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Archive for January, 2009

Jobs in Rhode Island Fall in December

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

During the month of December Rhode Island’s unemployment rate experience another significant rise. Data shows that there was a 0.7 percent increase in the number of people receiving jobless benefits between the end of November and December. This caused the month’s rate to jump to 10.0 percent, which is the highest it’s been in the last 32 years. For the same period, the national unemployment rate rose to 7.2 percent.

For the most part, unemployment rates tend to serve as a lagging indicator of the economic situation in a state. For example, many of those who filled for unemployment in December probably lost their Rhode Island jobs in November. This means that those laid off during the holidays won’t show up in jobless benefits data until January’s figures are released.

According the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, jobs in Rhode Island have continued to drop every month for the last year. In December employers in the state did away with approximately 3,000 jobs. The figures for the whole of 2008 are much more shocking. During the 12-month period somewhere around 22,000 jobs were lost, which Providence Business News says is 4.5 percent of the state’s total non-farm payroll employment. By the end of December 468,800 people held jobs in Rhode Island.

When compared to the rest of the country, Rhode Island’s unemployment rate is one of the worst. Only Michigan, where 10.6 percent of the population is without work, faired worse during the last month of 2008. Altogether 8 other states and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were notably higher than the national average. Another 18 states had similar levels of joblessness to countrywide norm, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Rhode Island also saw the greatest increase in unemployment from December of 2007 to this same month in 2008 in the nation. At the end of 2007, only 4.8 percent of the state’s population was unable to find work, which shows just how drastically the recession is hitting the Ocean State. Another 11 and Washington, D.C. also saw an increase in unemployment of 3.0 percent or more when compared to their jobless rates of December 2007.

Some of the troubles Rhode Island is experiencing can be attributed to high taxes placed on businesses in the area. With money already tight, the state is not in a position to attract a limit number of employers that are looking to create new jobs. Until the economy begins to recover, this will put Rhode Island at a significant disadvantage unless state officials make changes to local policies.

Those unable to find work in the diminutive state should consider the possibility of securing employment outside of Rhode Island. Since the area is relatively small, expanding one’s job search outside of the area may yield more opportunities and the commute should not be too difficult.

Tags: Jobs in Rhode Island
Posted in Job Search | 1 Comment »

Pre Employment Test Changes Raise Questions

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

One city recently voted down an attempt to reduce its pre-employment test for drugs and alcohol.

The Greenwood, Miss., City Council unanimously voted down the idea and directed the city attorney to come up with a tighter version of the policy within the next 30 days, according to an article by The Greenwood Commonwealth.

The city currently conducts pre-employment testing for drugs on all potential employees and has the ability to conduct random testing on all hired employees except clerical workers. Also, any employee involved in a motor vehicle accident while on official business or during work hours is issued a drug test.

(more…)

Tags: Pre employment testing, Shaker Consulting Group
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Atlanta Jobs Decrease 3.3%

Monday, January 26th, 2009

The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) has reported that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent in December, the highest rate in almost 26 years. The jobless rate was up 3.6 percentage points from 4.5 percent at this same time last year. The December unemployment rate was up seven-tenths of one percentage point from a revised 7.4 percent in November. Jobs in Atlanta decreased 3.3 percent from one year ago.

The last time Georgia posted a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at this level was in March of 1983 when the rate was also 8.1 percent. The state rate remained above the national rate of 7.2 percent for the 11th straight month. At present, 393,168 unemployed Georgians are looking for work. Of that number, 156,719, or 40 percent, are drawing unemployment insurance benefits.

Over the last year, the number of payroll jobs decreased 121,800 or 2.9 percent. Jobs were lost in manufacturing, construction, and trade, along with professional and business services, including temporary employment agencies. Jobs were added in health care, education, and with the federal government.

Tags: Atlanta jobs
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Computer Programmer Jobs in Demand

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

If you’re looking for a high-tech career that pays well and has growth potential, a computer programmer job may be right for you.

Computer programmers generally write, test and maintain various computer programs. They’re responsible for figuring out which instructions to use to make computers complete specific tasks. Programmers often write programs according to specifications developed by computer software engineers and systems analysts, according to an article by U.S. News & World Report.

It is expected that demand for computer programmers will increase as intranets, extranets and Internet applications continue to expand. Programmers with specialization in client and server programming, wireless applications, multimedia technology and graphic user interface will be the most needed.

(more…)

Tags: Computer programmer jobs, jobs.bearingpoint.com
Posted in Computer programmer, Job Search | 3 Comments »

Not All Doom and Gloom in the Midwest

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Arrow Strategies, a full service staffing firm based in Michigan announced good news on the job search front: a 35% increase in sales and the creation of 137 new jobs 2008.

Despite one of the most challenging economies in decades, Arrow Strategies continues their double-digit growth for the sixth consecutive year. With the creation of jobs throughout the Midwest and the increase in sales, Arrow Strategies 2008 revenue was just shy of $20,000,000. The company saw impressive growth in all three branches including Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Detroit. Through an extensive diversification of accounts, the Detroit branch outperformed the others.

“We are in the top three performing vendors at our five largest accounts. That performance along with our consistent execution has allowed us to operate somewhat insulated from the overall economic woes,” says Jeff Styers, Arrow Strategies Founder and President. It is the solid foundation built by consistent performance that has allowed Arrow Strategies to focus on organic growth through replication of best practices throughout all sectors of the industry.

“When you continue to offer a true value added service and competitive pricing, you can continue to grow even in these challenging times,” says Styers. Arrow Strategies expects another strong year in 2009 with the opening of at least one new branch.

As a result of their continued growth and employee centric philosophies, Arrow Strategies has been named one of Inc. Magazines Fastest Growing Companies in 2008 as well as a 101 Best and Brightest Company and Cool Place to Work.

Posted in Job Search | 1 Comment »

Job Search Engine Creates New T.V. Ad

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

With unemployment rising, many people who are used to making $100,000 a year or more are without work. Because of this, executive level job search engine TheLadders.com has created two new commercial geared at attracting those looking for employment opportunities to their Website, according to a recent press release.

“There’s an unprecedented number of $100k+ job seekers in the job hunt and these new commercials clearly demonstrate the reasons why TheLadders.com is the best way to find $100k+ jobs,” said Founder and CEO TheLadders.com Marc Cenedella. “There are tens of thousands of $100k+ jobs on the site right now waiting to be filled and thousands of new jobs are being added every week.”

The job search engine’s first spot has been entitled “Little Creatures”. Using the classic Japanese monster movie format, little creatures try unsuccessfully to complete the job of wrecking havoc on a city that they are much to tiny to effect. In the end, a much larger monster, representing the executive level job seeker, shows up and finishes the task at hand.

The second commercial shows “a vast landscape and a thundering herd of ‘office chairs” in order to illustrate that TheLadders.com is unlike other job search engines because they are only interested in “big” jobs that offer salaries of $100,000 a year or more. Hunters then run across the expanse, trying to catch the largest of chairs, without paying attention to the smaller “jobs”. An announcer then makes the point by saying “We only want the big jobs.”

“The job market is crowded with millions of job seekers, the Internet is crowded with countless job search websites, and $100k+ job seekers are desperately searching for the right resource that will help them find a senior level job,” said TheLadders.com’s Chief Marketing Officer Robert Turtledove. “This new advertising campaign clearly differentiates TheLadders.com from other job search websites as the leading website that caters exclusively to the needs of $100k+ job seekers.”

“Together, the two spots are the perfect complement to TheLadders.com business model,” said Al Kelly, who is the Executive Creative Director for Fallon Minneapolis, which handled the creation of the company’s commercials. “Built exclusively for the $100K+ market, TheLadders.com only works with qualified $100K+ talent and only posts pre-qualified $100K+ jobs.”

The job search engine was founded in 2003 and has become the largest employment website geared toward executive level positions. TheLadders.com is based out of New York and has offices in London.

Tags: Job Search
Posted in Job Search | 3 Comments »

Jobs in Boston

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

While most of the country is having trouble finding work, people searching for jobs in Boston continue to have an easier time than most. During the month of November of November, the city’s unemployment rate was only 5 percent. Massachusetts had a slightly higher jobless rate of 5.9 percent, according to the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. At the same time 6.8 percent of the nation was without work.

Despite this, Boston and the rest of Massachusetts is having a more difficult time processing unemployment benefit. Those who have recently lost their jobs have been advised to call the state’s claim centers between the middle and latter part of the day in order to reduce the number of delays experienced, according to the Boston Herald.

Since last year the number of people without work in Boston and the rest of Massachusetts have risen significantly. Twelve months ago there were only 107,000 people without work. Now there are approximately 200,000 residents struggling to find jobs.

According to the Herald, unemployment centers have been receiving so many calls that they are being answered with busy signals. In order to help fix these problems, first time claimants are now being directed to call centers.

One good thing that has come out of this is the fact that there are more Boston jobs and positions throughout Massachusetts at unemployment offices. Currently there are 140 people in charge of answering phones, which is almost twice the number there was in the beginning of October.

Overall, approximately 8,000 jobs in Massachusetts were lost during the month of November. During December, employers across the nation cut around 524,000 employment opportunities, causing unemployment to rise to 7.2 percent.

For 2008, the U.S. economy dropped somewhere around 2.6 million jobs, which is the most positions cut since 1945. During that year almost 2.8 million jobs were done away with.

Tags: Boston Jobs
Posted in Job Search | 1 Comment »

Background Check Provider Offers New Platform

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

With many applicants falsifying information on job applications, background checks have become a necessary expense when hiring new employees. The problem is that, with many businesses struggling to make ends meet at the moment, the cost of on-boarding workers can be straining. Despite this, the negatives of conducting these investigations are far outweighed by their positives.

Because of the number of companies that provide this service and the need for employers to save money, the background check business has become highly competitive. Hoping to be more capable of retaining past users and attracting new ones, A-Check America, Inc. recently introduced its newest version of the company’s employment screening platform. The company, which provides background checks and drug screening services to employers throughout the globe, has maintained its web-based format, which will make it easier for those who were familial with the older edition to master.

Representatives from the company have said that the new A-Check Direct (TM) 3.0 will help to reduce the cost employers spend on hiring new workers and the amount of time and resources it takes, a feature which likely be very popular with HR managers. This part of the platform helps to eliminate the amount of energy and time spent on ineligible job applicants. This speeds up the overall process significantly.

Another way that the program is able to increase the overall efficiency of the process is that it offers a Progressive Ordering feature that enables employers to enter a minimal amount of the applicant’s information. Then the platform goes ahead and identifies “red flags” that would make an applicant ineligible for hire, without having to go through typing in all of the data. This and other features are not available through other background check providers.

“The new system makes the background check and drug testing process easier, faster and less costly,” said Carlos Lacambra, President of A-Check. “We set out to leverage our development expertise to provide maximum benefits for employers and to solidly affirm A-Check’s position as a technology leader in the employment screening industry. We have achieved those goals with A-Check Direct(TM) 3.0.”

According to A-Ceck’s Director of Operations, Kathi Parlapiano, the changes made to the company’s latest model are the result of carefully studying what their clients need.

“We listened to our clients and worked to eliminate their pain points,” said Parlapiano in a recent press release . “Clients expect us to help them control background screening costs without compromising quality. They want speed, efficiency and flexibility. They want innovative products. They want compliance. A-Check Direct(TM) 3.0 delivers on all fronts.

“A-Check focused on creating the best employment screening platform and now we want to share it with the world,” said Lacambra. “A-Check Direct(TM) 3.0 is truly in a class by itself. Employers now have a screening platform that delivers all employment screening services through one access point, in a clear, cohesive manner.”

Tags: Background Check
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Jobs in Nevada

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Finding a job in Nevada got harder in November, according to the State Department of Employment. During the course of the month unemployment rose to 8 percent, which is the highest it’s been since February of 1984. At the same time the national jobless rate was only 6.7 percent.

DOE statistics show that approximately 111,700 residents in the city were unable to find employment in November. SInce many employers in the leisure and hospitality and retailer industries usually increase the number of Nevada jobs they provide during this season, the rising unemployment rate sows that the state’s economy is definitely suffering from the effects of the national recession. Employers in the state did away with approximately 2,700 jobs for the month.

To make matters worse, economist predict that the job market it Nevada will continue to decline this year. The director of UNLV’s Center for Business and Economic Research Keith Schwer said recently that he expects that the unemployment rate will reach 10 percent before the economy begins to recover.
The State’s chief economist Bill Anderson is in agreement with Schwer, saying that he fully expects to recession to continue to worsen throughout the course of this year. Both of these experts believe that the latter part of this year will be slightly better than the first half.

According to Anderson and Schwer area’s like Reno and Las Vegas will take the longest to recover from this slump. The reason for this is fairly simple. Both areas rely heavily on the construction industry, which has been hit drastically by the troubled credit market and the real estate crisis.

Other experts have said that the recession could last in to 2010, meaning that many cities throughout the nation won’t recover until the latter part of 2011. At this time, these thoughts are simply theories. In the end, the trouble an area has bouncing back will be determined by how far down its economy slipped and whether or not local politicians pass legislation that is friendly to new businesses.

Tags: Nevada Jobs
Posted in Job Search | No Comments »

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