[Baby boomers retiring]

A recent study by the Hudson Institute predicts a severe labor shortage by 2010. As baby boomers retire, fewer young workers will enter the labor pool because of the slower population growth between 1966 and 1985. (Source: The Tampa Tribune)

[New college graduates earning less]

Many new college graduates walked away from graduation without a job in hand. But even those graduates who have job offers are feeling the pinch of the economy, according to survey results from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The latest edition of NACE's salary survey, done quarterly, shows that salary offers in many fields are significantly lower than they were just one year ago. Worst hit among business disciplines were logistics/materials management graduates, who have seen their average offer drop 9.1 percent since last year at this time to $39,407. On the plus side, civil engineering graduates saw a small increase of 1.7 percent, nudging their average up to $41,317. (Source: HRnext)

[Working mothers and flexible schedules]

New research debunks the widely held view that working mothers benefit from flexible schedules. According to a study by University of Vermont economist Elaine McCrate, most flexible-schedule benefits seem to go to well-compensated men. Ms. McCrate says women professionals in the United States would benefit from the kind of laws that exist in Europe, where a minimum number of sick days, personal days and vacation time are established in some countries. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

[Drop any hint of youth-oriented hiring]

A 45-year-old sales manager sued under federal age-bias law, claiming his employer discriminated against older managers. He argued that the company's hiring policy targeted younger sales managers to match its heavy recruitment effort at college campuses. The allegation alone was enough to keep the case moving forward in an Illinois federal court. (Source: Success in Recruiting and Retaining)