Are you ready for the future of work? According to oDesk Corporation the future of work is highly competitive and as the global village shrinks and organisations begin to utilize the global labour market, individuals will need to assess the value of their skills and abilities in this new era of work.

Pearl Seigel, self proclaimed “Femmepreneur” uses her experience in marketing, communication and consulting to provide insight to stuggling entrepreneurs and novices by highlighting some of the biggest mistakes new businesses make and how to avoid them.

Deloitte launched its Future Leaders Development Programme for the third consecutive year in a bid to encourage corporate South Africa to develop previously disadvantaged young people as future leaders. Students are recruited exclusively from the Thusannai Work Readiness Programme.

The tooling manufacturing industry invested millions in training to enhance job creation through enabling the local industry to obtain a significant part of the tooling contracts that are currently outsourced overseas due to a lack of local capacity.

Statistics SA released its latest census of the South African population which included stats on the number of people residing in SA as well as age, race, migratory tendencies, life expectancy and the amount of HIV positive individuals, which has seen a considerable increase since the start of the 21st century.

'The Department of Trade and Industry is now pushing for companies to play a greater role in hands-on support of emerging entrepreneurs', Denvor Phokaners speaks about the benefits of investing in your own supplier base to stimulate SME growth and see greater return on investment.

While there are many benefits and advantages associated with social networks there are 'qualities of this media that can be manipulated and taken advantage of' says Dean Horner and poor handling of social networks during a crisis could exacerbate the problem.

An ACCA survey shows that businesses are becoming increasingly unable to respond to the inflationary challenge through cost-cutting while decreasing investor confidence, high inflation and low investment combined with other negative trends could lead to further economic instability in the near future.

Strategist, author and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) specialist Dr James Robertson is now an established service provider who assists with business information systems planning. Robertson draws on three decades of experience to shed light on the issue of ERP implementation.

Is a lack of loyalty or low morale hindering productivity in the workplace? Adequate communication channels and effective employee forums could change the way the workforce performs. Des Squire talks about the functions and benefits of establishing committees and forums in the workplace.

In January President Zuma declared 2011 a year of job creation, now this and other government objectives and achievements will be reviewed during the annual mid-year lekgotla which will identify interventions needed to speed up progress on job creation and service delivery.

An HR manager is as good as their opposition – if they have got a strong union it makes them stronger. Some of the best HR departments that I have worked with are those where there is also a strong union and they keep each other on their toes, says Miguel Martinez Lucio

We are involved in the training of people working at ECD sites and the need for trained staff and better equipped centres is tremendous. The people working at many of these sites are not qualified and often can't afford to study.

How to constructively employ youth is not a uniquely South African question. But SA does have the additional complexity of a very poorly educated youth. Doing nothing about 80% of our youth being unemployed or underemployed is clearly not an option. The threat to social and economic stability is obvious.

Even if the ambitious objectives set out by the New Growth Path should be realized SA would still have a deficit of 10million jobs based on the latest unemployment statistics says Des Squire. So what is the answer? If you are between the ages of 16 and 30 and are currently facing unemployment be a part of the solution.

Does your company have a policy to handle incoming faxes about industrial relations matters? Most large companies have more than one fax machine and fax number. Many employees may well have the fax arriving into their computer. Ivan Israelstam explains the relevance of CCMA faxes in labour disputes.

Are you unemployed and don't know where to begin your job search? Get an edge on the competition with these strategies and step-by-step instructions for job-hunting.

It's no joke, leaders who laugh more in the workplace will increase their management efficiency, enhance employee performance and reduce personal stress. For the first time in South Africa, The University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) is implementing Laughter Therapy as a new scientific leadership tool.

Is your career on track? Through a successful career planning strategy and constant revision of that strategy you can achieve your career goals. According to the experts 'the great heights you wish to reach are not entirely out of your hands'.

Unemployment has been at the forefront of the nation’s concerns as few have escaped the devastating effects, bearing witness either through personal experience, or family and friends to the tragedy it brings. Dr Phil shares some of Brad Karsh’s insider tips on how to find jobs, network successfully, redesign resumes, and penetrate the market after a hiatus.

A successful interview is determined long before an applicant enters the interview room. If you are struggling to put your best foot forward during your interviews use these tips to sharpen your preparation process and approach your next interview with confidence.

In a media statement Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant voiced her strong feelings against prolonged industrial action and other matters concerning the current labour landscape, including labour broking and NEDLAC’s progress. ‘These are conditions that lie at the heart of the decent work agenda and we have to begin addressing these more effectively.’

Minister Lulu Xingwana announced that government was moving on a proposed Gender Equity Bill, which would enforce gender equity in senior management positions in SA companies, however Jack Hammer partner Madge Gibson says legislation alone will not bring about the required gender transformation in the workplace.