6700 Beta Drive, Suite 300
  Mayfield Village, OH 44143
  Phone: 440/684-9700 | Fax: 440/684-9760
  www.ercnet.org | www.northcoast99.org | www.erchealth.com

Contact: Marty Mordarski, Director of Research & Membership, mmordarski@ercnet.org

Press Release
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Featured on Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer

More Jobs with Competitive Rewards Expected
for Northeast Ohio in 2008

Cleveland – Northeast Ohio job seekers can expect more job opportunities and competitive rewards in 2008.  Despite national trends of falling employment rates, a recent study conducted by ERC suggests that Northeast Ohio employers are actually planning to hire more employees this year. Sixty-three percent of organizations expect to employ more employees in 2008 than in 2007. Additionally, in terms of outsourcing employment, the study also shows very positive trends for the region. Only a small percentage of organizations plan to outsource employment and business opportunities in 2008.  Specifically, 14% of organizations are planning to outsource more of their employment this year compared to last year and 14% plan to outsource parts of our business in 2008 to decrease costs.

Organizations also appear to be recognizing the value of attracting job seekers using more lucrative compensation, benefits, and training opportunities. Sixty-one percent of organizations say that competition for top talent is causing them to enhance their compensation and benefits packages, and 46% say they are finding that it is necessary to offer incentives and bonuses to lower-level employees in order to attract and retain key talent that is vital to their organization. Additionally, in order to retain and develop their current talent, 61% of organizations report that they will be focusing more on training and development initiatives in 2008, with nearly 70% reporting that they will be specifically focusing on management and leadership development initiatives.

ERC is Northeast Ohio’s largest organization dedicated to HR and workplace programs, practices, training and consulting. The organization also hosts NorthCoast 99 and sponsors the ERC Health insurance program. For more information about ERC, check out www.ercnet.org.

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