According to a new study by MassMutual, women are more concerned than men about keeping up with monthly expenses. The study found both men and women are worried about saving enough money for retirement. In addition, more than twice as many women are concerned about monthly expenses over saving enough for retirement down the road. The nationwide survey was conducted with American workers who are eligible to take part in employer-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans. The study was sponsored by MassMutual retirement Services and done by Brightwork Partners. According to data from the survey, 31 percent of respondents think the United States will remain in a recession for the next 12 months. In addition, 38 percent are “somewhat” or “very concerned” about losing their jobs. The largest financial worry is “just keeping up with monthly expenses” (at 21 percent), followed by “saving enough for retirement” (at 18 percent). Here are some additional inter ...

According to a recent survey by Robert Half, human resources executives are more optimistic than any other group of professionals about extra pay. The survey polled the bonus expectations of workers in the fields of accounting, technology, law and advertising. In the past few years, thousands of employees have received the ever-so-dreaded news that they no longer have a job. It seems many HR workers who step in to help in those situations are actually expecting bigger bonuses this year. According to global staffing firm Robert Half International, 42 percent of human resources executives believe bonuses for people in the HR field will increase. As far as the rest of the numbers go, 10 percent of respondents think bonuses will decrease and 43 percent predict they will hold steady for the remainder of the year. Data from the survey shows HR executives are more optimistic than any other group of workers. Robert Half International found that 30 percent of those surveyed expect higher bonuses this year. Work ...

A former press box hostess for the Indianapolis Colts is accusing the National Football League (NFL) of underpaying her and “a dozen or more” of her co-workers. According to the class-action lawsuit that was filed last month in federal district court in Indianapolis, hours worked were not documented. Per the court documents, Colleen Fenstermaker is seeking class-action status that would include other unnamed hostesses, in part because “some, if not most, of the individual group members may not be aware of their rights to wages under federal and Indiana law, or may not, because of financial means or experience, be in a position to seek the assistance of counsel to commence individual litigation.” According to her complaint, Fenstermaker said she worked part-time in the team’s press box as a “hostess” of the team’s statistics crew from 1998 until Sept. 9, 2011 (when she was allegedly fired just two days before the beginning of the regular NFL season). In the ...

According to staffing firm Robert Half International Inc., employees who are highly credentialed in the fields of finance, IT and accounting will see an average pay increase of 3.5 percent next year. Recruiters say there are not enough highly skilled and talented workers in these areas. Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor said the number of job openings decreased in August. This is the first time in four months that has happened. However, some companies are continuing to hire in this economy. Beyond that, some employees are seeing pay increases and will continue to next year. According to a 2012 salary forecast released by Robert Half International, workers in the fields of finance, IT and accounting are getting more money for what they do. Research shows employees in these areas are seeing bigger paychecks both nationwide and in New York. Research shows jobs that require credentials, such as financial analysts and certified public accountants, are seeing the largest pay increases. For example, the ...

Ford Motor Co. recently said it will add or retain 12,000 jobs in the United States as part of its $16 billion in planned investments under a new labor agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW). The 12,000 number includes 5,000 positions that were already announced. The automaker plans to in-source manufacturing work from China, Japan and Mexico. Ford and the UAW came to a tentative agreement last month covering benefits and wages for 41,000 employees. Market analysts expect the Ford agreement to be comparable to an earlier one with General Motors. Ford went into the talks looking to decrease its labor costs (which are the highest in the industry). They are also hoping to gain more equality with Chrysler Group and GM. According to the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ford’s hourly labor costs (including wages and benefits) averaged $58 in 2010. This is compared with $49 at Chrysler and $56 at GM. Experts at the Center for Automotive Research say Ford’s costs were highe ...