Latest news with #TheHarrisPoll
Toronto Star
4 hours ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
Hiring Confidence Wavers as Canadian Companies Reassess Growth Plans for 2025
TORONTO, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the second half of 2025 begins, many Canadian employers are taking a hard look at their hiring plans, and what they see is prompting a more cautious approach. A new survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals reveals that, while most hiring managers (69%) still feel positive about their company's hiring outlook for the remainder of 2025, that optimism has dimmed since a year ago (74%). At the same time, concern is growing, with 46% now expressing a negative hiring outlook, up from 38% last June.
Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Hiring Confidence Wavers as Canadian Companies Reassess Growth Plans for 2025
TORONTO, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the second half of 2025 begins, many Canadian employers are taking a hard look at their hiring plans, and what they see is prompting a more cautious approach. A new survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals reveals that, while most hiring managers (69%) still feel positive about their company's hiring outlook for the remainder of 2025, that optimism has dimmed since a year ago (74%). At the same time, concern is growing, with 46% now expressing a negative hiring outlook, up from 38% last June. While approximately 2 in 5 companies (43%) still plan to increase their workforce in the second half of the year, that is a decline from 49% last summer. For those planning to hire, the top reasons include the need to manage growing workloads (51%), fill newly created roles (35%) and replace employees lost to turnover (42%). The proportion of companies planning to cut their number of employees (13%) has increased, compared to last year (8%). The majority cite cost cutting as the primary driver (67%), followed by adapting to government policy changes (30%) and responding to declining demand (25%). The types of roles companies are targeting are also evolving. Companies are now most likely to hire mid-level employees (46%) as entry-level hiring (43%) has dropped sharply compared to last year (56%). Full-time positions remain the most sought-after (74%), while one quarter of companies (25%) plan to hire part-time roles. 'These numbers tell a story of employers recalibrating,' said Bob Funk, Jr., CEO, President and Chairman of Express Employment International. 'They're still hiring, but with more intention, more strategy and a sharper eye on the future.' Survey Methodology The Job Insights survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals from June 2 – 18, 2025, among 500 Canadian hiring decision-makers. For full survey methodology, please contact Ana Curic at Ana@ . If you would like to arrange for an interview to discuss this topic, please contact Ana Curic at (613) 858-2622 or email Ana@ . About Robert (Bob) Funk, Jr. Robert (Bob) Funk, Jr., is the Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of Express Employment International, a global staffing franchisor founded and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He leads a portfolio of workforce solution brands, including the flagship Express Employment Professionals franchise, along with several affiliated brands serving specialized markets. The Express franchise brand is an industry-leading, international staffing company with franchise locations across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. About Express Employment Professionals At Express Employment Professionals, we're in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 427,000 people globally in 2024 and more than 11 million since its inception. For more information, visit . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
Youth sports business model hurts kids. New poll shows parents are fed up.
Parents want a youth sports system that prioritizes childhood development, family balance and accessibility. From the WNBA All-Star Game to the British Open Championship, sports fans had ample opportunities to see elite athletes in action this past weekend. Many of those watching are children with dreams of their own athletic success. Youth sports is a $40 billion a year industry with tens of millions of American kids participating in baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer and other athletic competitions. Emphasis on the word 'industry.' There is much more to the competitiveness than participation alone. In recent years, youth sports have attracted unprecedented investments from private equity giants, family foundations and other entities, whether it means buying a baseball camp or building a flag football field. Youth sports have become a big business Sky-high investments are creating entire youth leagues from scratch, attracting boys and girls as a rite of passage. This is not our parents' youth sports system, where local offshoots of Little League Baseball and Pop Warner reigned supreme. It is an entirely new ecosystem, bringing big bucks and forcing many families to pay up. Where kids see a (slim) chance to turn pro one day, there is also (cautious) optimism about a return on investment via college scholarships or name, image and likeness checks. But the investment itself is not cheap. The average U.S. sports family spends more than $1,000 on a child's primary sport − a 46% increase since 2019. Then there are the second and third sports − more scratches on the lottery ticket. For growing numbers of parents and kids, the feeling is stress, stress and more stress. According to new research from The Harris Poll, conducted for USA TODAY, parents overwhelmingly want youth sports to promote balance, character and inclusion. Instead, they're navigating a high-pressure, high-cost system that serves a select few, at the expense of kids who are thrust into high-stakes situations at a young age. The numbers don't lie. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of parents say their child's sports team travels more than necessary − a burden that hits time-strapped, lower-income families especially hard. Almost 8 in 10 parents support reducing travel, while 72% want a model with fewer games and more practice. A similar percentage (73%) say youth sports have lost sight of their original purpose: Fostering fun and teaching teamwork. Parents are not delusional. Only 8% of parents claim that the goal of youth sports should be a college scholarship, while just 12% say it means preparing for a pro career. Nearly 9 in 10 parents (89%) believe that it is important for their child to enjoy playing sports. And yet, the youth sports ecosystem − now driven by private equity − often behaves as if celebrity status and monetary gain are the primary goals. Just ask parents, 61% of whom believe that youth sports organizations prioritize profit over purpose. Even more (63%) feel that sports-related costs and time demands undermine the spirit of play. While most parents are realistic about their kids' long-term prospects in sports, they will continue to make sacrifices for them to participate − from missing work to skipping family vacations. What they need in return is a youth sports ecosystem that better suits their time and budget constraints. Youth sports puts strains on family life The ever-growing commercialization of the early specialization in sports has a wide range of consequences, including academic strain and stress on the family unit. Our need to 'keep up with the Joneses' can be a challenge for entire communities navigating a high-stakes environment, as yet another mega-sports complex pops up down the road. For the sake of kids, parents are calling for a reset. They don't want to see a broken youth sports system. What they want is an ecosystem that prioritizes childhood development, family balance and accessibility at a time when finances are already pulled in too many directions. The status quo is serving a select few who could one day become WNBA All-Stars or major championship winners in golf. But what about the rest of America's sports families? The system may not be broken for the few, but it's looking more and more so for most. Will Johnson serves as CEO at The Harris Poll.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AICPA: 32% of Americans unprepared financially for natural disasters
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has revealed that 32% of Americans have not taken any steps to safeguard their finances against natural disasters. The survey, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the AICPA, found that 66% of Americans believe experiencing a natural disaster would significantly (29%) or moderately (37%) affect their financial circumstances. The most common preparatory actions include reviewing insurance coverage (31%) and cataloguing assets for insurance claims (30%). However, fewer individuals have considered updating or creating an estate plan or will, with only 19% addressing this aspect of financial readiness. The survey indicates that 63% of business owners are concerned about the prospect of financial difficulties following a disaster, with specific worries including revenue loss due to operational disruptions (33%), customer or contract attrition (29%), and damage to physical assets (26%). The survey's findings are drawn from an online poll conducted in the US between June 13 and 17, 2025, involving 2,093 adults, 284 of whom are business owners. AICPA of member value, tax & advisory services vice president Eva Simpson said: 'Many Americans don't think about their finances when it comes to preparation for a natural disaster. 'However, financial needs become front and centre after the destruction has already taken place. Disaster preparedness when it comes to finances can go a long way to mitigate the financial toll and help people and businesses recover.' Recently, the AICPA sought additional guidance on the application of Roth catch-up contributions as stipulated by the SECURE 2.0 Act, 2022. "AICPA: 32% of Americans unprepared financially for natural disasters " was originally created and published by The Accountant, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
New York Magazine writer encourages democrats to 'cut off' MAGA relatives
A liberal writer is encouraging fellow progressives to cut off family members who support Donald Trump. New York Magazine's Sarah Jones insists that going 'no contact' is the only way to deal with right wing family members. 'Sometimes the act of knowing a person leaves you with no choice but to move on without them,' Jones wrote. 'If my parents liked Alligator Alcatraz, I'd no longer speak to them. 'If they were rude to my LGBT friends, I'd block their numbers. Though shunning won't work as a political strategy, there are still natural consequences for the way we speak and behave.' Her comments were a response to a guest essay by former Obama speech writer David Litt in The New York Times, in which he advocated for reaching across the aisle when it comes to families with opposing political views. Jones said she hails from a conservative family and suggested this has been a source of contention. 'I come from a conservative family and a conservative place, and I nurture my pain like it's a small pet,' she wrote. 'But I speak to my family and sometimes I even go home to see them.' She shared a link to her article on Friday on X with the caption: 'Should you cut off your MAGA relatives? That's up to you, in the end, but I think it's a perfectly reasonable choice to make.' In the piece she cited a study by marketing firm The Harris Poll which found that half of American adults are estranged from a relative, with one in five citing political differences as the reason why. This is a phenomenon which has been exacerbated since Trump returned to office, according to Jones. Her views are in contrast to Litt who talked about how he connected with his anti-Covid vaccine, Joe Rogan loving brother-in-law over their love of surfing after previously keeping his distance. 'Shunning plays into the hands of demagogues, making it easier for them to divide us and even, in some cases, to incite violence,' Litt wrote. However this approach was slammed by Jones as, 'so naïve it borders on malice'. Jones' stance was condemned by social media users who flooded her post to express their disagreement. 'Seriously, the only one that would be hurt over time in this situation is you,' one person wrote. 'Putting politics before family and not being able to take the high road says that you're unable to be neutral and keep the peace. Just agree to not talk politics and be civil with friends and family.' 'Dear Sarah, LMAO, how arrogant! You keep cutting people off, soon you will have no one. Good Luck! Laughing at you!' another added. 'Sounds like they are better off without you. Disregard everything they ever did for you in a snap, what a great person you must be,' a third person agreed. However, Jones is not the only progressive to advocate such drastic action. MSNBC's Joy Reid previously interviewed a Yale psychiatrist that it's fine to disown family members who voted for Trump. Dr. Amanda Calhoun, a child psychiatry fellow at the Ivy league school, made the comments during an interview on Reid's show The Reid Out last at the end of last year, while discussing coping strategies for people upset by Trump's election win. 'There is a societal norm that if somebody is your family that they are entitled to your time and I think the answer is absolutely not,' Calhoun said.
