Austin/Round Rock and Denver areas post lowest jobless rates

The Austin-Round Rock area in Texas and the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo., area had the lowest unemployment rates in February, 3.1% each, among US metropolitan areas with populations of 1 million or more, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., metropolitan...

US job openings fall 3% in February but hiring up

The number of US job openings in February fell 2.8% from January to more than 5.4 million, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the number of hires rose to the highest level since 2006.

Educational services job openings increased by 48,000,...

California and New York raise minimum wage to $15 per hour

The governors of California and New York yesterday signed legislation that will eventually increase the minimum wage in those states to $15 per hour.

California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. yesterday signed legislation raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour statewide in 2022.

Under the California legislation,...

One-third of workers “boomerang” back to previous employer, survey finds

Nearly one-third of American workers, 29%, returned to a previous employer after leaving for some time, according to the WorkSphere survey released today by staffing company Spherion. An additional 41% of workers surveyed reported they are open to being a “boomerang” employee and potentially making...

Extra Help rebrands as HireLevel

Extra Help Inc., a staffing and payroll services provider headquartered in St. Louis, rebranded as HireLevel effective April 4. 

The new name aligns with the workplace management company’s mission as well as future growth plans, according to the company.

“Our new brand was designed to reinforce...

US nonmanufacturing index edges up in March, employment returns to growth

Economic activity in the US nonmanufacturing sector increased in March at a slightly faster pace than February. The Institute for Supply Management’s nonmanufacturing composite index rose to a reading of 54.5 from February’s reading of 53.4.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the sector.

The...

Talent dynamic compares to real estate — Staffing quote of the week

“Right now, you can assume that if an employee is talking to a company about a job, they're having a conversation with six other companies,” Melanie Monroe, regional VP for Staffing Solutions/Employbridge, told the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel. “The dynamic between how many job seekers are available...

Employment trends index signals slowing job growth through summer

The Conference Board’s US employment trends index fell in March to a reading of 127.48 from February’s downwardly revised reading of 128.54. The March reading is up 1.1% from the same month a year ago.  

“The Employment Trends Index has been showing signs of weakening in recent months,...

Construction adding jobs at twice the rate of overall economy, report finds

Construction job growth rose sharply in March by 37,000 for the month and 301,000 for the year, while construction spending in February logged a solid year-over-year increase despite a dip compared with January, according to an analysis of US Department of Labor data released by the Associated General...

Patient recruiter/staffing employee convicted in home healthcare fraud scheme

A staffing company employee and patient recruiter for several Miami-area home health agencies was convicted Friday for his role in a fraud and kickback scheme that resulted in the submission of millions of dollars in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, the US Department of Justice announced.

Carlos...