MAY 2017 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 29
THE SMALL BUSINESS CHANNEL
LATEST SMALL BUSINESS NEWS
Manufacturers Increase Use of Internet of
Things. Half of plant production and equipment
processes are already being managed via the IoT,
and that number is set to climb.
www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/12326247
Farmers Face Soaring Health Care Costs
- Agricultural businesses say that as costs soar,
health insurance has replaced markets and weather
as many agriculturalists' biggest concern.
www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/12321934
Down Payment is Greatest Barrier to Buy-
ing a Home. Almost 70 percent of renters sur-
veyed cite the down payment as a greater barrier
to homeownership than debt, job security and
qualifying for a mortgage.
www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/12325358
U.S. Business Optimism at Record High.
The study suggests that the new pro-business
U.S. administration is acting as a catalyst, releas-
ing pent-up confidence after a long period of sup-
portive monetary policy and cheap oil.
www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/12324386
Illinois Considers Proposal to Legalize Mar-
ijuana. A panel discussed business and societal
impacts, noting that there are about 3,000 licensed
marijuana businesses in Colorado, about half medi-
cal and half recreational.
www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/12327328
How Much Does the Skills Gap
Cost Businesses?
By Isaac M. O'Bannon, Managing Editor
It's one of today's most vexing economic puzzles: Why
can't employers find workers to fill their positions when
approximately 7.5 million Americans are unemployed,
and millions more are working part-time because they
can't find full-time positions or have given up looking
for work altogether? According to a new CareerBuilder
survey, nearly 60 percent of U.S. employers have job
openings that stay vacant for 12 weeks or longer. The
average cost HR managers say they incur for having
extended job vacancies is more than $800,000 annually.
CareerBuilder's latest studies on the effects of the
skills gap on the U.S. labor market were conducted
online by Harris Poll from November 16 to December 6,
2016 and February 16 to March 9, 2017. These studies
included representative samples of 2,391 and 2,380
employers, respectively, and 3,411 and 3,215 workers,
respectively, across all industries in the private sector.
According to the survey, 68 percent of employers
who said they were increasing their number of full-time,
permanent employees in the first quarter (Jan.1-March
31, 2017) currently have open positions for which they
cannot find qualified candidates. This is consistent
across company sizes with larger companies – which
tend to have more job openings in general:
■ 1-50 employees: 49 percent
■ 51-250 employees: 74 percent
■ 251-500 employees: 72 percent
■ 501+ employees: 71 percent
"The gap between the number of jobs posted each
month and the number of people hired is growing larger
as employers struggle to find candidates to fill positions
at all levels within their organizations," said Matt Fergu-
son, CEO of CareerBuilder and co-author of The Talent
Equation. "There's a significant supply and demand
imbalance in the marketplace, and it's becoming nearly
a million-dollar problem for companies."
Read more at: www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/
12330196
THIS MONTH'S
TOP SMALL
BUSINESS
SOCIAL MEDIA
POSTS
■ 3 Things You Mus t K now
Before Starting a Business
- Amy Vetter on LinkedIn:
http://bit.ly/2pEvVdR
■ Never Burn a Bridge: A Client
Came Back After 3 Years -
Scott Cytron on LinkedIn:
http://bit.ly/2qoZ1P5
■ Registering a Trademark FAQs
- Nellie Akalp on the Corpnet
blog: http://bit.ly/2p1Z3YD
■ 4 St e p s t o H e lp M a n a ge
Your Operating Cash Flow
Statement - Dennis Najjar on
the AccountingDepartment.
com blog: http://bit.ly/2p4Lf0a
■ The Gig Economy and Its
Impac t on Your Busines s
- Barbara Weltman blog:
http://bit.ly/2p51N8f
"There's a significant supply and demand
imbalance in the marketplace,
and it's becoming nearly a million-dollar
problem for companies."