Archive for June, 2009

GE to Create Much Needed Detroit Jobs

Sunday, June 28th, 2009

Even before the official start of the national recession, finding jobs in Detroit was more difficult than in other areas of the country. Since then, the suffering automobile industry has caused a sever decline in employment in the metro area. With fewer people able to afford new vehicles, manufactures simply haven’t been able to provide as many jobs. Because of this, any new Detroit jobs are big news to the city’s residents.

General Electric (GE) recently announced that it will be creating over 1,100 jobs in the metro area over the course of the next few years. The company will be building a new 100,000-square-foot Research and Development center where scientists and engineers will explore information technology, clean energy and aviation. By the time it is fully staffed, GE believes it will employee more than 1,100 new workers.

The new positions with GE are expected to pay somewhere around $100,000 a year. Those who hope to apply for these positions will be happy to know that the company is in the process of creating a website for applying. GE expects that the application portal will be up and running sometime during the first week of July.

Considering the city’s unemployment rate, these new jobs and the indirection positions created as a result stand to make at least a small difference in the metro area’s economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 14.6 percent of Detroit residents were without work in April. This figure does not even include those who have exhausted their benefits or have become discouraged and stop looking for work altogether.

Over the course of the last 12 months, BLS data shows that Detroit has seen a 6.2 percent decline in total non-farm employment. The metro area’s manufacturing industry has experienced the largest loss, with employers in this sector cutting 17 percent of jobs in the last year. Other industries that have lost over 10 percent of their workforce in this time period included mining, logging and construction, which lost 13.9 percent of its jobs and information, where there was a 14.4 percent decline.

Currently Michigan is the state with the highest unemployment rate in the country. BLS data shows that the jobless rate climbed 1.2 percent from April’s 12.9 percent to 14.1 percent in May. This means that approximately 681,700 people in the state are receiving unemployment benefits. The state has seen a 7.2 percent decline in total non-farm employment over the course of the last year.

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Recruitment Software Provider Experiences 600 Percent Growth

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Despite the face that hiring is down in many industries, some recruiting software providers are still experiencing better than average growth. According to a recent press release from Arbita, the company grew by 600 percent during the first half of this year.

In the first six months of 2009 the company added 652 new customers, which is an average rate of 3 new Arbita users a day. The majority of these individuals signed up to use the company’s job posting software, OnePost, but many have begun to utilize other services provided by Arbita.

“Over the last six months, we have onboarded more new customers than during any other period in Arbita’s history,” said the company’s General Manager Jennifer Marcy in the recent press release. “To have achieved this milestone against strong economic headwinds is humbling and serves as a testament to the dedication of our amazing customers.”

Aside from so many new customers, officials from the company say new acquisitions and partnerships, the addition of new products and services and the hiring important personnel helped to bring about the increased growth.

“There is no question that our strategic partnerships have greatly increased the value we’re able to deliver to customers,” said Arbita’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing George LaRocque. “And our relationships with top brands like MrTed, SmartRecruiters, Broadlook and The Future of Talent Institute have expanded our reach in the recruitment community and cemented our position as the most cooperative and connected company in the community.”

In addition to this, several thousand individuals from the recruitment profession paid to attend seminars, webinars, workshops or purchased learning materials from Arbita Consulting and Educations Services (ACES).

“Arbita ACES was made possible in large part by our acquisition of JobMachine through the merger in 2008,” explained Don Ramer, Arbita’s Founder and CEO. “The JobMachine acquisition connected us with tens of thousands of recruiting professionals who have purchased workshops, consulting, professional development or other products developed by Shally Steckerl and Glenn Gutmacher. We have formed and cemented enduring customer relationships with a significant number of these recruiting professionals and we expect this community to remain a fertile source of new customer relationships for years to come.”

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Washington, D.C. Jobs

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, finding jobs in Washington, D.C. became more difficult in May. During the month unemployment jumped 0.8 percent from April’s 9.9 percent to 10.7 percent, which is the highest its been since September of 1983.

In May the national jobless average was 9.4 percent. This means that locating employment in the country’s capital was more difficult than in many other areas across the nation.

During last month there were approximately 35,200 residents in the area without work. The problem with these statistics is that they do not include the number of people who have become discouraged and stopped looking for employment altogether.

Despite the rising unemployment rate in the metro, D.C. continues to be one of the few areas in the country where new jobs are being created, according to The Washington Post. Labor Statistics data shows that several industries in the area have seen in an increase in jobs.

The largest job gains over the course of the 12 months came in the education and health services. During the last year there has been a 5.2 percent increase in the number positions in the metro. Because this industry offers many services that are necessary no matter what the state of the economy is, it is no surprise that sector continues to provide employment opportunities.

The government sector also continued to create new D.C. jobs. Over the course of the last year there has been a 1.1 percent increase in these positions.

The only other industry to post new jobs during the last year was the leisure and hospitality sector. Positions in this area of employment increased by 0.9 percent during the last 12 months, which is surprising considering that the tourism industry is suffering in many areas across the nation.

During the last 12 months Washington, D.C.’s largest employment decline occurred in the manufacturing sector. Over the course of the last year these positions have fallen by 23.5 percent.

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Employers Post Construction Job Listings for Free

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Certain industries across the nation have been hit harder by the economic recession. Both the housing market crisis and the credit crunch have caused there to be a significant decline in the number of construction jobs online. This means that competition for available positions is extremely high, which cause employers to have to wade through more resumes than before so that they can find the best talent. Now one industry staffing company is offering these contractors the ability to post job listings for free.

According to a recent press release, Clearwater, Florida-based Grus Construction Personnel will now allow employers looking for laborers the ability to list jobs online for free. The company believes that this will help those who utilize this service the ability to find the experienced workers more easily.

Grus Construction Personnel has been meeting the staffing needs of construction companies for more than 20 years. Because of this, skilled laborers are more likely to user their site to search for work, which will be a benefit for the companies posting their jobs on Grus’ website.

Grus’ Account Manager Amy Clavier feels that they way time and effort the company puts into helping employers find the best talent makes a difference.

“Not only do we understand exactly what the client needs, but we also work hard to meet their requirements. We provide skilled tradesmen with quality training and expertise in the required field. Our aim is to simply find the right man for the right job at the right price,” said Clavier in the recent press release.

According to Clavier, allowing employers to post their jobs for free will benefit their clients, job seekers and Grus.



“The new free construction job postings service allows Contractors to reduce some of their operating expenses by enabling them to be more successful at recruiting on their own. Grus knows that growing Contractors will see the value in utilizing Grus Recruiters from time to time to help with their recruiting needs. By Grus generously giving ‘free job postings’ to Contractors, the firm is demonstrating that having a relationship with them has real value. By working with Grus, Contractors can be confident they will receive quality workers for their projects,” said Clavier.

Those interested in applying for one of these jobs in the construction industry should check out Grus’ webpage for more information.

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Weekly Wages for Nevada Jobs

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

The amount of money a worker receives for a certain job often depends on where they live. Because of this the Bureau of Labor Statistics keeps track of weekly wages in a variety of different metro areas. According to the most recent report, based on pay, the best jobs in Nevada are located in Clark County. Individuals in this area make an average of $812 a week in September of 2008, which is when the most recent data is from.

According to the report, Clark County’s weekly salary rose 2 percent between September of 2007 and 2008. Washoe County, which came in second, saw an increase of 2.3 percent during this period of time. The average weekly pay in this area was $796. The national average for a weekly wage increased 2.8 percent during the same period of time. This means that the countrywide average salary for a week’s worth of work is not $841.

One reason that workers in Nevada made less a week might be that the area has a higher unemployment rate than the national average. With more job seekers on the market for employment, competition for available positions is higher. Since so many individuals are looking for work, employers don’t have to offer as much money for a position to attract the areas top talent.

Currently Nevada’s unemployment rate is 10.6 percent. During the month of April the figure rose 0.2 percent from March’s 10.4 percent. Over the course of the last 12 months the state has seen its total number of non-farm jobs shrink by 6.1 percent. At this time there are 1,200,900 Nevada jobs. The state’s civilian workforce is made up of around 1,252,400 people.

During the month of April the national unemployment rate was 8.9 percent, which goes to show that Nevada has been hit harder by the economic recession than many other areas throughout the country.

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Pre Employment Test Software

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Many companies today, whether small or large, are taking advantage of the availability of pre employment tests.

Not only do pre employment tests provide the employer with a bit of comfort that they’re getting a top-notch employee, but they also provide candidates with a platform to show off their skills and prove that they will be a good addition to the company.

Criteria Corporation recently announced that it has integrated Skillsarena’s computer skills tests into its HireSelect software. HireSelect subscribers will now be able to administer Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word tests through HireSelect at no additional cost.

(more…)

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“Mini” Resumes

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

With unemployment on the rising, the job market is becoming more competitive. This means that for each job listing posted online employers are receiving an increasing number of resumes, which can take some time to sort through. Since employers are taking longer to sift through applications, job seekers are becoming more interested in other ways to find work.

Emerging at the top in many surveys is social networking among professional acquaintances. Now, according to a recent press release OfficeMax, is hoping to help job seekers make employers aware of their qualifications through “mini” resumes.

OfficeMax’s ImPress, which is the company’s print and document service, has started to print these “mini” resumes on business cards. This way, if an individual meets an important employer that they would usually give their card to, they can also hand over a summary of their qualifications on the same piece of paper. Employers who are hiring will then be able to keep that person in mind.

“In today’s job market, everyone is looking for ways to break through the clutter and get noticed by hiring companies,” said OfficeMax’s EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer Ryan Vero in the recent press release. “Having your credentials listed on your personal business card is a great way to introduce your skills while networking or to a potential employer because it’s subtle and unexpected, and the compact design is easy to pass along to decision makers. And now, our competitive price point makes it an extremely affordable solution.”

For a limited time OfficeMax will be offering these documents at a promotional rate exclusively through the company’s website. Until June 13th of this year job seekers will be able to get 250 of these “mini” resumes/ business cards for only $5. After this period ends, the company will charge $29.99 for 250.

Through the company’s website job seekers will be able to customize their “mini” resume by utilizing OfficeMax’s Advanced Editing feature. This will enable them to add text, change both the font and colors on the cards and personalize the image. For an additional fee, the company gives job seekers the ability to customize the backside of the card.

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