Category: Employment

How Interest rates affect the employment market- The UK Knack Group

The UK Knack Group would like to provide some insight into how interest rates affects employment levels. The association between the two is very easy to understand.

A larger-than-expected decrease in the monthly employment rate causes interest rates to increase.

More employed people are putting more money into circulation. An increase in available cash means there are more pounds chasing the same amount of goods as were available the previous month.

Employers like The UK Knack Group require time to ramp up operations to meet the increased demand. In order to employ additional staff, companies may have to borrow money over the short term in order to meet payroll expenses or acquire more raw materials. In the case of UK Knack Group, people are its product and this effect is more easily seen.

Lenders experience an increase in loan requests. In this case, borrowers like The UK Knack Group are increasing demand on available money which results in higher interest rates charged by the banks and other lenders.

At the same time, central government lending agencies will raise their lending rates after analysing the bond markets, a move calculated to forestall inflationary forces. Banks borrow from the central lending agencies at a higher rate of interest and pass on the additional expense to their own borrowers such as UK Knack Group.

However, lower unemployment may affect interest rates more indirectly. Companies ramping up operations are often short of employees for a time who demand higher salaries.

Higher wages may drive prices higher. Again, more money is chasing fewer goods. Inflation may result, depressing the stock market.

Companies with lower cash flows coming in may need to borrow. Once again, banks begin lending at a higher interest rate to meeting the higher demand for loans.

When unemployment rates are around the -natural rate- of around 5.5% as determined by economists, interest rates remain stable, according to UK Knack Group information. This is called -equilibrium.- When that rate decreases, interest rates go up. Similarly, when unemployment increases, interest rates go down. They are inversely related, in other words.

UK Knack Group gives an example of this process. When the unemployment rate is above 5.5%, those who are out of work cut back on expenditures, lowering demand for goods and services. For instance, a family with an unemployed salary earner is less likely to dine out at a restaurant, which in turn requires fewer staff and food for preparation.

Consequently, farming and food-distribution families cut their expenditures, further depressing demand. There are fewer requirements for goods all along the supply chain, The UK Knack Group explains.

UK Knack Group provides an example of a economic turnaround as well. An office experiences a sudden increase in demand for its services and recalls some staff.

These staff now have higher expenses related to going to work every day such as commuting costs, updating career attire, and buying meals outside the home. Transportation companies, shops,and restaurants experience a higher level of business and call back unemployed workers.

At each level, more staff put more money into circulation and everyone wants to buy something, often at a higher price than before. Credit cards, a form of borrowing, are used to pay for goods and services.

Restaurants and shops may borrow money to meet short-term current expenses. Their suppliers extend credit for a few weeks, but they must add a certain percentage as interest. Suddenly, everyone is chasing money, and increased demand, and the cost of borrowing money goes up as well.

The Knack Group UK hopes these illustrations make understanding the interplay between unemployment and interest rates easier to understand.

About Author The Uk Knack Group consists of some of the most experienced professionals in the UK and abroad who have helped thousands of businesses and people to be more successful through Executive Search and Selection, Headhunting, Transitional Outplacement, Executive Career Management and Professional Training & Coaching. www.theukknackgroup.co.uk

Berlin Jobs Italian

Language requisites

Having command over written and spoken English is not that is sufficient to be on a surer ground when it comes to employment in Berlin or in Germany as a whole, you need to be a multilingual to ensure bigger prospects of getting a decent job. If you know a couple of other languages in addition to English and German that would be a plus point for you.

There are Italian speaking jobs available in Berlin but again you need to have command over English and German as well. Without fluency in German language, chances are remote that you will get a decent job. Most jobs will require language requisites coupled with German language as a pre-requisite.

Employment prospects for Italian speaking professionals

Customer service sector in Berlin offers many employment opportunities for foreigners including Italian speaking professionals. Job seekers can apply as customer service agents, customer service advisors etc. The candidates seeking jobs in customer sector are required to have complete know how of German language together with strong command on Italian language.

The marketing sector in Berlin recruits Italian speakers, but for that English, German and Italian language fluency is strongly recommended. You have to have strong communication skills for that as this sector has a lot of competition, candidates are required to have competitive skills of customer care, achieving customer satisfaction by maintaining high standards while dealing with customers, risk management and technical support. Furthermore unless and until you are a multilingual you can not secure a job there.

Berlin job market also recruits foreign call center agents; this requires those candidates who have strong command over Italian and English language. It requires skills of competitive customer care service, complaint handling, and processing product/service information through various means of communication e.g telephone, fax or e-mail.

Italian candidates can apply as IT supporters as well in which the employees are expected to handle technical queries of clients online or via telephone. The employees are required to diagnose and solve various technical hardware and software issues of clients effectively.

Tax structure

Tax structure in Germany is progressive in nature; higher income groups are liable to pay higher taxes. Tax rate is from 0-45%, Individuals who are permanent residents of Germany are liable to pay tax from income earned within Germany and from overseas as well. A person who is employed in Germany but is a foreign resident is liable to pay tax on income earned in Germany only.

Cost of living

Cost of living is relatively less costly in Berlin as compared to the rest of Germany. Average Rental cost in Berlin varies around 350-450; you can easily get a one bedroom apartment in around 450. According to the statistics, Berlin is 36% cheaper than London and 35% cheaper than New York, US. Household necessities are relatively cheap in Berlin when we make a comparison of Berlin with the rest of Europe.

employment attorney Orange County California Whistleblowers

Many California employees contact us to find out if they are entitled to “whistleblower” protection. Both state and federal laws protect persons who report illegal activity by their employers says employment attorney Orange County. To be protected, an employee usually only has to have a “reasonable but mistaken belief” that illegal activity is afoot. In California, whistleblowers are protected by Labor Code 1102.5 which prohibits retaliation against an employee who complains about illegal activity. This is a very tough law for employers to prevail on, since the very next code section (1102.6) provides that the burden of proof is on the employer to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the whistleblowing about illegal activities had nothing to do with the adverse employment action.

According to employment lawyer Orange County, an employee can claim retaliation under the federal qui tam laws, where it is shown that the whistleblower was discharged, demoted, or discriminated against because of lawful acts done in furtherance of a false claims investigation. If the relator basically violates confidentiality and removes tens of thousands of documents indiscriminately, in order to later prove a qui tam case, there will probably be a finding of non-protected activity and the loss of the right to bring a retaliation action under the federal law.

When a whistleblower actually sues his or her former employer on behalf of the government for monies lost by the government, it must be shown that the government was actually defrauded and lost money says employment attorney Oakland. The federal false claim act is found at 31 United State Code 3729. A recent case illustrates some of the differences in “reasonable but mistaken” (sufficient to support a wrongful termination claim) and actual false billings. In this case the plaintiff contended that her employer withheld disclosure of new inventions from the government, stating that the contract with the company provided that the government owned the inventions. As the government would have had the right to license and sell these new inventions, the theory of the employee went, the United States was defrauded by not having that right of sale. Unfortunately for the plaintiff, she was unable to allege that the employer ever sought payment from the government and had not submitted a “false claim”.

Employment attorney San Diego says that false claims take many forms such as fraudulent use of a receipt; unauthorized purchase of government property or use of a “false record or statement” to avoid payment to the government. Another recent case held that a request for reimbursement that falsely implied compliance with federal rules might constitute a false claim. “Reverse false claims” are also actionable. In one such case, the defendant company falsely represented the value of some aircraft metals as “scrap”, whereas in fact it was worth several million dollars. A false claim was properly stated. Finally, it’s important to determine if the false claim was in a “condition of participation” or a “condition of payment”. No false claim is usually stated if the defendant accused of defrauding the govenment is simply falsely certifying compliance (such as non-discrimination) with a federal program or is actually billing falsely.

Financial rewards for whistleblowers can be huge! Under California state laws, up to 30% can be awarded to the whistleblower. Routinely, about 15-20% is awarded in federal false claims actions.

As always, this blog is educational in nature and legal advise can only be given by an experienced attorney in your jurisdiction.

Employment Prospects For Accountants And Cpas

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website, “Accountants and auditors held about 1.3 million jobs in 2008.” (As of December 17, 2009, these were the latest statistics available.)

As with many other careers, accountants and auditors worked throughout private industry and government. Of these, about 24% worked for payroll service firms, tax preparation, accounting, and bookkeeping firms. Another 8% were self-employed. Among the larger set of management accountants, internal auditors, or government accountants and auditors, there is a subset who are licensed CPAs. Most CPAs work in urban areas because that’s where the jobs are–most corporate regional or central offices and government offices are in urban areas.

A small percent of accounting professionals are employed as full-time college and university faculty; others teach part-time while working as self-employed accountants or as accountants for private industry or government.

Job growth in the accounting sector is expected to grow faster than the average growth rate for all industries during the decade of 2008-2018. Within that group, CPAs should have the best prospects for employment and expected growth rate higher than those accountants and auditors without the CPA professional designation.

Very strong growth (22%) in the number of accountants and auditor jobs (an increase of 279,400 jobs) over the 2008-18 decade is expected because of several factors. We will discuss the factors tomorrow.

1.IF the economy expands, the number of businesses will increase which means that new jobs will be created in the accounting sector to set up the books, prepare taxes, and provide management advice. As these new businesses grow, the quantity and complexity of financial information reviewed by accountants and auditors on the costs, expenditures, taxes and corporate internal controls will increase as well. As the globalization of business accelerates, there will be an increased demand for accounting expertise and services regarding international trade and accounting rules as well as international mergers and acquisitions.

2.Because of financial scandals, investors will be demanding increased accountability for protecting an organization’s stakeholders. The need for these “accounting watchdogs” will spur job growth in the accounting sector.

3.Forensic accountants who can detect illegal financial activity will be even more in demand as the number of financial crimes increases. Crimes such as embezzlement, bribery, and securities fraud by individuals, by corporations, and by organized crime networks are increasing because computer technology has made these crimes even easier to commit and even harder to uncover. But the “good guys” have weapons as well: the development of new computer software and advanced electronic surveillance technology has made detecting financial crimes easier which increases the likelihood of discovery, investigation, prosecution and conviction. As the success rates of the “good guys” rise, the demand for forensic accountants will rise as well.

4.Opportunities for CPAs who are forensic accountants who support the work of attorneys in family law, bankruptcy and business law are increasing as well. For example, the recent high profile divorce of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills included a dispute over how much the former Beatle, Sir Paul, was actually worth. His side claimed he was worth around USD $785 million while the ex-wife thought he was worth around $1.6 billion. Enter her team of forensic accountants who delved into the situation. As of June 2008, the accountants had not found any evidence which would have compelled the judge to award Ms. Mills more moola than her initial divorce settlement.

5.Changes in laws regarding taxes, financial reporting standards, business investments, mergers and other financial matters will lead to an increased need for accountants and auditors.

6.Changes in financial laws to curb corporate accounting fraud will create more jobs in the accounting sector. With the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002 (also known as ‘Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act’ in the Senate and ‘Corporate and Auditing Accountability and Responsibility Act’ in the House), a new layer of accounting oversight was created to thwart the tide of corporate financial misfeasance. Prior to passage, there were a multitude of corporate and accounting scandals (e.g., Enron, Tyco International, Adelphia, Peregrine Systems and WorldCom) which cost investors billions of dollars. When the share prices of these corporations collapsed, the confidence of the public was shaken and the US securities markets trembled. The act established new or enhanced standards for all US public company boards, management, and for public accounting firms.

By creating a new public agency, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (or PCAOB), the act created a number of jobs in the accounting sector for overseers, regulators, inspectors, and those who would discipline accounting firms who were auditing public firms. In addition, another government agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) implemented the adoption of dozens of new rules to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. It is estimated that the growth in the accounting sector will be seen in new jobs being created in:

1.Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will expand to hire more accountants and CPAs to provide independent oversight of public accounting firms which audit their corporate clients. The central oversight board will register auditors as well as setting up the procedural framework for compliance audits, inspections and policing conduct, quality control, and enforcing compliance with specific elements of Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX Act).

2.Because the SOX Act prohibits auditing companies from providing services such as consulting and management advice to their clients, it is expected that there will be job growth in accounting companies which provide consulting and other non-auditing advice to their clients.

3.Since Sarbanes-Oxley requires that senior executives of a company (such as the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer) take individual responsibility for the completeness and accuracy of the corporate financial reports, it is likely that those who are rise to C-level will have to have more familiarity with accounting than a manager’s passing glance. This opens a career path for CPAs into the CEO chair as well as the CFO chair. (Since the CEO is asked to sign the company’s tax return, this is all the more reason for the person to be a CPA as well as a manager.)

7.Since 2002, funding for the SEC has nearly doubled. The SEC hires accountants who can censure or bar from practice stock brokers, advisors, or dealers. In addition, SEC hires CPAs and accountants in Washington, D.C., *Division of Corporation Finance, *Division of Enforcement, and the *Office of the Chief Accountant. For SEC jobs examining financial statements in public filings, resolving controversial accounting issues, and in rule writing, there are openings in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and San Francisco in the offices of: *Division of Trading and Markets, *Division of Investment Management and the *Office of Compliance, Inspections and Examinations.

The SEC prefers to hire experienced CPAs with three to eight years of public accounting experience in the securities industry. Desirable previous experience would include audit work involving SEC financial reporting, complex internal audit work involving multi-national corporations, or mergers and acquisitions related work. Typically, these accountants enter at the mid- and senior staff accountant positions–in the SK-13 through 17 levels. The grade at which the person starts their SEC career is based on a combination of the amount of relevant work experience and of graduate education in accounting, finance, or related fields.

In looking at the entire market, the best job prospects will be for CPAs while the prospects for accountants and auditors who have a college degree or any certification are good.

Wages for Accountants and Auditors May 2008 BLS Statistics: Median Income: $59,430 Top 10%: $102,380+ “According to a salary survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, bachelor’s degree candidates in accounting received starting offers averaging $48,993 a year in July 2009; master’s degree candidates in accounting were offered $49,786 initially.

Accounting Employment Rate of Change In the decade from 2008 to 2018, employment opportunities for accountants and auditors are expected to grow by 22% (or 279,400 new jobs), which is faster than the average for all occupations. As previously mentioned, job growth will be driven by a projected increase in the number of businesses/expansion of the economy, changing financial laws, and corporate governance regulations, and increased accountability for protecting an organization’s stakeholders.

Opportunities for CPAs should increase markedly because their oversight is needed to focus increased scrutiny on corporate finances and accounting procedures. Those CPAs who are management accountants and internal auditors will be needed to uncover and eliminate fraud before audits and to make sure that critical processes and procedures are documented completely and accurately. The need for CPAs who are government accountants will increase because of an effort to make government agencies more efficient and accountable.

Job opportunities for CPAs will increase rapidly while opportunities for accountants and auditors will increase but at a slower rate than for CPAs. The need for accounting clerks will increase as consumers opt for storefront tax preparers such as Liberty and H & R Block, rather than hiring a CPA firm. The shift to tax preparation software will take some business away from CPAs who handled the uncomplicated returns of individuals. This will make a very minor adjustment in employment opportunities while increasing opportunities for clerks.

Job Prospects Across the public and private sectors, job opportunities for CPAs will be excellent while those who are accountants and auditors will be favorable. (Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics). Enrollment in CPA preparation courses is now growing as more students are attracted to the profession because of its job growth, increased compensation, stability-and in answer to corporate accounting scandals.

In the wake of the Enron and Tyco accounting scandals, the public views professional certification as even more necessary because it ensures that the accountant’s ethics are sound and his/her knowledge and credentials are up-to-date.

Regardless of specialty, accountants and auditors who have earned professional recognition through certification or licensure should have the best job prospects. Applicants with a master’s degree in accounting or a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting also will have an advantage.

Individuals who are proficient in accounting and auditing computer software or have expertise in specialized areas-such as international business, specific industries, or current legislation-may have an advantage in getting some accounting and auditing jobs. In addition, employers increasingly seek applicants with strong interpersonal and communication skills. Many accountants work on teams with others who have different backgrounds, so they must be able to communicate accounting and financial information clearly and concisely. Regardless of qualifications, however, competition will remain keen for the most prestigious jobs in major accounting and business firms.

In addition to openings from job growth, the need to replace accountants and auditors who retire or transfer to other occupations will produce numerous job openings in this large occupation. —US Bureau of Labor Statistics For accountants, the career path upwards requires that of becoming a CPA, a Certified Public Accountant. Progressing from being an accountant to becoming a CPA offers greater opportunities for promotion to management and higher salaries.

In California, the requirements to sit for the CPA Exam are: *A bachelor’s degree; *24 semester units in accounting-related subjects; *24 semester units in business-related subjects; *150 semester units (or 225 quarter units) of education; *Passing the Uniform CPA Exam; *One year of general accounting experience supervised by a CPA with an active license; and *Passing an ethics course.– Logging 500 hours of attest or auditing experience will allow you to obtain the authority to sign attest reports. In many firms having a CPA license is the only way one is promoted into upper management. Becoming a CPA increases your opportunity for promotions and a higher salary.

Get That Second Job Interview

Throughout an economic depression jobs are tough to come by, and job selection interviews are few and far between, so each stage of the job process becomes more key. Initially you deliver your carefully written resume, after which you hope to get an initial interview, but there is no assurance these days. What this means is that you have to make certain your certification for the employment are what are required, and that your resume objective will stand out from the majority of others. The objective of every stage of the employment process is to take you to the next stage, so the objective of the resume is to get you to the initial interview. That very first job interview has the objective of getting you a second interview, and so on. There may or may not be extra job interviews even after this, depending on the organization and the job itself.

So, stage 1 is to get your resume into the job interview stack. Precisely how can you accomplish this? There are a handful of obvious tips here that have to be pointed out. To start with, verify your spelling and grammar, several times. It won’t hurt to have a good friend to examine your resume looking for spelling blunders, or grammatical errors, as it is very easy to miss these your self when you have been looking at the same document for hours. You’d probably be surprised at how many individuals send out resumes with glaringly obvious mis-spellings in them, a certain way to hit the reject stack. Your resume ought to be as accurate as possible. Do not provide any misleading information or something that is incorrect. Extending the truth is not a good idea, and it could easily backfire on you.

Responding with thank you letters is a good way of continuing to keep your name in front of the company staff, and obviously, you can send your thanks after each phase of the interview procedure. This requires writing to each particular person who has interviewed you, and you should make each correspondence personal and a little different to all the others. Now, it used to be that the letters were always sent by mail, but nowadays e-mail are used more often, and it is becoming the more appropriate type of connection. You could always ask the secretary, or the particular person who set up your employment interview just how the company feels about receiving emails, and go from there. Obviously, you must check the spelling and the sentence structure for each thank you correspondence also.