Tag: BLS

What Is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)?

Statistics about the labor force and other economic indicators are collected and communicated at the national level by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It is the primary resource for all labor-related statistical information. According to the Department of Labor (DOL) website, “The BLS is an independent national statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and […]

Forming a Successful Active Threat Plan

We’ve all seen the news. Random acts of violence, including those in the workplace, are on everyone’s radar. Today we’ll hear from security expert Jay Hart about what your company can do to begin thinking about avoiding and, more importantly, dealing with an active threat at the workplace. By Jay Hart Hart, director of Force […]

Outlook Sunny for Teens’ Summer Job Prospects

Yesterday, we talked about job prospects for the most recent crop of college grads, and things are looking good in terms of both starting salaries and number of jobs available. But what about the outlook for their younger brothers and sisters looking to earn some money at summer jobs?

Small Creatures Cause Large Number of Fatalities

When you think of certain jobs—like firefighter, police officer, bodyguard—you tend to think that these jobs are pretty dangerous. Would you feel the same way about groundskeepers or florists? Some of the most mundane jobs may, in fact, be the most life-threatening. And it’s not the jobs that are killing workers; it’s the critters that […]

Please Sue Me—2014 edition

Popular SHRM speaker Hunter Lott (hunterlott.com) opened his always-well-attended Please Sue Me 2014 presentation with the usual list of “Please Sue Me’s.”

Agency’s Acronym Overload Prompts Public Education Program

A governmental agency that goes by an acronym is out to educate the public on what all the “alphabet soup” on its websites really means. According to a DOL blog by Carl Fillichio, who heads DOL’s Office of Public Affairs, “we often joke here at the Labor Department that we should put a jar in […]

3 Free Metrics for Comp Managers, Plus a Bonus

The three stats are released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor (www.bls.gov). The bonus metric is released by The Conference Board, a private, nonprofit research organization. Average Hourly Earnings Payroll data. Each month, the BLS collects payroll data from records reported on a voluntary basis to […]

CPI and Help Wanted Online—More Metrics for Comp Managers

Cost-of-Living Index Each month, the BLS collects data on prices of a “market basket” of food, clothing, shelter, fuel, prescriptions, transportation fares, medical fees, and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. The BLS measures changes in these costs and reports them in the form of the CPI. The CPI, as defined […]

401(k) Plans’ Cost-effectiveness Becomes Clearer as Use Increases

Employers may find this new information useful for planning or justifying their retirement plan expenses: Contrary to the popular belief that defined benefit retirement plans are more costly for employers to administer, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that private-industry employers now spend more per employee hour worked for defined contribution plans. […]