms Still Hesitant to Hire. In November, U.S. small businesses added more jobs than they had in any other month in nearly three years (according to Automatic Data Processing). Even so, job growth is modest compared to the years prior to the recession, and small businesses are hesitant to make any drastic additions to their workforces.

Historically, small businesses have added jobs more quickly than large corporations after a recession, but this time, a number of factors — including pending tax legislation, the ongoing credit crunch, and other changes business owners made to survive the downturn, (for example, relocating to smaller office spaces) are contributing to their decision to hold back. (12/2/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Employers Still Uncertain on Hiring New Graduates. A survey by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University found that 36 percent of companies that hired new graduates last year are either uncertain that they will hire new grads this year, or they won’t. Of employers that did not hire new graduates last year, 76 percent either won’t do so again, or are unsure if they will hire. (11/29/10)