Hello HR readers! Welcome to HRM Direct’s weekly tradition of bringing you the most relevant HR news updates. Before I begin, a quick sidenote. I usually don’t do this, but I feel that an event of this magnitude deserves some recognition, even in our lowly HR blog. No doubt that you are all well aware of the biggest news update this week, that President Barack Obama has officially announced the death of the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, at the hands of the U.S. military. Although the events of 9/11 will forever remain in our nation’s memory, last night’s announcement is hopefully what could be the first of the final few steps that lead to our nation attaining some sort of closure to the 9/11 attacks. End sidenote, on to the HR stuff.
Job Boards See Strong Q1 Growth
Dice and Monster, two leading publicly held U.S. job boards, both reported double-digit revenue increases from last year. Dice Holdings reported a Q1 revenue of $40.1 million, an increase of 49% from Q1 2010. Monster reported a Q1 revenue of $261.4 million, an increase of 21% from Q1 2010. Monster’s success correlates with the upturn in hiring, as it reported a 24% increase in job postings from last year.
Labor Development Targets Employers Using the H-1B Visa Program
Yet another instance of government crackdown on non-compliance by employers. The Department of Labor sought claims of $4.2 million in back-wages and $1.7 million in civil money penalties from Maryland’s Prince George’s County Public Schools. The DOL filed these charges on the claim that the school district was not in compliance with wage rate laws associated with the H1-B program.
SuccessFactors Buys Learning Provider Plateau; Reports Financials
Talent management systems provider SuccessFactors is set to acquire Plateau, a privately-held company that is a leader in providing learning management software. HR industry members report that by acquiring Plateau, SuccessFactors effectively reinforced the weakest link of its product suite, learning management. The deal is valued at $290 million, with $145 million in cash and $145 million in stock.
ERP Provider Lawson Going Private in Purchase by Equity Firm
Rumors were confirmed this week that Lawson Software would be acquired by Infor. Equity investor Golden Gate Capital, which owns Infor, expects to complete its acquisition of Lawson by Q3 in a deal worth about $2 billion.
