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Unemployment rate down; state sees moderate job growth

12/01/2006

New Jersey businesses added 3,000 jobs in September, lowering the unemployment rate to 5.2 percent. Still, that rate is 0.6 percent higher than the national rate of 4.6 percent …

How to hold orientation for non-English speaking staff

12/01/2006

A reader of our weekly e-mail newsletter recently posed this question to the other readers: “What’s the best way to include Spanish-speaking employees in orientation sessions with a predominantly English-speaking group?” …

‘Job commitment’ is valid reason to reject an applicant

12/01/2006

When it comes to evaluating applicants, you can consider factors like evidence of the employee’s commitment to the job and the likelihood he won’t stick around. That’s true even if it means you don’t hire an older applicant who worked for your organization in the past and received good reviews …

Allowing bias by subcontractor could be ‘Aiding and abetting’

12/01/2006

If your organization hires a subcontracting firm and knows that it’s discriminating against its employees, take note: You could be held liable under a rather obscure part of Pennsylvania law …

Pennsylvania adds jobs for sixth straight month

12/01/2006

Unemployment in Pennsylvania dropped to 4.6 percent in September, a seven-month low, falling in line with the national rate …

We’re smart; we really, really are

12/01/2006

According to independent private research firm Morgan Quitno Press, Pennsylvanians are a smart bunch. The company ranked Pennsylvania No. 10 in its fifth annual Smartest State Awards …

Navigating Pennsylvania’s new minimum wage law

12/01/2006

For many Pennsylvania employers, the state’s new minimum wage law taking effect Jan. 1, 2007, is straightforward: It raises the minimum wage they must pay employees to $6.25 per hour from the current federally mandated rate of $5.15. The law, however, has numerous loopholes that you need to know about …

Workplace stats can help disprove discrimination intent

12/01/2006

Nothing rankles employers more than being accused of discrimination when the statistics show that their workplace is a model of diversity and equal opportunity. You can turn those statistics in your favor …

North Central Texas Workforce Board earns large training grant

12/01/2006

The U.S. Labor Department recently awarded a $1.5 million job-training grant to the North Central Texas Workforce Board …

Handle application liars consistently: Reject all or none

12/01/2006

As an employer, you can’t always wait on a background check before offering a job, so you have to rely on applicants’ oral and written statements to make the offer. But when the background check comes back to reveal that the person lied, you have the absolute right to terminate that individual for dishonesty …