Weekly Must Reads: What’s Your State’s Most Distinctive Job?

The top stories HR pros need to know this week.

Florida is loaded with motorboat operators, and Kansas is chockfull of ... Home Ec teachers? Vox Media analyzed Labor Department Statistics to uncover the most disproportionately popular jobs in each state.

Read more at Vox

Recession’s Over. Employers, Pay Up

Employers will soon have to start paying more to attract talent, according to the data crunchers at The New York Times' Upshot. Companies were spoiled during the recession, when job openings were few and far between, and there was a seemingly endless supply of job seekers. Now the opposite is true: the ratio of job openings to hiring has soared and workers aren’t nearly as desperate for jobs

Read more at The New York Times

Holiday Parties That Rocked

Holiday party planners take note. Suzanne Lucas, aka the Evil HR Lady, compiled this great list of holiday party features that real employees remember fondly. Example: Staff writers at one office wrote a Christmas story that featured every employee.

Read more at Inc.

Another Taker for the Holacracy Movement

Shareable, a nonprofit news hub, is the latest company to become a "holacratic" organization, or one that makes decisions via self-organizing teams rather than hierarchical systems (read: no static reporting structure). Businesses from Zappos to Medium to Dev Bootcamp are adopting the new theory of management, claiming the practice allows for more agility.

Read more at Huffington Post

Could Policy Changes Help Immigrants Job Hop?

President Obama’s proposed immigration action could be a game-changer for HR, says lawyer Allen Smith. For immigrants seeking a green card, they might have to stay with a sponsoring company as long as nine years under current legislation. Under the new framework, these employees could switch to a new employer after 180 days.

Read more at SHRM

Photo:Vox Media