Archive for July, 2008

Background Checks in California Offer Employees More Rights

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

If you’re applying for a job in California, or are a current employee, you should know the state’s rules on background checks are more open than most.

All background checks are subject to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, which sets the national standard. Even states such as California, which has its own laws governing background checks, have to follow FCRA rules. In other words, states can give more rights to workers but cannot take them away.

The FCRA rules apply only when a background check is prepared by an outside company. When a third party compiles a report, the FCRA requires a person be notified an investigation may be performed, the person involved must consent and the person should be notified if information in the report is used to make an adverse decision.

(more…)

Tracking down a New Jersey Job

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

In an attempt to lure more jobs to New Jersey, state officials have offered investment banking firm Lehman Brothers a $20 million tax break. Recently the New Jersey Economic Development Authority board approved the firm for the Business Employment Incentive Grant, making this the second time in the last month that the state has made an effort to assist Lehman Brothers.

If the firm accepts the grant, they would be expected to create 100 New Jersey jobs and move 400 other positions to the state from New York City. This would bring the total number of residents Lehman Brothers employees to 2,200.

(more…)

IT Jobs in Washington, DC

Monday, July 28th, 2008

Finding technology intensive Washington DC jobs shouldn’t be difficult for the foreseeable future, according to a recent American Electronic Association report. The organization found that the capital city is the second largest center for such jobs in the nation, topped only by the New York metro area.

Currently this industry employees over 295,000 DC residents. When compared to 2001, that is a 2.6 percent increase in employment in this industry. The largest portion of these jobs are in the field of computer system design, which accounts for 137,000 positions. The report found that DC is the leading region in the nation for this specific job.

(more…)

California Nursing Jobs will be Plentiful

Monday, July 28th, 2008

A career as a registered nurse may be the way to go for those looking for a California nursing job.

According to the California Employment Development Department, a critical shortage of registered nurses is expected throughout the next 10 years. Because of this, hospitals and clinics have ongoing, active recruitment programs, some of which offer unique benefits to attract applicants.

The CEDD states there were 230,300 registered nurses in 2004, and that number is expected to reach 291,200 by 2014. There should be 10,910 openings for registered nurses per year.

(more…)

Current State of Houston Job Market

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Although the rest of the country is considering biking to work in order to avoid paying astronomical gas prices, Houston’s economy is benefiting from all the dollars spent at the pump. With the energy industry providing 48 percent of Houston jobs, more money spent on fuel means more opportunities for those seeking work.

Whereas the rest of the country is experiencing rising unemployment, the city’s jobless rate remains relatively flat at 3.9 percent, a full 1.6 percent lower than the national average. The economic uncertainty that has caused employers throughout America to decrease the size of their staffs hasn’t seemed to touch Houston, where job growth is currently higher than 2 percentage points.

(more…)