Employment survey suggests strong spring hiring
MRO Software unveils newest version of Maximo
Boeing helps Vietnam create aerospace manufacturing
Companies continue to implement governance practices

Employment survey suggests strong spring hiring
The strong hiring activity that U.S. employers predicted for the first three months of the year is expected to continue into the second quarter, according to the seasonally adjusted results of the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, conducted quarterly by Manpower Inc.

“After three years of volatility in their job outlook, U.S. employers have shown stability in their hiring plans for more than a year now. Companies have seemed to find a rhythm in their hiring practices. What we are witnessing from U.S. businesses is that they are very willing to increase headcount to meet demand for their products and services but will only do so if tied to measured demand, as opposed to an anticipation of demand,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc.

Of the 16,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 30 percent plan to add staff in the second quarter, while 7 percent expect to reduce their payrolls. Fifty-eight percent of the hiring managers polled anticipate no change in staff levels for the coming quarter, and 5 percent are unsure of their hiring plans.

When seasonal variations are removed from the data, the net employment outlook is the same as it was for the first three months of the year and is similar to last year at this time. In fact, this marks the fifth consecutive quarter in which employers have reported hiring expectations that rival those last seen in the beginning months of 2001.

Durable goods manufacturing and wholesale/retail trade employers intend to decrease staff levels, albeit on a very small scale, from April to June. 

Little change is in store for second quarter hiring activity across the four U.S regions. Employers plan to keep job levels consistent with last quarter and a year ago. Job seekers are likely to find that the West offers the most promising job picture for the April-June period. For the fifth consecutive quarter, employers in the Northeast intend to hire at a more conservative pace than the other regions.

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MRO Software unveils newest version of Maximo
MRO Software Inc.'s next-generation solution, Maximo Enterprise Suite, will be available to ship at the end of March 2005.

Maximo Enterprise Suite (MXES) provides a comprehensive solution for companies seeking increased business performance from improved asset and service management.

MXES is a comprehensive suite of products all built on a single, common platform. It combines enhanced Enterprise Asset Management functionality with new service management capabilities that together improve the effectiveness of asset management strategies.

MXES includes advanced IT asset management, service management, and a full-featured service desk, all based on the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) guidelines.

MXES provides compliance with contracts, service level agreements, internal corporate standards, and government regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley, HIPPA and others.

Each product can be implemented separately as a stand-alone solution or readily deployed together. The solution enhances asset management and ensures service performance of production, facility, transportation and IT assets.

For more information, visit www.mro.com.

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Boeing helps Vietnam create aerospace manufacturing
The Boeing Co. and Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing (SAM) unveiled a joint training program for select Vietnamese engineers that will advance Vietnam 's goal of establishing an aviation manufacturing industry.

Country executive for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Vietnam Christopher Flint and SAM president Jeffrey Goh led their respective delegations in the announcement in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The 18-month course includes preliminary training at SAM sites in Singapore and one month of hands-on experience at a Boeing facility. It is one of the first programs to be launched by Boeing and its supplier/partners as a result of the "Aerospace Manufacturing Symposium," which Boeing hosted in Hanoi last August in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam.

"A key objective for Boeing in hosting the first annual Aerospace Manufacturing Symposium is to explore how we can work together with our supplier/partners and assist Vietnam in developing an aviation manufacturing industry," said Flint. "The most important factor in making any industry or organization a success is resources, especially human resources."

In addition to a cooperative effort with SAM, Boeing is also working with Vietnam Airlines and American Pacific University in designing an aviation curriculum geared toward preparing candidates in the operation, maintenance and management of airplane fleets and airline functions.

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Companies continue to implement governance practices
The Business Roundtable released its third annual survey of corporate governance practices among its CEO members.

The latest results reveal that member companies continued implementing corporate governance measures which meet, and in some instances exceed, the listing standards of the NYSE and NASDAQ.

These efforts have resulted in increased board independence and director involvement, and improved shareholder communication.

“This latest survey shows the continued dedication of America’s largest companies to improving corporate accountability through increased transparency, improved shareholder communication and greater board independence,” said Steve Odland, chairman of the roundtable’s corporate governance task force and chairman and CEO of Office Depot Inc.

The survey also reflects a steep increase in the reported costs of implementing the Sarbanes-Oxley law and new stock exchange listing standards.

The number of companies reporting estimated costs of more than $10 million nearly doubled, jumping to 47 percent from 22 percent reported in 2004. And close to one-third of respondents reported costs in the range of $6 million to $10 million.

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