Recruiting-News, Odds and Sods From Around the Globe

Hiring

• Remote Working Jobs Double, and May Open the Door to Increased Diversity Hiring "The pandemic has already boosted remote-work job postings. On the site Indeed, the share of U.S. listings that mention “remote work” or similar terms more than doubled to 5.8% in December 2020 from 2.8% the year before. Gaining access to a broader group of different kinds of people could be particularly appealing to companies that, after the summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, made commitments to boosting diversity." [Bloomberg]
• Raymond James is Upping its Broker Recruiting Bonuses in the Face of Competition for Talent "Paul Reilly, the CEO of Raymond James, said on a Thursday morning conference call with analysts to discuss company earnings that the firm was beefing up its recruiting bonus to advisers who are employees, but did not give details about the enhanced compensation. “On the employee side, there has been a modest slowdown in recruiting due to the challenges brought on by [COVID-19] and also increased competition for experienced advisers where even our regional competitors have significantly increased their recruiting packages,” Reilly said during the conference call. “In response to what we are seeing, we have also enhanced our recruiting packages to be more competitive while also ensuring attractive returns to our shareholders.”" [Investment News]
• Facing Rising Demand for Migrant Workers, Kenya Increases List of Vetted Employment Agencies A recent surge in demand for migrant workers abroad moved Kenya’s government to license over 300 recruitment companies to secure jobs for its citizens. Although the government exceeded its 240 annual benchmarks for the registration of recruiting companies, the agencies were made to undergo screening based on the government’s new regulations on labour export. In a statement, Simon Chelugui, Labour Cabinet Secretary said, “We vetted and registered 302 private employment agencies to recruit Kenyans to the labour market abroad against a target of 240, owing to an increase in demand for labour abroad.” [Ventures Africa]

Layoffs

• ‍Hudson's Bay Permanently Laying off More Than 600 Workers Across Canada Hudson's Bay Co. is permanently laying off more than 600 workers across Canada amid ongoing store closures due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Nearly half of the company's department stores remain temporarily closed, said Tiffany Bourré, a spokesperson for the iconic retailer. "The pandemic continues to have a significant impact on non-essential retailers," she said in an emailed statement. [CBC]
• American Airlines Tells Unions That More Furloughs May be Coming Just after reporting an $8.9 billion annual loss and facing a continually depressed travel industry showing few signs of improvement, American Airlines told union leaders that it may send Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notices to workers who could again be out of work after government aid expires on March 31. [Dallas Morning News]
• Calgary's Cenovus Energy Laying of 2100 Employees Over Q1 The layoffs account for roughly one-quarter of its workforce. Many of the affected workers are expected to get their termination notice by phone call as they work from home. The layoffs are anticipated over two phases with more to come in February or March. [660 News]

Tech

• Jobvite Launches Job Description Tool to Help Tamp Down Bias The end-to-end talent acquisition suite provider, has launched its new Job Description Grader, a complimentary, online analytic tool used to review job descriptions and highlight areas that can be improved to create more inclusive job postings. According to the 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey, D&I initiatives have become increasingly important to organizations and job seekers, with the majority of companies surveyed having goals in place for diversity in hiring. [BusinessWire]
• NextStep.com raised another $2.5 million to connect aspiring CNAs to healthcare employers. Nextstep represents an emerging model to keep an eye on - providing a job board marketplace where CNAs get tuition-free skills training and are connected to employers. We expect to see more of this model in myriad industries and skill categories. [WorkTech]
• WorkStep raised $17.2 million bringing together a modern job board marketplace (skills training and sourcing), matching, screening, and hiring workflow automation, AND onboarding, engagement, and safety for industrial and supply chain workers. [WorkTech

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