Jim Stroud

Atlanta Manufacturing Jobs See Second-Largest Yearly Decline

2010-03-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

Atlanta manufacturing jobs saw the second-largest yearly decrease in employment at the beginning of 2010.

Although Atlanta's January unemployment rate has not yet been released, the unemployment rate in Georgia as a whole increased from 10.3 percent to 10.4 percent, keeping it above the national rate of 9.7 percent. Atlanta had an unemployment rate of 10.1 percent during December 2009.

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta area had a total non-farm employment of 2,236,700 workers during January, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 2,264,800 workers during January and a 4 percent decrease from last year.

Only two industries managed to see a monthly increase in employment, including education and health services by 2,600 jobs and government by 100 jobs. The education and health services industry also was the only industry that saw a yearly increase in employment.

The industry employed 271,800 workers during January, up from 269,200 workers during December and a 1.4 percent increase from January 2009.

The construction industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year. The industry employed 90,600 workers during January, down from 94,700 workers during December and an 18 percent decrease from last year.

The manufacturing industry saw the second-largest yearly decrease in employment. The industry employed 136,800 workers during January, down from 139,200 workers during December and an 11.8 percent decrease from January 2009.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:

trade, transportation and utilities by 3.2 percent
information by 5.3 percent
financial activities by 6.4 percent
professional and business services by 5.2 percent
leisure and hospitality by .4 percent
other services by .1 percent
government by 2.2 percent

Phoenix Tech Jobs Get New Space

2010-03-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

A local nonprofit will soon offer a space for those with Phoenix tech jobs (Click here) to come together.

The nearby City of Chandler recently announced that it plans to offer $400,000 to Gangplank, a technology-oriented nonprofit. The funding will help redevelop a historic building, accounting for the first project under the South Arizona Avenue Design Guidelines.

Gangplank provides a collaborative space where hundreds of technology-oriented professionals can come together to share ideas and develop products and business models. The company is working in Chandler because it has many of the ingredients to attract people in technology.

"For good ideas to take off, they have to build off other ideas," Gangplank Co-Founder Derek Neighbors told the East Valley Tribune. "We need density. Downtown Chandler is doing everything right to set itself up for the creative class in the next 10 years or so."

The company plans to renovate a building on South Arizona Avenue across from the new City Hall. Gangplank will use the funding for exterior facade renovations and to bring the ventilation system up to code.

The funding will come from a city fund meant to help private developers restore downtown buildings. In exchange for providing the funding, the city will receive a conservation easement guaranteeing the historic aspects of the building will be preserved and maintained for 20 years.

Gangplank will invest some of its own funding to add a second story to the building and renovate the interior. The building, which dates back to 1946, was originally used by the military and later became a meat processing plant, retail suites and home to the Gospel for Life Church.

The South Arizona Avenue Design Guidelines are aimed at creating an urban, pedestrian-friendly city center with tall buildings on each side of Arizona Avenue, transitioning downward to blend into adjacent residential neighborhoods.

The guidelines help support the $10 million South Arizona Avenue Corridor Area Plan, which will narrow Arizona Avenue from six lanes to four through Dr. A.J. Chandler Park and widen sidewalks to enhance the area's landscaping.

Sample Background Checks for Manufacturing Workers

2010-03-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Although it has been declining under the economic downturn, the manufacturing industry remains popular, and employers must be cautious when the economy rebounds it's time to hire new employees.

Maintaining a safe and accident-free workplace is vital to the success of any manufacturing company. Another important step is to reduce employee turnover. Both of these things can be accomplished by conducting background checks on potential hires.

Here are some sample background checks to conduct when hiring a new employee in the manufacturing industry:

Social Security number trace - This procedure, which also includes an address history search, authenticates that the Social Security number an applicant provides is associated with an individual of the same name and birth date. The Social Security number trace reveals addresses that are used to select court jurisdictions in which to check for criminal records, and also will reveal any aliases.
Employment verifications - This verifies information on an applicant's resume, including dates of employment, starting and ending positions and salaries, reason for termination, and eligibility for rehire. It also may include interviews with former supervisors.
County criminal record search - This consists of an on-site manual search for the superior, upper, lower and municipal court records available in each county. These records will indicate whether or not a candidate has had a felony, misdemeanor or infraction within the last seven years or longer. The end result includes date of arrest, date of filing, charges, level of charges, disposition date, final disposition of charges and any sentence or penalty.
National criminal record database search - These aggregate databases are comprised of millions of records from various sources, including county court houses, state departments of incarcerations, state record repositories, probation departments, townships and sex offender registries.
Substance abuse screening - This can include physical exams and urine, hair or saliva testing for various substances.

Raleigh Medical Jobs Supported by CHIPRA Funding

2010-02-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

A new round of funding will help support Raleigh medical jobs that focus on children.

The State of North Carolina recently announced that it will receive a $9.3 million grant through the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act to develop technology that tracks and measures quality of care for children.

The NC Department of Health and Human Services, North Carolina Pediatric Society, and NC Office of Rural Health and Community Care worked together to secure the grant.

"This competitive grant is vital to ensuring that children in our state are healthy and ready to learn," Gov. Bev Perdue said. "This will help pediatric offices throughout the state make better use of technology so we can be sure that children, those with special needs in particular, are receiving the care they need."

Only 10 lead states received part of the $100 million in funding from CHIPRA. North Carolina plans to apply its funding toward three initiatives for youth who receive healthcare through NC Medicaid or N.C. Health Choice for Children.

Those initiatives include:

Improve coordinated care for Children with Special Health Care Needs, focusing on children with developmental, behavioral and mental-health disorders. The effort will help narrow the gaps and disparities that special-needs children frequently encounter.
Implement electronic health records for children.
Implement and establish measures to increase the quality of care for children. Funding will be given to Community Care of North Carolina to create and evaluate methods for collecting and reporting data on health indicators specific to children.

"This will be a great opportunity for us to truly implement medical home standards and to coordinate care for kids, especially the ones who have special needs," Dr. Marian Earls, president of the N.C. Pediatric Society, said. "The focus now is on shifting to electronic patient records, and to integrate quality into practice, and this grant will help us move in that direction."

Personal Background Checks Made Easy

2010-02-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

A new Web site will make it easier for job seekers to conduct personal background checks and discover any potential problems before a potential employer does.

TransparentMe, a site that provides individuals' public records, allows candidates to perform an online personal background check in days or minutes, revealing everything from negative information to whether or not their identity has been compromised.

"In today's hyper-competitive job market, a background check can make the difference between landing a dream job or being cast aside in favor of someone else," Jason B. Morris, co-founder and principal of TransparentMe, said. "TransparentMe equips a job seeker with information so they can be proactive with a potential employer instead of defensive."

The site offers three service levels, including a basic package for $19.95, an enhanced package for $34.95 and a comprehensive package for $69.95. Basic level results are available within minutes, while enhanced and comprehensive level results are available in one to four days.

All three levels provide:

Identity verification - This search conducts a social security number trace, ensuring that an individual's number isn't being used by anyone else. The trace also provides a history of addresses where a customer has applied for credit. Most employers use this type of search as a roadmap to determine which court jurisdictions should be researched for criminal records and what names to check.
National criminal records database search - A search of databases that comprise millions of records from various sources in the United States. These records are obtained by commercial vendors from several different sources including: county court houses, state departments of incarceration, state record repositories, probation departments and townships.
National sex offender registry search - This multi-state database search provides sex offender case information in an easy-to-read report. Extensive search capabilities will check registered sex offender data sources nationwide, including: bureaus of investigation, departments of law enforcement, departments of corrections, departments of justice, departments of public safety, sheriff's departments, state attorney general's offices and state police agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The enhanced level package additionally includes:

Current county of residence criminal records search - An on-site manual search of the superior, upper, lower, and/or municipal court records in the user's current county of residence. A national network of professional court researchers covers the more than 3,500 county court jurisdictions and will indicate if a subject has a felony, misdemeanor and possibly an infraction filing within the last seven years or longer.
Homeland Security search - This security check cross-references the user's name against more than 14 worldwide known terrorist and fugitive databases that include individuals, organizations and companies considered a threat to global and national security. The Homeland Security check database is updated daily as various lists are modified.

The comprehensive level package includes all five services listed above and allows users to conduct a criminal records search in up to five counties throughout the country.

Individuals also can purchase add-on services, such as employment verifications, education verifications, reference interviews and professional license verifications.

"More companies than ever are conducting background checks on their job candidates - as many as 85 percent of all employers," Nick Fishman, co-founder and principal of TransparentMe, said. "Also, identity theft is forcing candidates to find out the hard way that their character and personal information has been tainted. TransparentMe arms people with knowledge so they can avoid unpleasant surprises that might impact their future career."

Resume Builder a Great Tool for Returning Students

2010-02-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

The economic downturn caused many people to return to school, whether to gain more education for their current job or to pursue a new career path altogether. Once you complete your second round of schooling, using a resume builder can help you market both your educational and employment experience.

A good resume builder will allow you to either upload an existing resume and tailor it to your needs or start from scratch. Either option provides a great way for you to create the perfect marketing tool for your job search.

Here are five tips to keep in mind when using a resume builder, as compiled by FastWeb:

Highlight important dates - Many job seekers are afraid to include graduation or employment dates in their resume for fear that employers will automatically reject older candidates or those with significant time gaps. It's more likely that employers will be suspicious if you eliminate important dates. It's better to be honest up front than to leave employers thinking you have something to hide.
Use your resume as a marketing document - Instead of listing your entire career history, research the company you're applying to and feature what you can do for them in the future, instead of what you've done in the past.
Show employers how your past career experience will benefit them - Researching the company also can help you understand where it's going and what it's looking for, allowing you to highlight your experience in those areas. Keep in mind that the average person spends only seven seconds scanning a resume, so make sure what you have to offer stands out.
Consider using a functional resume - This type of resume, which often has a profile section at the top, offers you the chance to showcase your skills instead of your experience. Even more importantly, you can show how your style will fit in with the culture of the organization.
Have an "experience" section instead of an "employment" section - This is especially helpful if you think your previous work experience is irrelevant to the job you're seeking. An experience section also can include internships, class projects and independent study.

Job Search Hope Among Unemployment Figures

2010-02-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

Anyone in the midst of a job search received some good news today.

The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the national unemployment rate declined from 10 percent to 9.7 percent during January. However, another 20,000 jobs were lost during the month.

The total number of unemployed people decreased to 14.8 million during January. Teenagers saw the biggest unemployment rate, at 26.4 percent, followed by blacks at 16.5 percent, Hispanics at 12.6 percent, adult men at 10 percent, Whites at 8.7 percent, Asians at 8.4 percent and adult women at 7.9 percent.

Gulf War era II veterans had an unemployment rate of 12.6 percent, while non-veterans had a rate of 10.4 percent. People with a disability had a 15.2 percent unemployment rate, compared with 10.4 percent for those with no disability. Foreign-born people had an unemployment rate of 11.8 percent, while native-born people had a 10.3 percent rate.

The construction industry lost 75,000 jobs during January, with nonresidential specialty trade contractors losing 48,000 workers, accounting for the majority of the decline. Construction industry employment has declined by 1.9 million workers since December 2007.

Employment in transportation and warehousing decreased by 19,000 workers, mainly due to a 23,000 job loss among couriers and messengers.

After several months of severe declines, employment in the manufacturing industry only dropped by 11,000 workers, mainly because of 23,000 job gains in motor vehicles and parts, and 6,000 job gains in plastics and rubber products.

Temporary help services increased by 52,000 jobs, and has added 247,000 jobs since reaching a low point during September 2009. Retail trade employment increased by 42,000 jobs, mainly due to a 14,000 job gain among food stores, a 13,000 job gain among clothing stores and a 10,000 job gain among general merchandise retailers.

Employment in the federal government increased by 33,000 jobs, including 9,000 temporary positions for the 2010 Census. However, more jobs were lost in state and local governments. Healthcare employment also continued to increase, with ambulatory healthcare services adding 15,000 job over the month.

Dallas Teaching Jobs

2010-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Those looking for Dallas teaching jobs have hundreds of opportunities to choose from.

The Dallas area is home to 337 public schools, 89 private schools and 38 colleges, according to Wikipedia. Teachers in the area have a low unemployment rate and can expect to be paid relatively well.

The Dallas-Plano-Irving area's education and health services industry employed 255,900 workers during December 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 254,600 workers during November and a 9.4 percent increase from December 2008.

According to Salary.com, the average pay for a public school teacher in Dallas is between $44,292 per year and $58,836 per year.

The majority of public elementary and secondary schools in the city are operated by the Dallas Independent School District, which is the 12th-largest school district in the country, with an enrollment of more than 161,000 students.

Several of the district's schools are well-known. During 2006, 2007 and 2009, Newsweek named the School for the Talented and Gifted the best school in the country. The School of Science and Engineering Magnet was named eighth on that list during 2006 and second during 2007. Other schools named to the list include: Hillcrest, W. T. White, and Woodrow Wilson high schools.

Most school districts in Dallas County, including DISD, are served by Dallas County Schools, a governmental agency that provides busing and other transportation services, access to a media library, technology services, ties to local organizations for education and community integration, and staff development programs.

There also are many private schools throughout the Dallas area.

When it comes to higher-education, there are many notable institutions in the area. Dallas County Community College District serves as the main two-year community college in the county. The district has seven campuses, with branches in Dallas and the surrounding suburbs.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, which is part of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and one of the largest grouping of medical facilities in the world, also is located in Dallas. The school is extremely selective, admitting only about 200 students per year and enrolling 3,255 postgraduates.

The city also is home to the University of North Texas at Dallas, which became the first public university in the city in 2009.

There are many private higher-education institutions in the city, including two branches of Texas Woman's University, one that specializes in nursing and one that specializes in occupational therapy and physical therapy.

Other private schools in the city include: Dallas Baptist University, with an enrollment of more than 5,100 students; Paul Quinn College, a historically black college with an enrollment of about 3,000 undergrads; Criswell College, a Biblical and Christian subject school with an enrollment of about 400 students; and Dallas Theological Seminary, an evangelical school with about 2,000 graduate students.

Other colleges and universities near Dallas include:

Dallas Hall at Dedman College at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
The University of Dallas
The University of North Texas
The University of Texas at Arlington
Dallas Christian College
Texas Christian University
Texas Wesleyan University
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Austin College
Texas A&M University
Navarro College

Seattle Jobs Supported by Funding

2010-01-28T07:20:00.000-08:00

Several Seattle jobs will be positively impacted by a new round of funding.

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation recently awarded $4.6 million in grants to various organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest area. That funding is part of a $15 million investment the foundation made last year.

The Seattle-based foundation, awarded grants to 66 nonprofits, 38 of which are based in Washington. Some of that funding will be used to create new jobs and support existing positions, according to an article by the Pudget Sound Business Journal.

One organization, for instance, will use its funding to enhance the area's "green-collar" industry. The White Center Community Development Association will receive a $200,000 grant that it intends to use to develop a green jobs training program aimed at young adults.

Other organizations in the Seattle area that received grants include:

Washington State STEM Education Foundation - $400,000 to support professional development opportunities for teachers at Delta High School, which is a new high school focused on technology, science, engineering and math.
Bainbridge Isle-based IslandWood - $50,000 to support a two-year program that will provide hands-on environmental education programs for youth in Seattle.
Northwest African American Museum - $50,000 to develop a marketing and outreach program.
Seattle Chamber Music Society - $25,000 to support the 2010 Summer Festival.

The Paul G. Allen Foundation was launched by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, in 1988.

The Seattle area could certainly use the additional jobs that the funding will support, as the unemployment rate has increased and the city has continued to lose jobs on a monthly and yearly basis.

During December 2009, the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area's unemployment rate increased from 8.4 percent to 9 percent, following a decrease from 9 percent during November. Despite the increase, the area's unemployment rate is still lower than the national rate of 10 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 1,414,200 workers during December, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,415,400 workers during November and a 3.4 percent decrease from December 2008.

Jobs for Veterans a Focus in San Diego

2010-01-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Officials in San Diego are attempting to make it easier to create city government jobs for veterans (Click here).

A recent bill proposed by Councilmember Todd Gloria would amend a city charter to give hiring preference to all U.S. veterans. Under the current measure, only those who served in the armed forces when a draft was in effect are given hiring preference.

Last week, the Rules, Open Government and Intergovernmental Relations Committee put the proposed bill to the San Diego City Council, which will place the measure up for vote on the general-election ballot in June.

According to an article by The San Diego Union-Tribune, military members who return to the United States after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan are not currently eligible to receive extra credit on civil service exams, a courtesy extended to other veterans that makes it easier for them to compete for city jobs.

The new bill would require that hiring preference be given to anyone: who has served in any branch of the U.S. armed forces during any war, major military action or peacekeeping mission; who has been honorably discharged; and who receive a passing grade on exams.

This comes on the heels of Operation Welcome Home, a statewide initiative throughout California championed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. That measure will use $20 million in one-time special funds from the Employment Development Department to hire 325 combat veterans to personally connect with newly-discharged service members in need of job assistance.

As part of the new initiative, Schwarzenegger will ask for more coordination among state agencies to help organize nine regional outreach teams in an effort to more effectively connect veterans with local job offers. In addition, he will ask cities, counties and nonprofit groups to increase cooperation and communication as they serve veterans.

Even prior to the statewide initiative, however, was the Veterans Employment Initiative, a measure by President Barack Obama that requires federal agencies to increase the number of veterans they recruit for federal jobs.

That initiative leaves agencies with the responsibility of: developing a plan to promote employment opportunities to veterans; establishing a Veterans Employment Program office to help carry out the plan within 120 days of the order; and providing annual training for HR managers to ensure they are giving veterans preference and are exercising special hiring authorities for veterans.

Obama also established an inter-agency Council on Veteran's employment, which is led by the Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management.

The council will be responsible for: coordinating government-wide recruitment and training to increase the number of veterans that agencies employ; serving as a forum for promoting employment opportunities to veterans; and establishing ways to measure the effectiveness of the initiative.

Tucson City Jobs Supported by Bioscience Industry

2010-01-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Those with Tucson city jobs in the bioscience industry have a lot to look forward to.

A recent study from the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice found that, despite the economic recession that slaughtered most industries during 2008 and 2009, Arizona's bioscience industry continued to rapidly grow, adding high-paying jobs and new firms.

From 2002 to 2008, bioscience jobs in Arizona increased by 31 percent, compared to the 12 percent growth rate experienced by the nation as a whole. During 2008, the average salary for a bioscience job in Arizona was $55,749, 33 percent higher than the average private-sector salary in the state.

One bright spot in the report is that 50 bioscience companies have spun off from university research since 2002. The Tucson area alone has added 38 bio firms since that year, accounting for a total of 82 firms in the area.

A previous Battelle study found that Arizona's bioscience industry has an annual revenue of about $12.5 billion, creating an additional $8.6 billion in economic activity and generating more than $765 million in state and local tax revenues.

The current study found that, during 2008, jobs in the state's bioscience industry increased by 5.8 percent, or 4,900 positions, to 89,674 jobs. At the same time, employment in Arizona's private sector decreased by 3.2 percent.

Although it's too early to guess how well Arizona's bioscience industry fared during 2009, several major bioscience employers throughout the state announced expansions, including W.L. Gore & Associates, Covance, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. and Sanofi-aventis.

The Battelle Technology Partnership Practice has been commissioned by the Flinn Foundation to develop Arizona's Bioscience Roadmap, a comprehensive analysis and strategic plan. Of the 19 recommended action items included in the plan, progress has been made on 17, with substantial progress on 11.

Some notable recent happenings include:

New bioscience and technology incubators were launched in Chandler, Phoenix and Surprise.
Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute announced plans to create its own accelerator.
The University of Arizona is building a major bioscience park.
Flagstaff's new incubator graduated its first major tenant.
A "fund of funds" was created to raise and manage up to $200 million for private venture-capital investments in early-stage bioscience and technology firms.
STEM - or science, technology, engineering and math - education programs were expanded.

During 2008, a total of $435 million was spent on academic research and development expenditures at Arizona's public universities. However, grant funding from the National Institutes of Health decreased by 10.1 percent to $157.6 million.

Fortunately, the current NIH funding outlook is encouraging, with $33 million already secured in research funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. From 2002 to 2008, NIH funding in Arizona increased by 14 percent.

However, during 2009, Arizona also saw its bioscience venture capital-investments substantially decline. Firms secured five investments during the year, totaling $16.4 million, a decrease from the $65 million received during 2008, and the lowest level of funding received since 2003.

San Diego County Jobs Index Remains Even

2010-01-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

The outlook for San Diego County jobs is bright.

During November 2009, San Diego's index of leading economic indicators remained even, hinting at continuing improvement in the job market as more workers were hired and the area unemployment rate declined.

The index, which is maintained by the University of San Diego's Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate, has not declined for eight months.

The index is mainly based on online job postings, which increased by .08 percent during November, breaking a 38-month decline, and first-time unemployment filings, which increased by .17 percent, accounting for the lowest number of new filings since March 2008.

"It's not necessarily that things are getting better, but they're definitely getting less bad," Alan Gin, an economist with the University of San Diego, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "The indicators are showing that we're getting much closer to having actual job growth in the county."

At the same time, the local unemployment rate decreased from 10.7 percent to 10.3 percent during November, and economists predict the jobless rate could drop to 9 percent or 9.5 percent by the end of this year.

In addition, local consumer confidence increased by 30 percent from November 2008, while the number of building permits declined and local stock prices were negative for the third month in a row.

Based on recent trends, economists are predicting that local employers could hire anywhere between 3,000 and 18,000 workers this year. Any amount of growth would be welcome, however, as local employers cut between 40,000 and 50,000 jobs during 2009.

"2009 was the worst year for employment on record for San Diego," Gin said. "It's possible that a year or two in the 1930s might have been worse, but we don't have enough solid data from back then to make a good comparison."

Pittsburgh Jobs See Monthly, Yearly Decline

2009-12-21T15:26:00.000-08:00

The number of jobs Pittsburgh has to offer declined on a monthly and yearly basis last month.

While the November unemployment rate for Pittsburgh has not yet been released, the State of Pennsylvania's rate decreased from 8.9 percent to 8.5 percent, which is lower than the national unemployment rate of 10 percent. Pittsburgh had a 7.7 percent unemployment rate during October.

The city had a total non-farm employment of 1,127,400 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,128,000 workers during October and a 2.3 percent decrease from last year.

Four industries saw a monthly increase in employment, including: trade, transportation and utilities by 2,700 jobs; financial activities by 200 jobs; education and health services by 1,000 jobs; and government by 600 jobs. Employment in the mining and logging, information and professional and business services industries remained steady at 5,500 jobs, 19,400 jobs and 157,000 jobs, respectively.

Only one industry managed to add jobs on a yearly basis. The education and health services industry employed 237,900 workers during November, up from 236,900 workers during October and a .8 percent increase from last year. Employment in the mining and logging industry remained even over the year.

The manufacturing industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year. The industry employed 87,500 workers during November, down from 87,700 workers during October and a 10.3 percent decrease from last year.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:

construction by 8 percent
trade, transportation and utilities by 1.9 percent
information by 4 percent
financial activities by 2.5 percent
professional and business services by 2.5 percent
leisure and hospitality by .8 percent
other services by 1.3 percent
government by 1.2 percent

St Louis Tech Jobs Gain Support

2009-12-17T14:24:00.000-08:00

A new initiative will help create St Louis tech jobs and positions throughout the state.

Gov. Jay Nixon recently introduced the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act, a new initiative that will help create stable, ongoing funding to attract and retain high-tech scientific and research jobs throughout Missouri.

The MOSIRA is part of the Governor's Missouri First Initiative, a comprehensive legislative proposal meant to put Missouri residents back to work, educate them for the careers of tomorrow and harness innovation and technology to revolutionize government and business.

"We face tremendous opportunities to transform our economy for the 21st century, and it is vital that we not only bolster our existing high-tech and innovative employers, but also bring more of these cutting edge companies and their 21st century jobs to our state," Nixon said.

"MOSIRA will help us capitalize on the growth of our existing science and technology companies to reinvest in generating further economic growth in the science and innovation industry sectors, which will be crucial to our future Missouri economy," he continued.

In essence, MOSIRA will take a small percentage of state revenue growth from a group of science and innovation companies and use that money to create a funding source to spark growth in research and technology enterprises.

That funding will then be transferred to the Missouri Technology Investment Fund and administered by the Missouri Technology Corporation.

Funding priority will be given to programs designed to:

Attract top science talent to Missouri
Commercialize scientific research to create new Missouri-based technology companies
Recruit and build strategic science infrastructure
Create a continuum of capital programs to increase access to risk capital for early-stage technology companies created in or recruited to Missouri
Increase technology-focused entrepreneurial activity in Missouri
Establish highly-focused workplace development initiatives

Denver Nursing Jobs Benefit from Training Initiatives

2009-12-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Those with Denver nursing jobs and healthcare jobs throughout Colorado will benefit from a slew of new proposed bills.

Gov. Bill Ritter recently announced new job-training initiatives meant to strengthen Colorado's workforce, support small businesses throughout the state and maintain a competitive stance among the national and global economy.

The initiatives include three bills that will be introduced during the 2010 legislative session, two of which focus around healthcare-related positions, as well as a CareerReady Colorado Certificate program.

The three bills include:

The Health Care Jobs for Colorado bill will encourage and provide incentives for healthcare professionals who work in rural and under-served communities, in turn ensuring that residents in those areas have access to comprehensive healthcare services. The measure also will improve existing public and private loan repayment programs and increase the state's primary care workforce.
The Nurse Training Loan Forgiveness bill will improve the existing CollegeInvest program by extending current eligibility requirements. The measure will increase the number of nurse faculty and the number of new nurses who can be trained each year.
The Job Retraining Accounts bill introduces accounts that will be used to finance employee education and training. The employer-matched, portable, employee-owned accounts will encourage partnership between workers and employers to increase education productivity and improve recruitment and retention.

The CareerReady Colorado Certificate program, which was piloted earlier this year, will now be available throughout the state. It will provide job seekers with a state-issued credential certifying their skills and abilities, which also will make it easier for employers to find qualified candidates.

"Over the past three years, we've launched some of the most aggressive business- and workforce-development strategies in the country," Ritter said. "While Colorado residents and companies continue to struggle, our strategies are working and our economy is beginning to stabilize.

"We still have a long way to go, and government alone cannot fix the economy," he added. "But we can do our part. We can strengthen partnerships between government, schools and businesses. And we can ensure that job-training efforts match job-creation efforts. That's exactly what we're doing today, and the end result will be good Colorado jobs for hard-working Coloradans and a stronger homegrown workforce for our businesses."

Milwaukee Jobs See Monthly Increase

2009-12-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

More Milwaukee jobs were added during October as the city's unemployment rate continued to decline. Visit http://milwaukee.jobing.com to learn more.

During October, the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis area saw its unemployment rate decrease from 8.5 percent to 8.2 percent, following a decrease from 9.3 percent during September. The area's current rate is lower than the national unemployment rate at the time of 10.2 percent.

The Milwaukee area had a total non-farm employment of 805,700 workers during October, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 802,100 workers during September, but a 5.9 percent decrease from last year.

Three industries saw a monthly increase in employment, including: trade, transportation and utilities by 2,200 jobs; education and health services by 2,200 jobs; and government by 3,100 jobs. Employment in the mining and logging and other services industries remained even at 300 jobs and 42,300 jobs, respectively.

No industries managed to add jobs on a yearly basis, as all industries excluding the other services industry saw a decrease in employment. Employment in the other services industry remained even over the year.

The mining and logging industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year. That industry employed 300 workers during October, the same as during September, but a 25 percent decrease from last year.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:

construction by 11.7 percent
manufacturing by 11.6 percent
trade, transportation and utilities by 4.8 percent
information by .6 percent
financial activities by 4.7 percent
professional and business services by 13.7 percent
education and health services by .3 percent
leisure and hospitality by 7.6 percent
government by .1 percent

Los Angeles Hotel Jobs See Applicant Influx

2009-12-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

A slew of people are applying for available Los Angeles hotel jobs.

The leisure and hospitality industry, specifically hotels and restaurants, has been hit hard by the current economic recession. As fewer people have the money to travel and splurge on dining out, many workers in this industry have been laid off.

So it's not surprising the few hotels that are hiring have seen an influx of applicants. For instance, about 11,000 people applied for 400 job openings at the W Hollywood Hotel & Residences, which are scheduled to open in Hollywood early next year, while about 3,500 people applied for 550 job openings at the new Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles.

John Husing, an independent economist with Economics & Politics, Inc., told the Los Angeles Times that the high number of hotel job applicants in Southern California reflects the high number of workers with limited education searching for positions in the service sector.

He said 45.5 percent of those 25-years and older in Los Angeles do not have a college education and are therefore limited to blue-collar or service work. While these workers have traditionally been supported by jobs in other industries, such as construction, manufacturing and cargo, those industries have seen an even bigger decrease in employment than the hotel sector.

"When something opens up in one of the service sectors that doesn't require a heavy level of education, it's not surprising that so many people would show up," Husing said.

As recent labor market statistics show, the Los Angeles area could certainly use the additional jobs, especially in the leisure and hospitality industry.

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area's leisure and hospitality industry employed 385,600 workers during October, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 386,100 workers during September and a 2.7 percent decrease from last year.

Clearwater Jobs Created by Census

2009-12-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

One government organization is creating thousands of Clearwater jobs and positions throughout the Tampa Bay area.

The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that it will hire about 5,000 temporary employees in the Tampa Bay area to work on the 2010 census. The bureau is already recruiting for the positions, which are expected to last between five and 10 weeks.

The bureau has opened a total of five field offices in the Tampa Bay area, including two in Tampa, one in St. Petersburg, one in Clearwater and one in Brooksville. Each office is expected to hire about 1,000 workers.

Depending on the job they will perform, workers can expect to earn anywhere from $9 per hour to $16 per hour, with pay in the Brooksville office averaging $11 per hour, pay in the St. Petersburg and Clearwater offices averaging $13.25 per hour and pay in the Tampa office averaging $14.50 per hour.

The majority of workers will be responsible for visiting area homes to check the number of people in each residence and keep track of other demographic information. However, the bureau notes, employees also will be working for their own neighborhoods.

"We hire locally, and an accurate count means a fair distribution of money for your schools, road, neighborhood improvements and elderly care in your community," Marilia Matos, associate director of field operations for the Census Bureau, said.

The census itself is conducted every 10 years and is used to divide about $400 billion in federal funds to communities.

Based on recent figures, the Tampa Bay area could certainly use the additional jobs. Even though the area's unemployment rate has begun to decline, it remains well above the national average as more jobs are lost.

During October, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area saw its unemployment rate decrease from 11.8 percent to 11.7 percent, following an increase from 11.4 percent during September. Despite the decrease, the area's rate is still higher than the national unemployment rate of 10.2 percent.

The Tampa Bay area had a total non-farm employment of 1,157,200 workers during October, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,158,000 workers during September and a 4.8 percent decrease from last year.

Arizona State Jobs Account for Highest Percentage Loss in Nation

2009-12-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

A higher percentage of Arizona state jobs have been lost than that in any other state throughout the country.

A recent study from the Economic Policy Institute found that Arizona has lost the highest proportion of jobs in the nation, meaning that while other states have lost a higher number of jobs, those losses constitute a smaller percentage of the state's total economy.

Since the current economic recession began in December 2007, Arizona has lost 265,000 jobs, or 9.9 percent of the state's employment. The majority of those job losses have been in the construction industry, which has decreased by 45 percent since June 2006.

During October alone, Arizona saw its unemployment rate increase from 9.1 percent to 9.3 percent. Despite that slight increase, the state's current rate is still lower than the national unemployment rate of 10.2 percent.

Arizona had a total non-farm employment of 2,409,000 workers during October, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 2,406,800 workers during September, but a 6.9 percent decrease from last year.

The state's construction industry has continued to lose jobs on a monthly and yearly basis. The industry employed 133,700 workers during October, down from 136,400 workers during September and a 24.2 percent decrease from last year.

According to an article by Examiner, much of the blame for the current employment situation in Arizona lies with the state government and other political leaders.

"Rather than invest in education, job creation, and home-grown industries - like solar power - during boom times, the Republican-controlled state legislature offers tax cuts to businesses," the article notes. "In bust times, what do they do?

"They cut education (making Arizona less competitive in the long term)," the article continues. "Cut social services. Cut financial support to cities. And cut anything else they can think of in order to avoid raising revenue. The thought of increasing revenue by relinquishing previous tax cuts is not even on their radar."

Nashville Jobs TN at Proposed Medical Center

2009-12-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

A new medical center could help to create thousands of Nashville jobs TN.

Officials recently announced the location for the proposed Nashville Medical Trade Center, which is being touted as a major strong point for the local economy. Aside from construction jobs that will be created to complete the project, the medical center also is expected to result in the creation of 2,700 permanent jobs.

The $250 million project is expected to attract 150,000 new visitors to the Nashville area each year. Developers are planning to add 12 stories to the existing Nashville Convention Center and use that facility to house the medical center.

Although local and state government officials have agreed to the plan, the decision is not yet final. According to the Nashville Business Journal, the plan will depend on whether the convention center will be replaced with a $585 million Music City Center to be located at a new location.

While the Medical Trade Center would be privately funded, it could still receive aid from existing state programs, such as the FastTrack Infrastructure Development Program that provides funding for public improvements needed to create new jobs and business investment.

Once completed, the medical center will include permanent showrooms for 600 to 1,000 healthcare equipment manufacturers, training facilities, a broadcast center and 120,000-square-feet of exhibit space for trade shows.

It is expected that Crow Holdings and CNL Lifestyle Properties will fund the project through cash investments and financing. The medical center is being designed by Nashville-based Gresham, Smith & Partners and construction will be managed by Turner's local office.

If the proposal is finalized, construction on the medical center could begin as early as mid-2010, with the facility to open as early as the beginning of 2013. Those are tentative dates, however, as developers have yet to announce a full time line and plan to earn LEED Silver certification for the project.

City of Austin Jobs Added

2009-12-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

As the state an national unemployment rates increased, more City of Austin jobs (Click here) were added last month.

Although the Austin-Round Rock area's October unemployment rate has not yet been released, Texas as a whole saw its unemployment rate increase from 8.2 percent to 8.3 percent last month, following an increase from 8 percent during September. Despite the increase, this rate is still lower than the national unemployment rate of 10.2 percent.

The Austin area had a total non-farm employment of 780,700 workers during October, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 774,700 workers during September, but a .4 percent decrease from last year.

Six industries saw a monthly increase in employment, including: trade, transportation and utilities by 1,000 jobs; information by 100 jobs; financial activities by 100 jobs; professional and business services by 300 jobs; education and health services by 900 jobs; and government by 4,100 jobs. Employment in the other services industry remained steady at 32,400 jobs.

At the same time, six industries managed to see a yearly increase in employment, including: financial activities by 2.5 percent; professional and business services by 1 percent; education and health services by 4 percent; leisure and hospitality by 2 percent; other services by 2.9 percent; and government by 1.7 percent.

The manufacturing industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year. That industry employed 50,900 workers during October, down from 51,000 workers during September and an 11 percent decrease from last year.

In addition:

The mining, logging and construction industry employed 44,000 workers during October, down 300 jobs from September and a 7 percent decrease from last year.
The trade, transportation and utilities industry employed 136,100 workers during October, up from 135,100 workers during September, but a 2.6 percent decrease from last year.
The information industry employed 19,900 workers during October, up from 19,800 workers during September, but a 3.9 percent decrease from last year.

Personality Tests Online, Other Tools Help Companies Get Creative During Hiring Process

2009-11-24T07:04:00.000-08:00

At a time when the number of available job seekers highly outweighs the number of available jobs, companies are getting creative in the way they find the best potential employees.

It doesn't seem to be enough anymore to simply have candidates submit their resumes and then go through the typical interview process. Instead, employers are starting to use other tools at their disposal, such as personality tests online (Click here), surveys and even "speed-dating" style set-ups with current company employees.

Take for instance Physicians Choice of Arizona, or PCA Skin Inc., a 100-employee company located in Scottsdale, Ariz., that develops clinical skin-care products. In June, the company began asking job seekers to complete personality tests before they would be considered for employment.

The tests, which take about 10 minutes to complete, contain dozens of trait descriptions, which help the company ensure they're getting the right type of employee for the job. So far, the company has filled 17 positions using the personality tests.

"We have had about 65 candidates take the survey," Chief Executive Richard Linder told The Wall Street Journal. "So far, every hire we have made in which we used the survey tool has resulted in a successful placement."

Officials at Fisher, Herbst & Kemble, P.C., a San Antonio-based accounting firm, also are relying on personality tests to help with the hiring process. The tests the company administers take about 15 minutes to complete and consist of questions designed to forecast behaviors such as interpersonal style, outlook and motivators.

Instead of using personality tests, one company in Albuquerque, N.M., has created its own in-person evaluation system. Officials at McKee Wallwork Cleveland evaluate a candidate in person over the course of several days, allowing the potential employee to experience the work culture of the firm and even attend some company meetings.

Another company that has recently shown creativity in its hiring process is I Love Rewards Inc., a 38-person consulting firm based in Massachusetts and Toronto that advises companies that want to implement employee benefits and performance-based rewards.

During its latest hiring effort, the company received 1,200 applications for nine job openings. Instead of reading through all the resumes, the company asked the applicants to attend an open house in Toronto, and only 400 potential employees showed up, drastically reducing the screening process.

For the open house itself, I Love Rewards rearranged its two-story office, with the first floor serving as an area where current company employees could mingle with candidates, and the second floor serving as a "speed-dating" area, where candidates could talk to current employees one-on-one.

Through that process, the company was able to dwindle the potential candidate pool down to 68 people, who will eventually be asked to come back for group and individual interviews.

ProAssisting Gives the Gift of Education

2009-11-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

ProAssisting, an online executive, personal and administrative assistant training program, recently announced that it has formed a 1-for-1 partnership with Dress for Success, a worldwide non-profit.

ProAssisting and Dress for Success have co-opted the unique TOMS Shoes 1-for-1 business model, where the company gives one pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair of shoes purchased. The partnership creates a new way for companies and non-profits to join forces and do good for people in need.

"I've been volunteering with Dress for Success for the past year while we were developing our training program," ProAssisting Co-Founder Stephanie Bull said. "After a session recently, I mentioned how Dress for Success had enhanced its career transformation center to my co-founder. He started asking questions about what exactly those career centers entail and then suggested a potential partnership for ProAssisting.

"As we talked through how to potentially work with Dress for Success over the next few weeks, we watched a news segment on TOMS Shoes and their unique business model and that’s when the 1-for-1 partnership idea really took shape," she continued. "We're truly honored to be partnered with such a great organization."

To start out, ProAssisting has donated 150 assistant training program scholarships to be distributed to Dress for Success clients throughout the country under the organization's scholarship program.

After the initial scholarships are awarded, for every future participant in the ProAssisting Training Program through 2010, the company will donate a full-year scholarship to a Dress for Success client who would otherwise be unable to afford the training.

"ProAssisting has really made the connection between professional development and self-sufficiency," Denalerie Johnson, executive vice president of workforce development at Dress for Success, said. "We are pleased to have a strong supporter of our women through the educational scholarships provided by ProAssisting and their community which enables higher education, gainful employment, and true personal pride and accomplishment around developing key job skills."

Miami Teaching Jobs

2009-11-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

Any potential candidates looking for Miami teaching jobs should know the city has a lot to offer when it comes to education.

Although the Miami area has lost some of its education jobs when compared to last year, the city has managed to see a monthly increase in employment, despite the current state of the economy. Aside from healthcare, education is often considered one of the only industries to be recession-proof.

The Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall area's education and health services industry employed 154,900 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 153,400 workers during August, but a .3 percent decrease from last year.

All public schools in Miami are governed by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Florida and the fourth-largest in the country. During 2008, the district had 385,655 students in its 392 schools and centers.

MDCPS also is the largest minority public school system in the nation, as 60 percent of its students are Hispanic, 28 percent are African American, 10 percent are White and 2 percent are non-white. The district is one of few that offer an optional bilingual education.

Some of the most notable high schools in Miami are Design and Architecture High School, which was ranked the best magnet schools in the country; Coral Reef High School, which was ranked as the 20th-best public high school in the country; MAST Academy; Miami Palmetto High School; and the New World School of the Arts.

Miami also is home to several Roman Catholic and Jewish private schools. Some of the city's best non-denominational private schools include Ransom Everglades, Gulliver Preparatory School and Miami Country Day School.

The Miami area also is home to several colleges and universities, including:

Barry University
Carlos Albizu University
Florida International University
Florida Memorial University
Johnson and Wales University
Keiser University
Miami Dade College
Miami International University of Art & Design
Nova Southeastern University
St. Thomas University
Talmudic University
University of Miami

City of San Antonio Jobs Get Effort from Officials

2009-11-19T07:03:00.000-08:00

Local officials are doing their part to help improve economic development and create City of San Antonio jobs.

The San Antonio City Council's Economic and Community Development Committee, the Mayor's Corporate Retention and Recruitment private-sector subcommittee and the business community recently came up with three primary recommendations to help spur economic development throughout the city.

In order to come up with the recommendations, the corporate retention and recruitment subcommittee worked over the past year to acquire information and interview stakeholders in the economic development community, as well as evaluated national economic industry trends and best practices from other cities.

"This is an exciting opportunity to really engage the community in a conversation about what we want San Antonio to be in 10 or 20 years," Mayor Julian Castro said. "We need a strategic plan that not only focuses on attracting new business, but one that places greater attention on retaining the many good corporate citizens we already have in the region."

The recommendations include:

Create a plan - This includes coordinating economic and community development and creating a systematic approach by developing a regional vision and strategic plan.
Establish process and structure for economic development - This includes managing economic development regionally; optimizing the economic development delivery system by assigning and promoting functions and roles to community organizations; focusing on the economic development led by officials; improving communication and collaboration by partnering with government entities, chambers, industry and trade groups and community members.
Improve resource utilization - This includes prioritizing investments to drive strategy, streamlining public sector activities and optimizing investments in external entities.

San Antonio could benefit from the added effort from city officials to improve economic development. Although the city has seen a slight increase in unemployment, it has managed to add some jobs on a monthly basis and the unemployment rate remains well below the national average.

During September, San Antonio saw its unemployment rate increase from 7 percent to 7.1 percent, following a decrease from 7.1 percent during August. Despite the increase, the city's unemployment rate was still lower than the national unemployment rate at the time of 9.8 percent.

San Antonio had a total non-farm employment of 845,800 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 844,500 workers during August, but a 1.1 percent decrease from last year.