The United States added 8,000 manufacturing jobs in December, making for a total of 379,000 new manufacturing jobs added in 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This marks a 3% rise in new manufacturing jobs compared to 2021, but the hiring pace in the last few months has slowed. The U.S. ... READ MORE >
labor
Government services companies are focusing on national defense, labor challenges
Government services executives continue to focus on hiring and retention, although the Russia-Ukraine war dominated discourse during the first quarter of 2022. Meanwhile, optimism around future spending, investment and opportunity stems from President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget request and strong ... READ MORE >
Price increases are necessary but could prove costly for food and beverage companies: Spring 2022 outlook
Robotics, artificial intelligence and other solutions will help alleviate the constraints on labor. Growing food and beverage businesses will maintain or improve market share while passing along costs to consumers. Read about other sectors If 2021 was the year for middle market food and beverage ... READ MORE >
3 priorities for insurers in the future of work: Spring 2022 outlook
At a glance A confluence of pressures is forcing many insurance companies to reinvent their traditional operating models. Insurers are modernizing their legacy systems, creating connected networks across the enterprise, and expanding their vendor partnerships, all while improving employees’ work ... READ MORE >
Labor shortage remains a major challenge for oil and gas: Spring 2022 outlook
At a glance Oil and gas companies are facing a labor shortage that poses serious risk to the industry’s efforts to recover from the tumult of the past two years. Some workers are moving to the renewable energy space, while others are leaving the industry altogether to join other, more lucrative or ... READ MORE >
Rising capex investments require ‘new collar’ workers: Spring 2022 outlook
At a glance Since the last economic recession, the industrial sector has lagged others in capital goods investments, but 2021 saw record industrial spending in this area as companies played catch-up. This elevated spending could have important implications for the industry’s future, especially on ... READ MORE >
Robots rise on the shop floor: Spring 2022 outlook
At a glance Labor challenges, along with the fact that capital is still readily accessible, have strengthened the case for companies to make investments in robotics and automation. The International Federation of Robotics projects the recent economic boom following the pandemic’s initial sharp ... READ MORE >
Manufacturing and energy industry outlook: Spring 2022
Robotics and automation will be crucial areas of focus for manufacturing and energy companies in the year ahead, especially as businesses across these sectors continue to navigate labor challenges, adapt to supply chain disruptions and hone their digital strategies. Our spring edition of The Real ... READ MORE >
Changing work patterns in the middle market: An MMBI special report
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the working world COVID-19 has had a wide range of effects on how middle market businesses conduct operations. Although many of the innovations that companies instituted to deal with the pandemic were meant to be stop-gap measures, some of these initiatives are now ... READ MORE >
Staffing firms thrive amid wage inflation and labor shortages
Staffing firms continue to adapt to challenges caused by the pandemic, becoming more agile and tapping into new revenue streams while finding ways to increase employee productivity. Firms are benefiting from wage inflation, strong mergers and acquisitions activity, and previous investments, according to ... READ MORE >