Coinciding with the crash of the housing market 3-4 years ago, the total number of jobs lost in the construction industry has been felt the hardest in Arizona, Nevada, and Florida. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has published the following construction job declines for the period of the recession: Arizona 53.2%, Nevada 52.3%, and Florida at [...]
Continue reading...18. March 2010
A jobs bill that will give business owners $18 billion in tax breaks and provides $20 billion for highway and transit projects was signed into law by President Barack Obama Thursday morning. During the signing ceremony at the White House Rose Garden, Obama called the bill only a first step in getting America back to work. [...]
Continue reading...18. March 2010
This morning President Barack Obama is expected to sign the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) bill that passed through Congress just yesterday. The bill passed the Senate 68-29 in a bipartisan vote on Wednesday. It includes about $18 billion in tax breaks and extends highway and mass transit programs through 2010. $20 billion will [...]
Continue reading...18. March 2010
Unemployment claims have fallen slightly for the third week in a row but there are still too many first time claims being filed to indicate that there have been significant job gains. Unemployment claims fell 5,000 to 457,000 according to the Labor Department. The four-week average of unemployment claims dropped to 471,250. Despite this the [...]
Continue reading...17. March 2010
The U.S. Senate passed a $17.6 billion jobs bill Wednesday that will provide tax breaks to private companies and funding for highway and transit projects. The bill heads to the desk of President Barack Obama, who has previously said he will sign the bill into law. The Senate passed the bill in a 68-29 bipartisan vote, the Associated [...]
Continue reading...11. March 2010
We reported late last month that Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman announced likely job cuts across all city departments this year. After a four hour hearing yesterday the Las Vegas City Council tentatively approved next year’s budget and 146 city employees will lose their jobs by June as the Council tries to make up for [...]
Continue reading...11. March 2010
The Pasadena Unified School District in California will cut 164 jobs to meet a $23 million budget gap this spring. Layoffs include teachers and administrative staff and the school board expects to save $20 million in the move. 76 of 120 classroom teachers losing their jobs are elementary school teachers. District Chief Financial Officer John [...]
Continue reading...11. March 2010
The U.S. Labor Department reports initial jobless claims fell by 6,000 last week to a seasonally-adjusted 462,000. However, the four-week average, which is considered a better indicator, increased to 475,500 last week from 470,500 the previous week. According to the Associated Press, the four-week average continues to concern economists. It has risen by about 25,000 this [...]
Continue reading...11. March 2010
Yesterday 140 elementary school district layoffs were approved by Redwood City officials in California. These cuts were made to close the $13 million gap in the district’s budget. Lay offs were approved for 127 full time equivalent teachers, 11 temporary teachers, and 9 other administrative staff. The layoffs are not yet final and California law [...]
Continue reading...10. March 2010
While the national unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent from 10 percent in January, the U.S. Labor Department reported Wednesday that 30 states actually saw an increase in unemployment that month. Five states reported record-high unemployment, including California (12.5 percent), South Carolina (12.6 percent), Florida (11.9 percent), North Carolina (11.1 percent) and Georgia (10.4 percent). The [...]
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18. March 2010
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