Workforce Management

New York City - A report released Monday by The Conference Board said that labor demand rose sharply in January after being relatively flat during the last half of 2010. 

According to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine Data Series, online advertised vacancies rose 438,000 in January to 4,273,000.  With the January increase, labor demand has risen 1.44 million since the series low point in April 2009. This increase now offsets approximately 80% of the 1.76 million drop in ad volume during the two-year downturn period from April 2007 through April 2009. 

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Lowe’s announced that Larry Stone, president and chief operating officer since 2006, will retire on June 2 -- his 42nd anniversary with Lowe’s. Stone has served in virtually every leadership position within store operations, merchandising and store environment during his career.

Morrisville, N.C. -- Lowe's Cos. announced Tuesday that it is laying off approximately 1,700 middle managers across the United States in an effort to cut costs as its profit trains rival The Home Depot. The retailer also plans to add 8,000 to 10,000 weekend sales assistants to improve staffing during its stores’ busiest times.

Mooresville, N.C.-based Lowe's will eliminate positions between assistant manager and manager, and hire part-time workers for the busy weekends.

The move will cut about 1,700 middle management jobs in the stores, but will lead to an additional 8,000 to 10,000 part time workers, according to Chris Ahearn, Lowe's VP of public relations. The shake up is expected to take effect Jan. 29.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Thursday by the Labor Department said that U.S. claims for initial jobless benefits last week posted their biggest decline in nearly a year.

The drop erased the holiday-related spike, and illustrated that a healthier labor market remains intact.

Atlanta -- Infor, a provider of business application software, announced that American Apparel has selected and implemented the company’s WFM Workbrain solution to manage the retailer’s global workforce.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney announced that, for the third consecutive year, it was ranked No. 1 among department store retailers in the Customers' Choice survey released by the NRF Foundation and American Express.