C-Suite

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose by 34,000 last week, a figure that may have been skewed higher by seasonal factors.

Although CEO confidence improved during the first quarter in 2012, it fell from 63 to 47 in the second quarter, according to the Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence.

Sixty-six percent of senior executives say the jobs bill would not be a hedge against global economic trends, such as Europes unpredictable economy, according to Korn/Ferry International, a global provider of talent management solutions.

Ninety-four percent of companies view nonqualified deferred compensation plans as a significant component of a competitive benefits package.

Even with a floundering job market, those who stay behind - the "recession work-horses" - are likely to turn the occasional resignation into a tidal wave of turnover if employers dont know the key to retaining the best and the brightest.

Ninety-three percent of chief financial officers say they plan to maintain their current staff levels during the third quarter while only 3 percent of CFOs say they anticipate bringing in more accounting and finance employees, according to the most recent Robert Half Financial Hiring Index.

Unemployment numbers don't faze workers who say they're ready to find another job and that benefits are likely to be a factor in their decision.

Eighty-eight percent of executives report that they do not plan on changing their staff levels in the next three months, according to the quarterly Robert Half Professional Employment Report.