Connecting the Dots: August Edition

Welcome to Insight Global’s LinkedIn newsletter:?Connecting the Dots. Each month, we’ll bring you helpful content to support your?professional?goals, whether that’s?finding a new job ?or?finding a new employee .?

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Job Trends: Labor Rebalancing Continues as Job Gains Ease

The August jobs report released by the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics last Friday revealed that the U.S. economy added 187,000 in August—the same number reported for July—and slightly above predictions.

Other labor market data to note from the August report include:

• Job openings dropped 300,000 from the previous month to around 8.8 million. That’s the lowest number since March 2021. (Reuters says, “the economy needs to create roughly 100,000 jobs per month to keep up with the increase in the working age population.”)
• Voluntary quit rates dropped to 2.3 percent, the lowest number since January 2021. This number is in line with pre-pandemic levels.
• Unemployment rose from 3.5 to 3.8 percent, but many believe the increase came in part from the closure of a large trucking company.

Read more about the August jobs report here.

Hot Topic: How Does Culture and Connection Play a Role in Employee Retention

When your people thrive, so does your business. And the foundation for that success is designing a workplace that brings out the best in people, as individuals and teams. In other words, creating a great culture. Let’s dig into the numbers.

Gallup surveyed more than 13,000 U.S. employees in 2022 to ask what was most important to them when deciding whether to accept a job offered from a new employer. The data reveled something interesting: yes, compensation matters, but work-life balance came out on top of their paychecks—with job security and “doing what I do best” coming in very closely behind.

When asked what would make them leave a job, employees went back to life-work balance, but ranked engagement and culture on top. Engaged employees consider themselves to be connected to the mission, vision, purpose, and values of a company in an authentic and real way. Culture programs can underline this from a leadership point of view and filter it down to every employee.

Read the full article here.

If you could use a hand with finding your company’s connection and culture north star, check out Compass, Insight Global’s culture consulting arm. We can help with interactive workshop facilitation , team experiences and customized change solutions to help leaders take better care of their people and improve business results.

Hiring Manager Tips

Nearly 75% of employers admit they’ve hired the wrong person for a job. The best way to avoid this mistake is a strong, consistent interview process. By asking strategic interview questions, you are more likely to hire the right person for the job.

Visit our blog to check out 12 strategic interview questions to ask job candidates , or get started by downloading our free interview worksheet .

Case Study: Creating A Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive Semiconductor Workforce With Edwards Vacuum

Edwards Vacuum , founded in 1919, is a global engineering and manufacturing company that designs, engineers, manufactures, installs and services vacuum and abatement systems.

The Problem

Engineering and manufacturing are often primarily staffed with people who identify as white and male, and talent is tough to come by. Diverse talent is even more difficult to source.

The Edwards team wanted to address and expand opportunities to increase representation; they wanted to lead the industry, not follow it.

Edwards employees knew they could take their journey within DEI and belonging to the next level.

The Solution

1. Debunk any misconceptions and remove any stigma around DEI
2. Truly connect leaders among themselves, so they could help the company start its journey to true belonging in the workplace
3. Have the HR team at Edwards feel empowered to implement this training moving forward

The Results

Insight Global’s DEIB consulting team established a framework and provided materials for Edwards to lead trainings for all of their employees through the end of 2024.

Read more here.

We hope you enjoyed this month's issue of?Connecting the Dots! Between issues, you can keep up-to-date with the latest from Insight Global by following us on?LinkedIn ?or visiting our?website.

Need to hire? Check out our?staffing?services ?and?contact us today . Job seeking? Whether you're looking for a new career or your next assignment, take a look at some of our open positions on our?job board ?to find the perfect opportunity for you.