Hamilton-Ryker acquires Texas staffing firm Priority Personnel

Staffing provider The Hamilton-Ryker Group Inc. acquired San Marcos, Texas-based Priority Personnel Inc. The transaction closed Sept.2; terms were not disclosed. Investment banking firm De Bellas & Co. announced the deal and advised the seller.

Priority Personnel provides commercial staffing, targeting...

People: Pedersen & Partners, ZRG, Futurestep, Lucas, Korn Ferry

Pedersen & Partners, an international executive search firm with offices in 50 countries, named COO and partner Darcie Murray as head of North America. She will be based in the firm’s new Houston office, its first in the US. Murray will also manage the Pedersen & Partners office in Canada...

Next Staffing Industry Daily News is Tuesday

The next Staffing Industry Daily News publishes on Tuesday, Sept. 8, because of the Labor Day holiday.

Third of workers globally are ‘free agents,’ Kelly survey finds

Nearly one in three workers globally is a free agent, according to a survey released today by Kelly Services Inc. (NASD: KELYA). The Kelly Services 2015 Free Agent Survey identifies free agents as those who consult; perform temporary, freelance or independent contract work; or have their own business....

Investment firms acquire Medical Solutions

Investment partners Beecken Petty O'Keefe & Company and Heritage Group acquired 100% of the stock of travel nurse provider Medical Solutions from Texex Capital Management and McCarthy Capital.

The transaction closed Aug. 31; terms were not disclosed.

“Forging these new partnerships became possible...

Beige Book: Staffing services firms cite increased labor demand, hiring activity

Demand for staffing services generally expanded from July to mid-August, according to the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book report released Wednesday. The Beige Book, a collection of observations from the 12 federal regional banks, provides a snapshot of current economic conditions.

Staffing services contacts...

Confidence in US economy falls among CPA executives in Q3 survey

Certified public accounts who hold leadership positions in their companies, such as CFO or controller, are less optimistic about the US economy, according to a survey of 1,440 such accountants by the American Institute of CPAs.

Only 48% of CPAs in leadership positions were optimistic about the US economy...

Canada’s ‘hot job markets’ shift eastward

The job market in Western Canada cooled slightly in the past year while job markets in Eastern Canada held steady, according to Express Employment Professionals’ list of the top 50 hot job markets in Canada. In 2014, seven out of the 10 hot job markets in Canada were out west while in this year they...

US nonmanufacturing economic index falls

Economic activity in the US nonmanufacturing sector accelerated in August but at a slower pace than July. The Institute for Supply Management’s nonmanufacturing composite index fell to a reading of 59.0 from July’s reading of 60.3, which marked the highest reading since the start of the composite...

Jobless claims average up 3,250, total claims hit eight-week high

The US four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 3,250 last week to a total of 275,500 from the previous week’s downwardly revised average, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the US Department of Labor.

The four-week moving average decreases...