Employer-Paid

Although a higher minimum wage isn't expected to impact employee turnover or layoffs, it is projected to hurt job creation, according to a new study by Texas A&M University.

Since the economic downturn of 2008, employers have been increasingly relying on temporary and contract workers, and this is expected to continue, which can be attributed to todays talent supply and demand, says Ravin Jesuthasan, global head of talent management for Towers Watson.

U.S. manufacturers expanded in February at the fastest pace since June 2011, buoyed by increases in new orders and production. The third straight month of growth suggests factories may help the economy this year after slumping through most of 2012.

A proposal to increase Hawaii's minimum wage has passed the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and now heads to the full Senate for a vote.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell 22,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 344,000, evidence that the job market may be picking up.

The North Carolina Farm Bureau is releasing a report on the state's agricultural work force, which looks at the availability and retention of workers during the past five years.