Survey: Skill gaps are top pandemic challenge for 1 in 5 small businesses

Ryan Golden Dive Brief: Dive Insight: Recent research shows U.S. small businesses have begun a gradual, if not limited, recovery process following the tumultuous early stages of the pandemic. Employment data from Paychex and IHS Markit recorded a dramatic decline in small business employment beginning in April when the impact of public health measures led to the firms’ Small Business Job Index dropping …

Mayor Turner and Microsoft expand digital alliance with Houston

mayor turner

Microsoft Corporation Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Monday that the city of Houston has expanded its groundbreaking digital alliance with Microsoft to innovate in big data, artificial intelligence and the digital economy. Microsoft brings to Houston “Accelerate,” a new program designed to address economic recovery through skilling both underserved communities and re-skilling the many Americans impacted by COVID-19. The collaboration is intended …

How Micro-Certification Can Fill Skill Gaps

skill

Ulrik Juul Christensen A recent graduate enters the workforce for the first time with a basic set of skills and the ability to learn. Having a degree to get a job is only the starting point. Learning must now continue for a lifetime, with continuous upskilling. This approach is not only good for the employee, it’s also a competitive advantage …

A Fresh Approach to Narrowing the Skills Gap

Kalyan Kumar It’s fairly easy for people in small businesses to keep track of everyone’s skillset. When a project comes along, figuring out which employees can contribute and what skills should be brought in from outside the company is a fairly straightforward endeavor. But scale that scenario into an organization with tens or hundreds of thousands of employees distributed around …

Houston health care sector added 8,000 jobs in June, national numbers up in July

Gwendolyn Wu Houston added 8,000 jobs in the health care sector in June, recovering from major employment losses for the second month in a row. But analysts said it’s too early to know whether that trend will continue for the rest of the summer. Job gains in health care across the country last month may be an indicator of what’s …

Trade schools offer training in high-demand, essential careers

Patrick Varine Candace Carlton recently earned a massage therapy license. Unfortunately, the past six months have made it tough to put it to use. “That doesn’t do too well during a pandemic,” Carlton said. The prospect of going back to school also is challenging, given that school districts, colleges and education centers all over the country are trying to find …

The in-demand jobs on the rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Alison Medley The COVID-19 pandemic has been brutal for Americans seeking employment. Yes, over 44.2 million Americans have filed for unemployment during the coronavirus crisis, and 1.5 million sought claims in early June, according to Fortune. But don’t despair, job seekers. The positive news for Americans is that new career opportunities have also emerged through the pandemic. According to LinkedIn Workforce Report, the new …

5 Tips For Explaining Gaps In Your Employment History

Kourtney Whitehead, Senior Contributor There’s a misconception that it’s a red flag to recruiters if they see breaks in employment on a résumé. Job seekers tend to assume that companies prefer candidates with work experience that seamlessly flows from one employer to the next; many people worry about how to explain common occurrences such as being laid off, quitting a …

Coronavirus could revolutionize work opportunities for people with disabilities

disabilities

Lisa Shur, Rutgers University (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Lisa Schur, Rutgers University and Douglas L. Kruse, Rutgers University (THE CONVERSATION) Working from home has become the “new normal” for many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this clearly has its downsides, one group in particular may benefit …