Good News - Employee Engagement on the Rise

According to Modern Survey’s September 2012 National Norms Study, employee engagement is on the rise. This is good news as employee engagment is directly linked to productivity, market performance and happier workers. Questions on the survey included:

-I take pride in working for my company/organization.


-I intend to be working for my company/organization for a long time.

-My company inspires me to “go above and beyond” my normal job duties to help the company/organization succeed.

-I often recommend my company/organization to others as a great place to work.

-There is a promising future for me at my company/organization.

In the context of the recent recession and slow recovery of the U.S. economy, confidence in senior leaders, belief in the organization’s direction, and faith in the organization’s future remain the strongest drivers of employee engagement.

Lexington Tops Manpower's List

According to a recent survey conducted by Manpower employment services firm, the job market is rebounding. The survey of more that 18,000 employers in 100 metropolitan areas found that employers in all 50 states report positive hiring expectations, with 33 of the states reporting strong hiring expectations. In fact, the survey revealed that Lexington, Kentucky had the most optimistic forecast of all the metropolitan areas. According to Bob Quick, CEO of Commerce Lexington, the city has a diverse economy that has helped it weather the recent recession. He goes on to say that healthcare, bioscience, life science and high tech have emerged strongly over the past few years. Many related spin off and research companies have benefitted from their close association with the University of Kentucky. Also, Lexington has a growing reputation for small business start-ups and being the home of many creators and inventors. Notice how this list of industries compares to the BLS growing career fields we have recently discussed in GCDF training?

Hot Jobs

Although as GCDFs we certainly encourage clients to focus on their interests, skills, personality type, and abilities as primary factors in their job search or career transitions it is helpful for us to be aware of labor market trends. JobBait is one such tool.

Notice the yellow (Hotspots), green (growing faster than the workforce),and red (declining) color coding of industries by state. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was used in the analysis.