Employee development spending increased 9.5 percent in 2011.

Although the high unemployment rate is believed to impact the outlook for industry retail sales growth in 2012, the retail industry is expected to grow at a rate faster than many other industries as sales rise 3.4 percent to $2.53 trillion, according to the National Retail Federation.

Although hiring independent contractors can reduce the paperwork, tax burden and hassles associated with bringing on employees, Christopher Ezold, a business attorney and tax partner with the Ezold Law Firm P.C., a Philadelphia-based employment and business boutique, warns that employers can expect contractor classification changes by the IRS in 2012.

Only 13 percent of IT professionals say their employers social media strategies are successful, according to an analysis by InformationWeek Reports, a service provider for peer-based IT research and analysis.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs announces that government contractor JacintoPort International LLC is planning to settle allegations of discriminatory hiring that affected 48 African-American and 21 Caucasian job applicants who were rejected for longshoreman positions at the company's cargo facility in Houston.

When it comes to benefits, most employers tend to focus on health insurance. While the coverage is certainly important, this often leaves ancillary benefits, such as dental plans, as an afterthought.

Fifty-five percent of employers plan to expand their social media usage in 2012, according to a survey released by the Society for Human Resource Management.

The unemployment rate for veterans ages 18-24 hit 13.1 percent in December 2011, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.