About a third of manufacturing and service-sector employers have plans to hire workers in November, marking an increase for the fourth consecutive month from this time in 2011, according to the Leading Indicators of National Employment report from the Society for Human Resource Management.

Although 99 percent of employers are giving employees paid time off for Thanksgiving Day, 36 percent of employers say they're requiring that at least a few employees work during the holiday weekend, according to the latest Bloomberg BNA survey of year-end holiday practices.

Finance and accounting professionals report feeling less confidence, resulting in a drop to 50.4 for a 2.2 point decline from the second quarter, according to The Mergis Group Finance and Accounting Employee Confidence Index.

Among U.S. retailers, holiday hiring is projected to grow from last year as more consumer spending is expected, according to a new survey from Aon Hewitt.

Although implementing a recognition program is low-cost way to reinforce corporate values and the employee value proposition, a fair number of companies have yet to offer them, says Laurie Bienstock, director of rewards for North America at Towers Watson, a global professional services company.

While high-level human resources professionals have been involved in performance management, this hasnt been the case for lower-level HR positions, such as the HR generalist, says Jay Jamrog, senior vice president of research of Institute for Corporate Productivity.

For entry-level positions in the legal field, average starting salaries are expected to increase 3 percent overall in 2013, according to the Robert Half Legal 2013 Salary Guide.

Since May there's been a continual decline in small-business employment, according to Intuit Inc.s Small Business Revenue and Employment Indexes.