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US employers add 273,000 jobs; unemployment drops to 3.5%

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In February, total U.S. nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 273,000 after January's growth of 225,000, while the unemployment rate dipped to 3.5% from 3.6% the previous month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The jobless rate has been 3.5% or 3.6% since September. In February, nearly all major groups of workers had scant change in the rate of employment versus January's figures. Meanwhile, wage growth remained rather tepid.

How technology can help to contain COVID-19 — and how it can’t

Tammy Hinojos Medical & Allied Healthcare

As the world navigates the coronavirus outbreak, a few key technologically advanced tools are front and center in the fight to contain COVID-19. Digital tools like telehealth, consumer-facing AI-based chatbots and remote patient monitoring could play a key role in assisting with containing the virus and helping people who think they might have been exposed. Some experts warn that these tools are not a total solution, but they could be helpful as one part of a large, comprehensive and integrated plan.

Infographic: The real reasons behind internet censorship around the world

Daniel Markuson Science & Technology

For millions around the world, internet outages have become the norm. For example, the Iranian government recently shut off the internet for nearly all of its population of more than 80 million. The authorities say this was done to silence protests over rising gasoline prices. But sometimes official motives for switching off the internet may be different from the actual ones. The infographic in this article takes a look at the countries with the heaviest internet censorship. It also lists their motives for cutting down access to global websites.

Telepresence robots: A healthcare trend that’s surprisingly cost-effective

Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied Healthcare

Telepresence is an important trend for healthcare in 2020. As an administrator and/or physician, you may already use it for remote applications, such as consultations with patients and specialists. But adding robotics as a facet of your telepresence strategy can be a lot easier to implement than it may seem — and a lot less expensive, too. Here are some of the technology's most exciting applications that can be used at your healthcare facility today.

How your digital marketing team can beat the ‘zero click’ trend

Lisa Mulcahy Marketing

As a marketer, you want your website to be reached as easily and frequently as possible, but that can be quite the challenge these days. One culprit could be the emerging "zero click" trend. What is zero click? It happens when someone types a question or phrase into Google but finds the answer through search results alone, meaning there's no need to continue to click onto an actual website. Use the following smart strategies to optimize your website’s visibility and content. Then, you can powerfully counteract the impact of zero clicks on your profit margin.

Report: Healthcare hacks continue to skyrocket

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

Healthcare data breaches continue to be a significant problem for patients and organizations. In 2019, more than 41 million patient records were breached, as per the findings of a report from Protenus and DataBreaches.net. Additionally, based on these reported findings, the number of hacks nearly tripled from the year prior when 15 million patient records were affected by breach incidents. Protenus analyzed data breach incidents disclosed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and/or the media during 2019.

Survey: US workers want pay increases, salary transparency

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Workers want a fulfilling job, but let’s be clear: compensation is a key factor in attracting and retaining workers. Randstad's 2020 U.S. Compensation Insights survey reveals the importance of both compensation and transparency regarding pay. According to the survey, 74% percent of millennials expect a pay raise every year in order to stay at their companies, versus 62% of baby boomers and 66% overall. Additionally, 40% of employees say they've only ever received a raise if they've asked for one, but this number is higher among younger employees.

Breaking down barriers to make career and technical pathways accessible…

Sheilamary Koch Education

Livestreaming industry experts into classrooms is an efficient way for high school career and technical education students to get their questions answered directly by people in the field who've recently completed their education and training. While students from any school certainly benefit, learners from rural, inner city or marginalized communities where opportunities to connect live with industry experts are often severely limited may gain considerably more from such virtual outreach. In fact, Advance CTE, a national nonprofit representing state career and technical education (CTE) directors, recommends technology use to expand access and reach as one of five core strategies for states to expand high-quality CTE pathways in rural areas.

5 things schools can do to prevent data breaches

Tom Mowatt Education

Breaches of education information systems are on the rise. The reason for this is because of the wealth of data that school districts and colleges possess: Social Security numbers, bank accounts, health information and other personal information required for school records. Security of education data systems requires a holistic and multifaceted approach. Here are five processes you can take to ensure proper barriers are in place from those who would ravage the information housed within the school district.

Zooming in on rogue immune cells: New research in autoimmune disease

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Although there are over 100 autoimmune disorders, researchers don’t know exactly why the body's immune system signals cells to target the body's own healthy organs and tissues. Current treatments for autoimmune disease can only address the symptoms. According to Professor Chris Goodnow, director of the UNSW Sydney Cellular Genomics Futures Institute, studying rogue immune cells is challenging because they are so rare in a blood sample. However, researchers have developed a technique that allows them to look directly at the cells that cause autoimmune disease.

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