Secrets of the Job Hunt

Twitter Recommendation Engine in Beta?

2009-11-18T16:39:00.004-05:00

Just came across the following on my Twitter stream:

"Wondering who this is? Someone you follow thought this was worth retweeting, which is why you are seeing it in your Home timeline."

Looks like Twitter's version of a recommendation engine, similar to Facebook. Not sure how I feel about it being right in the middle of the updates ...

Portland Nursing Jobs Have Most Openings

2009-11-18T11:50:00.003-05:00

Fortunately for anyone looking for a career in healthcare, there are more Portland nursing jobs available than any other occupation.

During the spring of this year, employers in the Portland Tri-County area had about 8,575 available jobs, according to the Oregon Employment Department's Job Vacancy Survey. Of those vacancies, one-tenth were left unfilled for at least two months.

The 25 occupations with the most job openings represented only 42 percent of all job vacancies in the Portland area, which means an array of other occupations beyond those 25 also were left unfilled.

Overall, healthcare and social assistance, educational services and retail trade accounted for the most job openings. The four industries combined represented 61 percent of all job openings in the Portland area.

Registered nurses had 451 job openings, accounting for 5 percent of all vacancies in the Portland area, making it the most in-demand job. That was followed by personal and home care aides with 235 openings and retail salespersons with 224 openings, each of which accounted for 3 percent of all vacancies in the area.

Among all other occupations, no single occupation represented more than 2 percent of the total job vacancies. About one-tenth of all job openings remained unfilled for at least 60 days. Occupations in personal care, social services, education, architecture and engineering and healthcare had the highest rates of long-term vacancy.

As further proof that Portland nursing jobs are thriving, the area's healthcare industry has continued to add jobs on a monthly and yearly basis, despite the current state of the economy.

The Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton area's education and health services area employed 134,100 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 129,200 workers during August and a 1 percent increase from last year.

Denver Medical Jobs

2009-11-17T11:25:00.004-05:00

If you're looking for a career in Colorado, you may want to consider the various Denver medical jobs that are available, many of which have a positive outlook.

The healthcare industry itself is expected to grow by 18.3 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is faster than the 5.8 percent growth rate expected for all industries in the Denver area. That means 6,828 healthcare jobs, or about 683 jobs per year, will be created during the 10 year period.

There are currently about 155 employers in the hospital sector in the Denver-Aurora area. That includes general medical and surgical hospitals, psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals and other hospitals.

Employees in the hospital sector - including physicians, nurses and other healthcare workers - provide medical, diagnostic and treatment services. Hospital workers can be responsible for providing inpatient or outpatient care.

The top 10 occupations in the hospitals sector, according to the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment, include:

Registered nurses with 12,712 employees
Janitors and cleaners with 890 employees
Medical and clinical laboratory technologists with 888 employees
Radiologic technologists and technicians with 873 employees
Secretaries with 654 employees
Medical records and health information technicians with 631 employees
Respiratory therapists with 630 employees
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses with 598 employees
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants with 583 employees
Pharmacists with 550 employees

Recent statistics show the healthcare industry's ability to grow and add jobs, despite the current economic recession, which also points to the fact that the industry is quite stable and will continue to progress in the future.

The Denver-Aurora-Broomfield area's education and health services industry employed 137,600 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 135,900 workers during August and a 2.4 percent increase from last year.

Jobs in Atlanta Give City Low Milken Ranking

2009-11-12T10:58:00.003-05:00

The inability of the local economy to support more jobs in Atlanta contributed to the city's low placement on a new report.

The 2009 Milken Institute's annual list of best performing cities ranked the metro Atlanta area 106th in the nation. The report ranks cities based on how they are doing at creating and retaining jobs amid a challenging economy and evaluates such factors as job and salary growth and the strength of local high-tech industries.

Atlanta's latest ranking is a large decline from the city's 59th place ranking during 2008. The city's five-year job growth, from 2003 to 2008, came in 63rd place, while its five-year wages and salary growth, from 2002 to 2007, came in 110th place.

Atlanta's lower placement is not a big surprise, given the recent state of the local economy, which has continued to lose jobs as the unemployment rate increases.

During September, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta area saw its unemployment rate increase from 10.3 percent to 10.5 percent, which was higher than the national unemployment rate at the time of 9.8 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 2,270,000 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 2,280,000 workers during August and a 5.9 percent decrease from last year.

Two other Georgia cities actually improved their placement on the Milken list. Savannah was ranked 39th, up from 24th place during 2008, while Augusta was ranked 82nd, up from 121st place last year.

Austin, Texas, was ranked first in the nation, followed by Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas; Houston, Texas; Durham, N.C.; Olympia, Wash.; Huntsville, Ala.; Lafayette, La.; and Raleigh-Cary, N.C.

"Regional economic factors also strongly influenced the rankings this year, with the oil and gas sector, technology and alternative energy providing stability among metros in Texas, North Carolina, Washington and Louisiana, which also benefited from low dependence on housing/construction," the report noted.

On the other end of the scale was Flint, Mich., which placed dead last, followed by Detroit, Mich. and Toledo, Ohio.

Where to Find Jobs in Las Vegas

2009-10-19T18:08:00.004-04:00

Although the city known for its gambling and entertainment has fallen on hard times as of late, there are many opportunities to find jobs in Las Vegas.

During August, the Las Vegas-Paradise area saw its unemployment rate increase from 13.1 percent to 13.4 percent, which was significantly higher than the national unemployment rate at the time of 9.7 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 846,900 workers during August, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 851,800 workers during July and a 6.7 percent decrease from last year.

Despite the bleak statistics, there are still many viable places in Las Vegas to look for jobs. The State of Nevada itself is home to nine Fortune 500 companies, seven of which are in Las Vegas. Those companies include:

Harrah's Entertainment
MGM Mirage
Las Vegas Sands
NV Energy
Wynn Resorts
Southwest Gas
Boyd Gaming

The other two Fortune 500 companies - International Game Technology and Amerco - are located in nearby Reno.

Aside from gambling and entertainment, Las Vegas - which is home to 558,383 people - is known for its tourism, conventions, retail and dining. The city also has strong government and education industries.

Whether looking for a teaching job or to further your own education, the Las Vegas area has a lot to offer. The area is home to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the University of Nevada Medical School; the University of Phoenix; Nevada State College; Touro University Nevada; the College of Southern Nevada; Devry University; the Keller Graduate School of Management; the University of Southern Nevada; Apollo College; National University; and ITT Technical Institute.

Orlando Medical Jobs Created by New Facility

2009-10-14T12:58:00.003-04:00

The opening of a new facility will help create several Orlando medical jobs.

Last week, city and state officials and more than 800 business leaders, scientists and politicians gathered for the official opening of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research. The institute is thought to be an important component of Orlando's emergency Medical City.

City of Orlando officials have made a strategic commitment to pursue biomedical and life sciences companies to locate to the Central Florida community in order to secure the future of a medical cluster.

These specific industries were targeted to help diversify the economy, create thousands of high-wage and high-value jobs for the region and provide world-class healthcare options to residents and visitors.

"I am pleased to celebrate the opening of the Burnham Institute's east coast headquarters - the heart beat of our Medical City," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. "This could not have happened without the hard work of people and organizations coming together, collaborating and partnering."

So far, almost $1 billion in public funding has been secured for Medical City projects worth more than $1.5 billion.

"We chose Orlando to locate our east coast headquarters because of the highly collaborative environment and strong community support," Dr. John Reed, president and CEO of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, said. "We knew Burnham would flourish in this synergetic setting."

Further efforts will result in the following entities being located in Medical City: the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Nemours Children's Hospital, the Orlando VA Medical Center and the University of Florida Research Center.

The idea for Medical City began almost 10 years ago when Orlando invested more than $80 million to build roads and infrastructure at Lake Nona. At the same time, the city created the Southeast Orlando Sector Plan, one of the largest urban planning and development projects, to develop a strategic, smart growth plan that relies on the life science sector and increases the livability of the entire community. Medical City is expected to be complete in 2012.

Jobs in San Antonio on the Decline

2009-09-30T13:53:00.004-04:00

According to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, all other Texas markets, except for McAllen-Edinburg, suffered job losses year over year, including several thousand jobs in San Antonio.

Ninety-nine of the nation’s 100 biggest labor markets had fewer jobs in August 2009 than a year earlier, led by a loss of 230,000 jobs from the Los Angeles area.

Six markets, led by Los Angeles, lost at least 100,000 jobs during the 12-month span. The others were Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, New York City and Phoenix. The biggest declines on a percentage basis occurred in the Detroit area, where 8.5 percent of the job base evaporated in a single year, and in Phoenix, with a drop of 7.9 percent.

The following are some of the biggest labor markets in America, ranked according to raw change in employment between August 2008 and August 2009. Each market’s percentage change is in parentheses:

McAllen-Edinburg, Texas, gain of 3,200 jobs (1.5%)
Jackson, Miss., loss of 1,200 jobs (-0.5%)
Baton Rouge, La., loss of 3,300 jobs (-0.9%)
El Paso, Texas, loss of 3,500 jobs (-1.3%)
Worcester, Mass., loss of 3,500 jobs (-1.4%)
Trenton, N.J., loss of 4,000 jobs (-1.7%)
Little Rock, Ark., loss of 4,600 jobs (-1.3%)
New Haven, Conn., loss of 4,900 jobs (-1.8%)
Columbia, S.C., loss of 5,100 jobs (-1.4%)
Huntsville, Ala., loss of 5,100 jobs (-2.4%)
Augusta, Ga., loss of 5,200 jobs (-2.4%)
Winston-Salem, N.C., loss of 5,900 jobs (-2.7%)
Des Moines, Iowa, loss of 6,100 jobs (-1.9%)
Madison, Wis., loss of 6,200 jobs (-1.8%)
Wichita, Kans., loss of 6,200 jobs (-2.1%)
Poughkeepsie, N.Y., loss of 6,400 jobs (-2.5%)
Syracuse, N.Y., loss of 6,500 jobs (-2.0%)
Omaha, loss of 6,800 jobs (-1.4%)
San Antonio, loss of 7,100 jobs (-0.8%)
Austin, loss of 7,200 jobs (-0.9%)
Bakersfield, Calif., loss of 7,300 jobs (-3.1%)
Chattanooga, Tenn., loss of 7,400 jobs (-3.0%)
Charleston, S.C., loss of 7,600 jobs (-2.5%)
New Orleans, loss of 7,700 jobs (-1.5%)
Tulsa, loss of 7,700 jobs (-1.8%)
Greenville, S.C., loss of 7,900 jobs (-2.5%)
Spokane, Wash., loss of 8,000 jobs (-3.7%)
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa., loss of 8,700 jobs (-3.3%)

San Antonio lost 7,100 jobs, a decline of .8% from the previous year.

Thousands Apply for Jobs in Tucson

2009-09-29T12:17:00.006-04:00

The Arizona Daily Star has reported that a brand new Target received 16,000 applications from job seekers eager to apply for these jobs in Tucson.

The Target.com Fulfillment Center, 8940 E. Rita Park Drive, near Interstate 10 and Rita Road, is the Minneapolis-based company's first such center built from the ground up to Target's specifications. It is only one of three in the country dedicated solely to filling customer orders placed through its Web site.

The company's other two fulfillment centers are in Ontario, Calif., and Woodbury, Minn.

The Fulfillment Center held a grand opening in its new 975,000-square-foot Tucson warehouse last Friday. Elected and appointed government officials attended the opening.

The Tucson fulfillment center is operating just one shift, and at a fraction of its capacity. It began operations four months ago with 100 full-time workers, now employs more than 200 and is expected to gear up to 300 during the holiday peak period. Thousands more are expected to apply for jobs during this time period. It will be several years before the Fulfillment Center reaches full operating capacity.

Target spokesmen wouldn't say what the facility cost to build and equip, but the Pima County Assessor's Office set the full cash value of the land, building and improvements at $33.5 million for 2010.

The Arizona Star reported that a spokeswoman for TREO, Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, which was involved in recruiting the Target fulfillment center, said Target received no tax waivers or other incentives to build here.

Target handed out five $3,000 checks at Friday's ceremony, one each to:
• The Vail Unified School District, for early-childhood literacy and the Vail Pride Day celebration.
• The Tucson Symphony, for free family concerts.
• Casa de los Niños, for a family violence-prevention program.
• Van Buskirk Elementary School in the Tucson Unified School District, for a library makeover.
• The Hope Network, for Hope Fest 2009.

Target has 1,719 stores in 49 states nationwide. Vermont is the only state without a Target store.

Airline Jobs in Milwaukee

2009-09-29T11:44:00.005-04:00

According to MilwaukeeBizJournals.com, Republic Airway Holdings is now pitting three airlines' hometowns in a bidding war for at least 400 jobs, which could create new jobs in Milwaukee.

Frontier Airlines is ready to exit bankruptcy in the hands of Midwest Airlines owner Republic Airways Holdings Inc.

Frontier CEO Sean Menke gave an exclusive interview about the deal to Denver Biz Journals. Apparently Denver, Indianapolis and Milwaukee all are competing for the jobs.

Menke, who is overseeing both Frontier and Midwest operations, said he is looking for cost savings and incentives on where to locate heavy maintenance and parts warehousing jobs now at Denver International Airport.

Frontier and its soon-to-be owner Indianapolis-based Republic are now deciding whether to relocate 400 or more positions, some 250 of which are based in Denver, as part of their consolidation. Those jobs include the Las Cruces positions.

“It’s an interesting sort of dilemma that the politicians are in here ... There’s been a lot of questions about whether they’re going to step up and support the company,” Menke said told the Denver Business Journal. “With the city and county, it’s been a relationship that’s been strained at times ... We’ve asked and we’ve pushed, and we’ll see what they come up with at the end of the day.”

BizJournals said that state and city officials are putting together a package of incentives that includes about $1 million in job-creation and job-training tax credits. The deal also includes cost reductions on things such as facility leases at the airport, which are meant to offset a city tax on aircraft maintenance parts that some airline officials have called onerous.

Republic CEO Bryan Bedford, who is currently the chief executive of Midwest, has said he’s looking to make a decision on where to locate jobs quickly after receiving the three cities’ packages.

Menke said, “We are working on the platform of a new company, and we have to ensure we’re doing the right things in terms of incentives and cost reduction,” he said. “Because if you make an emotional decision, it may feel good from an emotional standpoint, but it may not be the best decision.”

Minimum Wage Increase Costs Arizona Jobs

2009-09-28T20:49:00.006-04:00

A bump in Arizona's minimum age, now up to $7.25 per hour from $6.95 since last January, is costing Arizona jobs.

According to AZBiz.com, HR Wise, a professional employer organization in Mesa, estimated the 35-cents per hour bump in the minimum wage cost businesses in the state $1.2 billion more per year. The figure includes matching taxes business pay the government.

The increase came three months after the collapse of the financial markets.

This change meant that Arizona's minimum wage in 2009 exceeded the federal minimum wage through the first half of 2009. The federal minimum wage increased to $6.55 per hour in July of 2008 and then again in July of 2009 to $7.25 per hour.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Phoenix metropolitan area has lost 7.8 percent of its jobs over the last year. No other metropolitan area has lost a higher percentage of jobs.

Many businesses couldn’t afford that $1.2 billion and were forced to terminate or reduce the hours of their employees.

The article states that the consumer price index, upon which Arizona basis its minimum wage increases, has decreased every month this year from what it was a year ago. The August-to-August drop was 3.25 percentage points, the U.S. Labor Department announced last week.

Arizona’s minimum wage law has no provision for being reduced.

It might sound paradoxical to say that raising the minimum wage in a state would lead to job loss, but that is what's happening in Arizona. Instead of reveling in an increased standard of living, many workers in Arizona are now jobless and are forced to fall in line with the thousands already competing for jobs.

Another city in Arizona, Tucson, has lost 7.5 percent of its jobs last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is second only to Phoenix in terms of most severe job loss percentage in the nation. Detroit comes in third.

Michigan voted to bump its minimum wage up to $6.95 per hour in October 2006 and subsequently increased it twice more so that it now stands at $7.40 per hour.

Outplacement Firms Face Performance Reviews

2009-09-28T17:24:00.007-04:00

Outplacement firms, many of which have enjoyed a surge in business since the recession began, have come under fire for providing job seekers with standardized services that provide little value.

According to an article on WSJ.com, businesses that are anxious to shed former employees impose time limits that hamper effectiveness. Even though employers dole out substantial fees to these agencies, many of them don't track whether outplacement even works.

Executives estimate about 40% of workers offered outplacement services don't show up or ask for cash instead.

The article said that some industry participants are troubled by reports of mass-produced résumés, canned job advice and lackluster counseling.

WSJ noted that outplacement services arose in the 1960s to provide out-of-work managers with an office, a phone and a secretary. Layoffs were less common and participants needed to battle the stigma of losing a job.

By the 1990s, outplacement firms expanded to serve everyone from CEOs to hourly workers. Providers competed by lowering prices, offering volume discounts to corporate clients for an increasingly standardized menu of workshops and referral services.

Now, outplacement is a standard feature of corporate layoffs. More than two-thirds of 265 U.S. employers with layoffs during the past two years offered outplacement, at an average cost of $3,589 an employee, according to a June survey for The Wall Street Journal by the American Management Association and Institute for Corporate Productivity.

Outplacement generally begins the day an employee is terminated. Providers often send staff members to each work site to explain their services. The process helps companies efficiently show employees the door, and gives the outplacement firms a chance to market themselves.

The article said that employees usually gain access to online seminars, group workshops and individual time with a coach, for periods ranging from a month to more than a year. Programs for executives, priced around $10,000 and up, generally provide a private office and more coaching time; those for midlevel managers or clerical workers, priced $5,000 or below, may offer a chair and phone at a shared table.

New Ballpark Expected to Boost Oregon Jobs

2009-09-24T09:10:00.005-04:00

Portland Beavers owner Merritt Paulson has released an economic impact study that shows how his proposed Beaverton baseball park would generate 285 Oregon jobs.

According to PortlandBizJournals.com, the park would also add more than $20 million in annual economic output across three counties.

The study evaluated the economic impact of the $45 million ballpark, taking into account its construction and the 72 annual home baseball games.

According to the study:

• Construction alone would generate 787 jobs across Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties. It would produce nearly $30 million in income and wages, and generate nearly $100 million in economic output.

• Annually, the stadium will produce 285 jobs, would generate around $8 million in income and wages, and more than $20 million in economic output across all three counties.

1 out of 4 Phoenix Residents Lack Health Insurance

2009-09-23T12:49:00.004-04:00

According to AZCentral.com, one in four Phoenix residents lack health insurance, putting Arizona's largest city among the bottom dwellers among big cities on health coverage.

The article cited a new U.S. Census report documenting more than 381,000 Phoenix residents who lack health insurance.

The report also showed that overall, 19 percent of Arizonans do not have health insurance. The survey encompassed all types of insurance, including private coverage, employer-provided plans as well as those who take government insurance such as Medicare, for those 65 and older, and Medicaid, the joint federal-state insurance program for the poor and disabled.

According to the article, hospitals such as St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix treat a large amount of uninsured patients daily. In July and August, St. Joseph's provided $11 million in free care to those who could not afford their hospital bills.

St. Joseph's representatives say they expect the ranks of the uninsured in the Phoenix region will only grow as more people lose health coverage through COBRA.

The census figures show the economy has affected health care in other ways. For instance, for the first time this decade, the number of foreign-born residents declined in the United States. The numbers of foreign-born residents in Phoenix also declined.

Arizona Jobs Armed by Local Military

2009-09-11T12:34:00.004-04:00

The military industry - one that is often overlooked and under-appreciated - has long had a strong presence and accounted for many Arizona jobs.

The state's military industry accounts for about 45,568 jobs and produces $3.2 billion in direct economic output. Overall, the industry and the businesses it supports is responsible for creating 96,328 jobs and producing $9.1 billion in economic output.

The Arizona Department of Commerce recently released the "Economic Impact of Arizona's Principal Military Operations," a report prepared by The Maguire Company in collaboration with ESI, detailing the importance of the state's military industry.

The five major military installations in Arizona include: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, the Army Intelligence Center & Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, the Army's Yuma Proving Ground and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.

The state also is home to four National Guard operations, including Air National Guard's 161st Air Refueling Wing, Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing, Army National Guard Papago Park and Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Silverbell.

Military contractors, such as the Boeing helicopter facilities in Maricopa County and the Raytheon facilities in Pima County, were not included in the survey, but are nonetheless important to the local economy.

The study found that during 2005, Arizona's military industry employed a total of more than 45,500 workers. That's broken down into 19,402 active duty workers; 7,471 reserve workers; 1,198 rotational workers; 3,292 military students; and 14,205 civilian employees. There are also 45,328 military retirees within a 50-mile radius of Arizona and 11,332 linked retirees.

When it comes to pay, the military industry in Arizona shells out more than $2.1 billion to its workers in annual salary. Active duty workers receive the highest pay, at $938.4 million, followed by civilians at $748.4 million, linked retirees at $245.3 million, reserves at $107.3 million, students at $71.2 million and rotational workers at $13.9 million.

The military industry also injects more than $2.6 billion into the local economy through contract spending.

Of the workers employed because of the military industry, but not directly through the industry, more than 24,000 are in the service sector; more than 14,000 are in retail trade; almost 3,000 are in the construction industry; almost 1,000 are in the manufacturing industry; and thousands more are distributed throughout the economy.

As a whole, the military industry accounts for an annual total of $228.8 million in sales tax, $85.9 million in property tax and $86.8 million in income tax for a total of $401.4 million.

Online Personality Tests Before Employment

2009-09-03T11:51:00.002-04:00

Many people applying for new jobs often have to undergo online personality test or other personality tests before they're offered a position.

While most job seekers don't have a problem taking such a test, it's not uncommon for people to try to skew the results of a personality questionnaire used as a job screening tool.

"Some of the instruments have (distortion) checks on them," Jerry Stilson, a partner with Cenera and a trained psychologist, told Canada.com. "So, if you distort the results, it'll show ... but are they foolproof? No. People get good at this."

A lot of candidates may view a personality test as a sort of game and many professionals don't blame job seekers for trying to skew results.

"They're what we call data generators," Stilson said. "They can give you insights into yourself. And it'll help you become more aware of something you need to work on, but you need to make the decision to accept that or not."

In fact, it's a common theory that personality tests often do more harm than good, as concise tests can lead to companies losing perfectly good candidates. The tests are even illegal in some places.

In Alberta, Canada, employers can't ask people to go through psychological testing before becoming employees. While candidates still might be asked to complete a test, they can feel free to decline.

Employment Screening Finds Increase in Lying on Resumes

2009-08-17T22:14:00.002-04:00

According to one old saying, "Desperate times call for desperate measures". Apparently desperate job seekers are sinking to lying in alarming numbers, hoping to increase their chances of finding work during tough economic times. One recent survey found that the number of falsehoods on resumes caught by background checks (for more information click here) has risen by 12 percent in the last year.

The recent pre-employment screening survey from United Kingdom based Powerchex found that economic issues have caused an increase in the number of jobseekers who lie on their applications. Between June of last year and May of 2009 approximately 4730 resumes sent in to for financial firms were reviewed for the study. Powerchex found that 19 percent of these jobseekers had lied in hopes of getting a job. This is a 12 percent increase from the last survey and the highest number of liars caught in the last 3 years.

According to a recent press release, the largest increase in lies detected by pre-employment screening occurred in the under-21 year old age range. The survey found that these individual misrepresented themselves by 30 percent more this year than they did last year. Powerchex believes this shows how much the recession is affecting those struggling to find their first jobs in a more competitive market. Since there are fewer employers hiring these workers and older people, desperate for work, are taking entry-level jobs, it is becoming significantly harder for people in this age bracket to find employment.

Sadly, before the economy began to suffer, those under 21 years olds were the most honest on their resumes. According to the survey, now 18 percent are lying on their applications.

"This is the second year in a row that there has been an increase in the number of candidates lying to recruiters," said Powerchex’s Managing Director Alexandra Kelly in the recent press release. "The pressure of the recession on job markets seems to have lead more applicants to believe that they should lie or make embellished claims to get jobs. It's unfortunate to see that more young people are reacting to the pressure this yea. Their socio-economic group has been one of the hardest hit."

David Willetts, who is the Shadow Minster for Universities and skills, agrees that the recession has been particularly hard for this age group.

"Young people are the biggest victims of the recession," said Willetts in the release. "The employment rate of graduates was falling even before the recession took hold. We now have record levels of you people not in education, employment or training. Ministers are letting our young people down. Youth unemployment can scar individuals for life."

Jobs Online Fall in June

2009-07-26T07:51:00.001-04:00

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate rose 0.1 percent in June from May’s 9.4 percent to 9.5 percent. Considering the increase in joblessness across the country, it makes sense that there were fewer job listings advertised online during the month.

The Monster Employment Index, put out by job search giant Monster.com, dropped one percentage point in June. This means that there was a small decline in the number of jobs online last month. According to a recent press release from Monster, this loss of advertised positions was expected.

Job markets across the country have seasonal trends. On average, online recruitment slows during the month of June. Businesses that increase their staff during the summer months, such as employers in the leisure and hospitality industry, have already completed the majority of their hiring. Add to this the fact that places like school districts have not begun to hire new employees and you have a large part of the reason hiring is slower during the month of June.

According to Monster Worldwide, the year-over-year decline in jobs listed online that has been noted since the onset of the nationally experienced recession is showing some signs of slowing. Currently, the Index is down 28 percent, which is a note-worthy improvement from the rate of decline experienced in April and May.

“While U.S. online job availability has remained largely flat since January, the annual pace improved during the second quarter, suggesting some expansion in underlying employer demand for workers,” said senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide Jesse Harriott in the company’s recent report. “Still, current levels of online job vacancies are at their lowest since January 2005, illustrating the extent to which hiring has slowed during this recession.”

Monster fond that online job availability increased in 8 of the 20 industry sectors monitored by the Index and 12 of the 23 occupational categories during the month of June. The largest increase in jobs listed online occurred in the real estate, rental and leasing area of employment. Representatives from Monster believe this shows signs that the industry is beginning to stabilize.

According to the report, the increased data in this area of employment occurred around the same time as the National Association of Realtors put out improved statistics on residential sales. This shows that the housing sector might be registering an increase in activity.

As far as occupations monitored by Monster go, the legal and protective services showed the greatest increase in jobs online. During the same period, Monster noted ease in demand for technically skilled positions.

According to Monster, the states with the largest of number of jobs online in relation to their populations were: 1.) Alaska 2.) Maryland 3.) Vermont 4.) Delaware 5.) Rhode Island 6.) Montana 7.) Virginia 8.) Connecticut 9.) Massachusetts and 10.) Wyoming.

Construction Project Means New Hospital Jobs

2009-07-22T02:53:00.002-04:00

While many industries across the nation are practically bleeding jobs, the healthcare sector has continued to provide new employment opportunities. Despite this, hospital jobs have struggled in some areas as a result of a lack of funds. This means that any news of large scale hiring occurring in these facilities is a rather big deal for this area of employment in the sector.

According to a recent press release, Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN just signed a $88.8 million worth of contracts in Janesville, Wisconsin for designing and building onto existing hospitals in the area. This, of course, means new healthcare jobs after the facilities are completed.

After these two projects are completed they will make way for 500 new hospital jobs. Aside from these direct positions, the facilities will create indirect jobs and bring money to an area where the economy has been struggling for some time.

Of the $88.8 million, one contract is for $53.9 million and is for St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital with SSM Health Care of Wisconsin, Inc. and another is for $34.9 million with Dean Janesville Clinic with Dean Health Systems, Inc. Both of the projects are expected to begin in the third quarter of the year and should be completed sometime during the latter part of 2011.

The St. Mary’s project will take place on the new medical campus, which is located at the I90/I39 and Hwy 11 interchange in Janesville. The hospital design plans says that it will be a 160,000 square foot facility with special attention placed on creating spaces that are geared toward patient, caregiver, and family interactions. Upon completion it will be a multi-story facility including; 50 private patient rooms, an ER, imaging, laboratory, intensive care unity, six operating rooms, family birthing center, a sleep study center, administrative offices, a dinning area and an entry lobby.

The Dean Clinic will be four stories, focusing on outpatient care. Altogether it will be 150,000 square feet including; retail spaces, an urgent care center, a primary care center, a specialty care, an eye care center, a mental health facility, a pharmacy and several other important spaces.

Together these facilities will guarantee that better health care is available to the residents of Janesville, WI.

"We are very excited to be working with two healthcare systems so dedicated to bringing the highest level of quality, integrated delivery, innovation and patient focused care to the market," said Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN’s president Scott Ransom in the recent press release.
In order to come up with the plans and design for both the hospital and clinic projects, Cogdell collaborated with Shepley Bulfinch of Boston, MA.

Louisiana Jobs Supported by Healthcare Initiative

2009-07-02T11:24:00.004-04:00

A national effort is underway that could lead to more healthcare workers finding jobs in Louisiana.

The federal government recently announced that it plans to expand investments in pay incentives for doctors and other healthcare professionals to work in Health Professional Shortage Areas throughout the country, including those in Louisiana.

A $200 million initiative by the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program will provide up to $50,000 in tax-free incentive payments to healthcare workers who agree to provide their services for at least two years in areas experiencing healthcare shortages.

Currently there are 170 job openings at National Health Service Corps community sites throughout Louisiana that need to be filled. The NHSC recruits trained workers who agree to provide healthcare services in under-served areas. The program then helps those workers repay educational loans.

Applications are currently being accepted for physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, physician assistants, dentists, dental hygienists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, psychiatric nurse specialists, marriage and family therapists and licensed professional counselors.

“Many Louisianans struggle with access to health care services,” Alan Levine, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said. “Of the 64 parishes in our state, 53 of them are entirely designated as shortage areas for primary care providers and 10 others are partial shortage areas. This means that 63 of 64 parishes don’t have enough primary care providers.”

On top of that, 60 parishes don't have enough mental health providers and 58 parishes don't have enough dental health care professionals. Of the healthcare providers in the state, 53 are currently participating in the NHSC Loan Repayment Program.

In order to be accepted, applicants must work at an NHSC community site; participate in Medicaid, Medicare and state children's health insurance programs; accept all patients regardless of ability to pay; and commit to two years of full-time outpatient clinic service.

Rhode Island Teaching Jobs Get Funding

2009-05-21T14:49:00.003-04:00

Many Rhode Island teaching jobs will soon be saved with the help of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The State of Rhode Island is slated to receive $111 million in federal stimulus money for education. Before receiving the funding, the state had to complete the first part of a stabilization application, which included assurances it would collect and analyze information about teachers and college readiness.

The Department of Education also requires Rhode Island to report the number of jobs saved through stimulus funding, the amount of state and local tax increases avoided and how funds are used, according to an article by The Associated Press.

The state's education officials say the money will help reform the education system and save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs that are in danger because of budget cuts.

Education officials say the money will help reform the education system and save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs that are in danger because of budget cuts. Rhode Island has already received $43 million in education stimulus funds and will be eligible to apply for another $54 million this fall.

As of March, Rhode Island's education and health services industry employed 100,000 workers, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 100,400 workers during February and the same number of workers employed in the industry this time last year.

Merger benefits Atlanta economy and jobs

2009-04-30T14:11:00.002-04:00

Merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines has just created 500 Atlanta jobs. Atlanta, the company's location, will be welcoming additional new employees from Northwest's Minneapolis headquarters.

Delta plans to hire “MBA-types” in 60 positions including finance, economics, math and operations research to work in pricing. Northwest's pricing operation will be moving to the city.

Other positions to move to Atlanta, from Minneapolis, are flight dispatchers and other staff. The airline is expanding its operations control center.

This merger is going to help the economy as well. With all the employees moving, the housing market will benefit.

“These are all people that are going to be down here buying houses,” said Delta chief executive Richard Anderson.

Currently the airline has about 25,000 employees in Georgia, with most of them in Atlanta. Prior to finalizing the merger, Delta was at risk of loosing 1,000 jobs.

Connecticut jobs have a "Deal"

2009-04-30T13:25:00.004-04:00

The Connecticut economy is getting a little help from television. "Deal or No Deal" is moving to the state creating more Connecticut jobs.

"Deal" isn't the only NBC program to move its taping to the state. It's following "Jerry Springer," "Maury" and "The Steve Wilkos Show", which are on NBC U, the cable affiliate. These shows will be taped in a Stamford, Conn., studio. But Deal will be at the Sonalysts Studio in Waterford.

The reason for the move to Connecticut, tax incentives. The state has offered a 30% production tax credit.

According to Governor Jodi Rell, "growing jobs and improving the economic outlook," is the benefit.

"This is tremendous news for Connecticut and its ever-growing film and television industry," Gov. Rell said in a statement. "We've done everything we can to make our state an attractive and economically smart place to make good film and TV -- and you can see it paying off."

Sonalysts has already been used by some big name people over the years, such as Aerosmith, Dave Matthews and Mary J. Blige for taping music videos. As well as by Steven Spielberg for filming part of "Amistad".

Florida drilling bill helps jobs

2009-04-29T21:16:00.004-04:00

The House passed a bill on Monday that will help Florida jobs. Drilling will begin off the state's shore. It plans on decreasing dependency on foreign oil.

Many people feel this isn't the right move for Florida, thinking that it could hurt the state's economy. They feel that drill would decrease tourism, which is one of the state's main assets. The environment is, also, an major concern.

However, the governor and his three person Cabinet believe that drilling would create more money and jobs coming into the state.

According to Business Week, "Rep. Charles Van Zant, the bill's sponsor, said the proposal could attract a new industry to Florida while helping free the U.S. from relying on unfriendly OPEC countries. He said drilling could reap more than $6 billion annually for the state and create more than 16,000 jobs."

Democratic counterparts feel opposite, that drilling would only hurt the state.

"This is something serious, a dagger in the heart of the economy in my district and the districts of other coastal communities," said Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, a Sarasota Democrat. "Just the smallest of spills will send people elsewhere."

According to the bill's supporters, technology advancements make spills highly unlikely. Also, for those who feel drilling would drive away tourism, pumps can be out of sights by being placed on the sea floor.

Republicans argued that it's better to drill in American waters than to hand money over to Middle East nations that hate the United States.

The next step for the bill is to be passed by the Senate.

Is your social network making you look good?

2009-04-24T16:24:00.003-04:00

People are consumed with social networking, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter. Do these sites make you look good to others? How do you know that your profile isn't being viewed for a background check?

As a graduating senior, I wonder, whether or not my Facebook page would earn me a job. So many of my friends, who are in my same position, out there looking for jobs, have made a change to their pages.

There are no more drunk photos are their default picture, no personal photos for the public to view, and no inappropriate postings. Everything that an employer doesn't want to see or know about a perspective employee is at their disposal.

According to EmployeeScreen, "An employer can terminate an employee or refuse to hire an applicant based on information found online as long as that information is not used in a discriminatory manner. This means job seekers should be careful about what they put on their social networking profiles when preparing for a background check".

It's interesting to think that one's personal web page could be used against them, when looking for a job.

Step one:
Cleaning up our social networking page!

Tips to finding a job

2009-04-22T14:58:00.004-04:00

Graduating college and looking for an entry level job or any job? There are a few things to keep in mind before starting your hunt.

First off, the most important part of the job hunting process is to fix your resume. once this is complete use these tips

1. Don't look desperate! Leave your nervous at the door. Letting a potential employer know how much you need a job doesn't look good. Its not a beneficial state of mind or image to portray.

2. Yes, we are in a recession and jobs are hard to find. Don't let that stop you from looking for the perfect job. Job hunting is like buying a car. You need to shop around for the right one.

3. Don't do something drastic, like join the Peace Core, because there is nothing else for you to do. Find something to do because you want to.

4. People change jobs all the time. By taking your first job doesn't mean that you will stay there for long. Taking an unpaid of low paying internship isn't the worst thing to do. It is great experience and could turn into something more. Don't write it off because it's not a full time job or your dream salary.

5. Don't waste your time on jobs that don't interest you or that you're not qualified for.

6. Asking your parents for help isn't a bad thing. They may have some great connections.

7. Life is too short to worry.

Finding the right job takes time, but with these tips things could get a little easier.