Payroll and benefits outsourcing concern Paychex Inc. has launched Paychex HR Solutions, a blended services offering that merges the features of its Paychex Business Solutions and Paychex Premier Human Resources options.

A difficult economy and an expense charge of $18.7 million at payroll and benefits outsourcing provider Paychex Inc. forced an 11 percent plunge in its fiscal 2010 profits to $477 million for the year ended May 31.

When you think about how to increase your firm's profits, what comes to mind? My guess is that training and learning may not make your short list. Soft skills are even less likely to make the cut. The reality is that preparation precedes profits, and many firms miss out on great earning opportunities because they do not invest enough in training their people the right way.

The majority of HR managers and recruiters who have responsibility for recruiting accounting and finance positions are planning to hire in the next six months, according to a new survey.

Payroll services company CompuPay has partnered with online business incorporation provider BizFilings to provide discounted CompuPay payroll services to BizFilings’ customers and BizFilings special offers to CompuPay clients.

Accounting Tomorrow and Next Generation Consulting have teamed up to create a YouTube video contest for accountants of all ages -- all in the name of showing off the varied talents CPAs have (other than crunching numbers).

CFOs,Optimistic,Just,Not,Hiring

Total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 431,000 in May, largely reflecting the hiring of 411,000 temporary employees to work on the 2010 census, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Private sector employment increased by 55,000 last month, according to a report by payroll giant ADP.

Small businesses created 25,000 new jobs in May, based on the latest figures from Intuit’s Online Payroll customers, which also indicate 240,000 new jobs created since October 2009.

The bipartisan leaders of the Senate Finance Committee have introduced legislation to create job opportunities for veterans returning home from war by providing tax credits for businesses that hire them.

The workplace is changing.

Generational differences in staff productivity, culture and drive have been a hot-button topic for a long time.

The Internal Revenue Service has posted a form on its Web site that employers can use to claim a payroll tax exemption for hiring new employees under the recently passed HIRE Act.

CompuPay has acquired another payroll service company, Priority Payroll.

This issue's Generational Viewpoints features two individuals from the Rochester, N.Y.-based multi-office firm EFP Rotenberg LLP (www.efprotenberg.com). Darla Wheaton, partner and head of the Attest Department, a Baby Boomer born in 1963, and Gen Y staff accountant Joe Barone, born in 1986, shared their thoughts regarding the following question:

Don’t expect things to just happen in your career or expect others, especially employers, to know what you are thinking.

Ben Franklin is credited with saying that the only sure things in life are death and taxes, so there's probably not going to be a way to make the payroll application pleasant. But the right software or service provider can make a big difference in both your clients' experience and your practice. There's no big secret - it's just a matter of helping your clients match their needs with the cost and capabilities of the available solutions.

Paychex has introduced a new Web page and online calculator to help businesses determine their tax savings if they take advantage of the recently passed HIRE Act to hire new employees.

Only 29 percent of CFOs and senior controllers at U.S. companies plan to increase their hiring in the next six months, while 22 percent say they will decrease hiring, according to a new survey.