Employer-Paid

A round-up of the weeks employee benefits news, reports and controversy from around the web

Fifty-nine percent of employers report that the scarcity of local talent possessing the necessary technical skills is the biggest challenge for human resources departments in emerging markets, according to Mercers HR & Mobility Challenges of Emerging Markets Survey.

President Barack Obama is using the resurgence of U.S. manufacturing to make an economic case for his re-election, touring factory floors and promoting a made-in-America message that seemed to fit his political campaign like, as it turned out Wednesday, lock and key.

American factories are humming and driving the economy forward.

According to the 2012 Linux Jobs Report, there is a growing demand for Linux skills; however, finding talent is challenging, which is resulting in higher salaries and bonuses for Linux professionals.

Congressional leaders are gauging lawmakers' reactions to a tentative deal extending a 2 percentage-point payroll tax cut and extra jobless benefits through 2012, a pact bargainers reached after House Republicans conceded that the tax cut would not have to be paid for with spending cuts.