After the recession started in 2007, states were massively hit with having to pay unemployment benefits. This created a huge increase in state unemployment taxes, creating a rise of almost 44%. States have gone into debt, borrowing $45 billion in Federal funds, and they could only repay these loans by increasing taxes even more. A major problem for states, some states were forced by federal law to pay benefits that didn't make any sense when local conditions were taken into consideration.

However, the JOBS act is focusing on helping get people back to work and it could make an extremely positive impact on your business. What the JOBS act does is it helps states to keep unemployment taxes down and creates a major a push towards hiring. JOBS stands for Opportunity, Benefits, and Services Act, and with it states would have more flexibility in how they could spend their portion of $31 billion in remaining temporary federal employment funds. This way, they could choose to use those funds for things like preventing unemployment tax hikes and promoting job creation and hiring using reemployment services such as wage subsidies. This means that your business could experience an increase in better qualified employees because you won't have to worry constantly about an increase in unemployment taxes. Instead, you can spend that time focusing on job applicants, interviews, and your business overall.

With the JOBS act you won't experience any negative impact on how you pay your benefits. States will be able to keep on paying up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits, and the states will have all the money they need to do just that. However, states will be able to decide if paying out fewer weeks of benefits is more sensible. Therefore, you'll still have all the money you need.

Perhaps most importantly, the JOBS act would not add to country's deficit. It can only enhance your business. Since the acts only promotes a reduction in taxes and more hiring, the economy can only take a turn for the better as more jobs are created. Your business can only thrive with the JOBS act.

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Different states have different tax credits and incentives, and many have strict rules surrounding compliance and qualifications for these. Below are summaries for just a fraction of what is available in the US.

California
California provides quite a few employment credits for businesses. The Department of Housing and Community Development allows up to two Manufacturing Areas to be asked for by California cities’ governing boards by adhering to preset criteria. Also, the Hiring Credit for Manufacturing Enhancement Area is accessible by taxpayers who are qualified and employ disadvantaged individuals. Any deduction that is permitted by Corporation Tax Law for salaries and wages that the credit is based upon must be reduced by the amount of that credit prior to any reduction surrounding how much credit is allowed for it.

Connecticut
Connecticut’s Hiring Incentive Tax Credit, against state taxes, might be accessible by employers. If it is available to the employer, he or she can obtain a credit of $125 per month for up to one year for each employee working at least 30 hours a week for one month, who has also gotten Temporary Family assistance for more than nine months. An eligible employee can total up to $1500 per year with this credit.

Massachusetts
Massachusetts provides a Full Employment Credit for any employer participating in the Full Employment Program. This credit is worth $100 each month per participating employee, up to $1200. Any unused portions of this credit can be carried for up to five years. The Department of Transitional Assistance must first approve participation in this program.

New York
New York taxpayers that qualify for an investment tax credit can be eligible for employee incentive tax credit for the next two tax years. This is allowed as a credit in the sole situation that the business’ average employee population is at least 101% of the average employee population during the business’ employment base year – this is defined as the year that precedes the year that the tax credit is permitted.

Pre-employ.com can help you. We’ll inform your business of current regulations regarding incentives. We also submit agency forms, calculation credits, file appropriate taxes and maintain records. We ensure that the corporation remains in 100% compliance. Contact Pre-employ.com today to discuss how our Business and Tax Credits Incentives Consulting service can benefit your company.

*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!

Original article posted by foxnews.com

WASHINGTON –  Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that layoffs are dropping and employers may be hiring more workers.

The Labor Department said Thursday the number of people seeking benefits dropped 10,000 to 382,000 in the week ending April 2. That's the third drop in four weeks.

The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, declined to 389,500. The average is just 1,000 above a two-year low that was reached three weeks ago.

Applications near 375,000 are consistent with a sustained increase in hiring. Applications, which reflect the pace of layoffs, peaked during the recession at 659,000.

The number of people seeking benefits has fallen for several months. The four-week average has dropped by 28,750, or nearly 7 percent, in the past eight weeks. At the same time, companies are adding more employees.

Employers added a net total of 216,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said last week, and the unemployment rate fell from 8.9 percent to 8.8 percent. Private employers added more than 200,000 jobs in both February and March, the biggest two-month gain since 2006.

"Businesses are hiring, perhaps not at lightning speed, but they are hiring," Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets, said. "And the jobless rate is inching lower. We're nowhere near 'normal' but we're taking steps in the right direction."

Still, the number of applications could move higher in the coming weeks. Toyota Motor Corp. has said that it may temporarily shut down its North American plants later this month. That's because of a shortage of parts from Japan, where the earthquake and tsunami have disrupted production. Other auto companies may also suspend production, which could cause temporary layoffs and a spike in applications for unemployment benefits.

Unemployment benefits will continue to be paid in the event of a federal government shutdown, a Labor Department spokesman said. The benefit programs are administered by the states. If federal employees are temporarily laid off, they will apply for benefits from a separate program, the spokesman said.

The number of people collecting benefits also dropped. The total dipped slightly to 3.7 million during the week ending March 19, one week behind the applications data. That's the lowest total since October 2008. But that doesn't include millions of people receiving aid under the emergency unemployment benefit programs put in place during the recession.

Overall, 8.5 million people received unemployment benefits in the week ending March 19, the latest data available. That's down sharply from the previous week, when nearly 8.8 million people collected benefits.

More hiring is needed to bring down the unemployment rate at a faster pace. The economy still has about 7.2 million fewer jobs than it did when the recession began in December 2007.

Many companies are stepping up hiring this year. McDonald's Corp. said earlier this week that it will hold its first national hiring day April 19 as part of its efforts to fill 50,000 job openings.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/07/fewer-people-sought-unemployment-aid-week/#ixzz1IxjiyNP5

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According to online jobs website CareerBuilder.com’s “2010 Job Forecast” – a survey of more than 2,700 hiring managers and human resources (HR) professionals nationwide across industries – employers are looking to the future to make up for lost ground caused by the recession.

The following are the Top 10 hiring and human resources trends for 2010 according to the CareerBuilder.com survey that employers will use to preserve the health and growth of their businesses:

1. Replace Under-Performing Employees: Taking advantage of the large number of talented jobseekers currently looking for work, more than one-in-three (37 percent) employers plan to replace under-performing employees in 2010.
2. Use Social Media: Almost four-in-ten employers (37 percent) plan to emphasize social media in 2010, and one-in-five will add social media responsibilities to current employees.
3. Rehire Laid-off Workers: Among companies with lay-offs in 2009, almost one-third (32 percent) of those employers plan to bring back workers in 2010.
4. Provide Flexible Work Arrangements: More than one-in-three (35 percent) employers plan to provide more flexible work arrangements in 2010, including: alternate schedules (73 percent); telecommuting (41 percent); and compressed workweeks (32 percent).
5. Trim Perks and Benefits: Perks and benefits will be cut by 37 percent of employers in 2010, including: bonuses; medical coverage; and suspended 401k matching.
6. Rehire Retirees & Postpone Retirement: Over one-in-four employers (27 percent) will consider retaining workers approaching retirement in 2010, while nearly one-in-three (30 percent) have workers expressing interest in postponing retirement.
7. Hire Freelance & Contract Workers: Three-in-ten employers anticipate hiring freelancers or contractors in 2010.
8. Add Green Jobs: More than one-in-ten (11 percent) of employers plan to add “green jobs” in 2010 to improve conservation and sustainability.
9. Recruit Bilingual  Workers: Nearly four-in-ten employers (39 percent) will hire bilingual candidates in 2010 and half will hire the bilingual candidate of two otherwise equally qualified candidates.
10. Reduce Business Travel: Over one-in-four employers (43 percent) plan to have less business travel in 2010 than in 2009.

No matter what trends businesses follow, hiring managers and human resources professionals know that most potential employers perform background checks on prospective employees. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 80 percent of U.S. companies use background checks as part of a pre-employment background screening program. Background checks help ensure the safety and security of workers, their workplace, and the general public.

Pre-Employ.com – a nationally recognized provider of background checks ranked in HRO Today's Top Employment Screening Providers – offers employers a variety of background screening services, drug testing, applicant tracking systems, business tax credits and incentives consulting, and other human resources solutions. For more information about background checks, visit www.pre-employ.com, email info@pre-employ.com, or call 800-300-1821.

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According to an Associated Press (AP) article, employers already dealing with tight credit and reluctant consumers must also face the costs of rising unemployment that are forcing higher state unemployment taxes on companies to pay for unemployment insurance (UI) claims. The AP article cites several examples of employers expecting to pay higher unemployment taxes in 2010:

• A liquor store owner in Maryland expects his unemployment taxes to rise from $3,000 this year to $9,000 next year;
• An owner of a foundry in Indiana that makes iron castings for machine parts said his unemployment tax bill could double next year, and;
• The president of a company in Connecticut that makes soda fountain syrup fears the state – which is borrowing funds from the federal government to pay unemployment claims – will have to raise unemployment taxes soon to repay the loan.

Why the expected rise in unemployment taxes? The AP reports that because the number of people claiming unemployment insurance has tripled since the recession began, the demand has drained the funds that many states use to pay unemployment insurance claims, forcing almost half of the states to borrow money from the federal government to continue paying unemployment insurance claims.

However, the bills are coming due since states reset their unemployment insurance taxes at the end of each year, and 33 states will raise unemployment insurance taxes next year, according to the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. For example, the AP article reports that Florida's minimum unemployment tax will increase from $8.40 to $100.30 per employee next year while Maryland's minimum tax will more than triple from $51 per employee to $187.

To prepare for the rise in unemployment insurance taxes anticipated for the coming year, employers may wish to consider using an unemployment insurance (UI) claims management service that offers relief from the strain caused by increased unemployment insurance claims and unemployment taxes. Past-Employ.com – a UI claims management service offered by nationally recognized employment screening and Human Resource Outsourcing (HRO) provider Pre-Employ.com – can help employers “Learn the 5 Secrets to Gaining the Advantage in UI Claims!” in a complimentary webinar of the same title that is available for on demand viewing at www.past-employ.com/UI.

With unemployment claims – and unemployment taxes – reaching epic proportions, now is the time for employers to fully understand the techniques of Past-Employ.com's UI Claims Management Services that they can use to save their companies thousands, possibly millions, of dollars each year:

• How to Reduce Claim Losses and Win More Determinations.
• How to Win More Hearings on Lost Determinations.
• Why These Actions Lower UI Tax Rates.
• Which Reporting Features are Critical to Quantifying True Savings.
• How to Outsource this Service and be Billed Monthly on Claims and Hearings Performed.

For more information on how Pre-Employ.com's UI claims management services from Past-Employ.com can save businesses time and money, view the free on demand webinar “Learn the 5 Secrets to Gaining the Advantage in UI Claims!” at www.past-employ.com/UI, visit www.past-employ.com, email info@past-employ.com or call (888) 330-7278 or (800) 300-1821.

pr@past-employ.com

Follow Pre-Employ.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PreEmploy.

*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!