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Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com Year-End Workload Remains High for Seven out of 10 Workers ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire), December 9, 2007 - Office parties and other festivities are common this time of year, but so, too, are an abundance of year-end projects. Seven out of 10 (70 percent) professionals surveyed said their workloads either increase or stay the same during the holidays. The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm, and is based on telephone interviews with 539 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment. "In many industries, multiple projects must be completed before the close of the year, making it an especially busy period," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Human Resources Kit For Dummies(R), 2nd edition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). "Many employees also take vacation days during the holidays, which can leave fewer staffing resources available." Accountemps offers the following advice to help managers keep projects on track during the busy holiday season: Plan with your team. Allow adequate time to prepare for major year-end projects and set clear expectations for the group and about each individual's specific role. Schedule time off strategically. Maintain an employee vacation calendar to determine if you will have enough staff on hand during the holidays and where potential time-off gaps may exist. Make the schedule available to the group so they can see when colleagues will be out of the office. Seek interim assistance. If your department is spread thin, consider interim staff to assist with end-of-year projects. Have employees who are taking time off prepare transition materials to help temporary professionals get up to speed quickly. New Unemployment Numbers Show Increase Among Teens ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire), December 9, 2007 - While nearly 100,000 new jobs were created in November and overall unemployment remained constant at 4.7%, the Employment Policies Institute notes that there was a marked increase in unemployment among teenagers. The news was particularly bleak for African American teens. Their unemployment rate rose to 29.5%, over 6 times higher than the national rate. When compared to this time last year, the trend is unmistakable. The unemployment rates for teens and white teens are at a 12 month high. The rate for African American teens has risen nearly two percentage points since this time last year. This bleak employment outlook for vulnerable members of the workforce comes on the heels of a federal minimum wage hike. Decades of economic research show that mandated wage hikes eliminate entry-level jobs, putting particular pressure on young minorities and the least educated. A Cornell University study found that black young adults typically bear almost 4 times the employment loss of their non-black counterparts after a minimum wage increase. Specifically, they found that a 10% increase in the minimum wage will result in an 8.5% decrease in employment for black young adults and teenagers. "Unemployment is a big problem for these vulnerable members of the workforce, yet many legislators continue to support mandated wages that exacerbate the problem," said Dr. Jill Jenkins, Chief Economist for the Employment Policies Institute. "It is important to promote policies that create entry level employment so teens can learn the skills necessary to advance in the workforce. Archived Stories: Thirty Percent of Workers Holiday Shop Online at Work Smokefree Workplace Law Reduces Heart Attacks 59% Among Nonsmokers Moms Under 30 Want to Go Back to School and Change Careers Nearly One-Third of Workers Called in Sick with Fake Excuses in the Last Year Good Managers Have Significant Impact on Workers' Overall Job Satisfaction Social Security Primary Source of Retirement Income for African Americans Expanding Trade Has Delivered Better U.S. Jobs and Raised Standards of Living Blunt Offers Support to Prosecutors to Enforce Laws Against Illegal Immigration Unrealistic Expectations Could Lead to Broken Retirement Dreams for Younger Generations Employees Value Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts Job Seekers Continue to Shift Towards the Internet New Jobs Data Shows Unemployment Rising Among Least Educated Americans SHARE Network Additions Extend Career Resources to New Parts of the State Mortgage Crisis Could Create Talent Gridlock    The Saint Louis Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. 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