Small Business Jobs Raleigh North Carolina Rank Third
Entrepreneurs looking to start a small business should consider the stability of jobs Raleigh North Carolina has to offer.
A recent study from Portfolio.com and Bizjournals ranked Raleigh third in the nation for small-business vitality, a decrease from the city's number one ranking during 2009. Raleigh garnered a small-business vitality score of 32.89.
During 2008, Raleigh had a population of 1,088,765 people, accounting for a 22.46 percent increase from 2003. During 2007, the city had 28,649 small businesses, resulting in 27.44 small businesses per 1,000 residents. Private-sector employment in the city increased by 9.99 percent from 2004 to 2009.
Austin was ranked as the best city for small-business vitality, based on the fact that: the city's population increased by 19.5 percent from 2003 to 2008; employment in the city increased by 15.6 percent from 2004 to 2009; and the number of small businesses in the city increased by 5.6 percent from 2006 to 2007.
Baton Rouge, La., was ranked second for small-business vitality, as the number of small businesses in the city increased by 3.9 percent between 2006 and 2007. Charleston, S.C., was ranked fourth, with a 4.3 percent increase in small businesses, and Portland, Maine, was ranked fifth, with 34.64 small businesses for every 1,000 residents.
On the opposite end of the scale, Detroit ranked last for small-business vitality, as the city saw a 16.3 percent decrease in employment during the last five years, as well as short-term decreases in population and the number of small businesses. Following Detroit in the bottom five were Youngstown, Dayton and Toledo, Ohio, and Milwaukee, Wis.
Based on these rankings, the south currently serves as the most promising region for entrepreneurs, as it is home to 12 of the 20 best metros for small businesses. In comparison, the East and Midwest each have three of the top 20 markets and the West has two.
The 100 metros included in the report have a total combined population of 199.1 million people, accounting for 65.5 percent of the national population, which is currently at 304.1 million people. Those metros together are home to 4.99 million small businesses.
For the report, a six-part formula was used to analyze the 100 largest metro areas in the nation, focusing on places that are most conducive to the creation and development of small business. The report analyzed each metro area's number of small businesses per 1,000 residents; the one-year change in that concentration; one-year growth rates for small businesses and private-sector employment; and five-year rates for population and employment.
Posted by: jcheesman on 1/20/2010 at 11:35 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: jobs raleigh north carolina, raleigh jobs
Sarasota Jobs Created by Company's Move
One company's plan to move will help create more Sarasota jobs.
Clockwork Home Services, Inc. recently announced that it plans to move its Success Group International division to Sarasota County. The Sarasota-based company operates a series of air-conditioning, plumbing, electrical and other home services franchises.
According to an article by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, SGI plans to relocate from St. Louis to Sarasota within the next six months. The division, which acts as a "college for contractors," expects to hire 30 employees within the next two years.
"Success Group International brings knowledge-driven jobs that pay 150 percent of the average wage in our community," Kathy Baylis, CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, said. "SGI has a long track record in its industry and has shared with us some exciting plans for future growth, in addition to bringing new jobs to Sarasota, SGI will host training programs for its members here, which will benefit the local hospitality industry."
The EDC assisted SGI with state and local performance-based incentives to help bring good jobs to Sarasota County, including measures that provide tax refunds to qualified businesses that add jobs at higher wages than the county average. Companies only receive those tax rebates if they follow through on their employment commitments.
"We see Sarasota as an area where we can gain access to a highly skilled work force," SGI President Brad Barnett said, adding that SGI chose to relocate to Sarasota County to be closer to its parent company.
Florida could certainly benefit from the efforts to create additional jobs within the state, as the local unemployment rate has continued to increase and the economy has continued to lose jobs on a monthly and yearly basis.
During November 2009, Florida's unemployment rate increased from 11.3 percent to 11.5 percent, following an increase from 11.1 percent during October. Those increases place the state's rate above the national unemployment rate of 10 percent.
Florida had a total non-farm employment of 7,323,600 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 7,340,300 workers during October and a 3.7 percent decrease from November 2008.
Posted by: jcheesman on 1/15/2010 at 10:43 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: sarasota jobs
Flex Jobs for Canadian Students
A new program will allow students throughout Canada to secure flex jobs (Click here) during the summer.
Officials recently launched the Canada Summer Jobs 2010 program, which supports work experiences for students and helps provide important community services.
"In light of recent economic events, it is more important than ever that youth are given the opportunity to develop the skills and experience they need to fully participate and succeed in today's job market," Diane Finley, minister of human resources and skills development, said. "Canada Summer Jobs is one of many initiatives our government offers to help students."
Through the program, funding will be offered to non-profit, public-sector and small private-sector employers to create high-quality summer job opportunities for people 15 to 30-years old who are full-time students that intend to return to school during the next year.
"Canada Summer Jobs plays a key role in meeting the needs of students, while supporting organizations that provide important services to our communities," Finley said. "That is why, through Canada's Economic Action Plan, our government increased funding by $10 million in 2009 and is again providing an additional $10 million in 2010 for Canada Summer Jobs, to help create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world. Funding for Canada Summer Jobs largely supports work for students in not-for-profit organizations."
This year, the program's budget is about $97.5 million, plus an additional $10 million from Canada's Economic Action Plan. During 2009, the Canadian government made agreements with about 22,000 Canadian organizations to support the creation of more than 37,500 summer jobs for students.
That funding will be allocated across the country's 308 federal constituencies. Parliament members will be asked to provide input to help determine specific priorities for their communities, as well as validate the list of projects recommended for funding.
Posted by: jcheesman on 1/12/2010 at 2:35 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: flex jobs, flexible jobs
Employment Testing for PA Prison Guards
After a measure was recently passed requiring guards at a Pennsylvania prison to undergo employment testing, specifically random drug testing, many local workers are wondering if all county employees will soon be subjected to the same rules.
Officials recently announced that guards working at Westmoreland County Prison will soon face random drug testing. The guards themselves - who are members of Local 522 of the United Mine Workers of America - voted to approve a five-year contract that includes random drug testing by an outside agency at least four times per year.
Under the contract, the county will have the authority to conduct a random drug test on a guard if there is reasonable suspicion of drug use. If an employee is found to be using drugs, officials have vowed to assist them in getting help.
In addition, any guard who tests positive for drug use has the right to appeal and undergo a more detailed analysis, including a hair follicle test.
Other prison staff members, such as counselors and maintenance workers, will not have to undergo employment testing. According to an article by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the contract in turn provides a 60 cent raise per hour during the first two years, a 50 cent raise during the third year and a 40 cent raise during the last two years.
The contract still has to be approved by county commissioners. Westmoreland County already conducts pre employment tests for drug use on newly hired employees, those who have a commercial driver's license and those who work in the department of public works.
Officials have reported that they will try to implement a random drug testing policy throughout the county, which also has union contracts with the Service Employees International Union, the Teamsters and several independent unions that represent court employees and county detectives.
Posted by: jcheesman on 1/05/2010 at 4:37 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: employment testing, pre employment test
Medical Jobs in Denver Supported by New Study
Those with medical jobs in Denver recently received some good news.
"The Future of Colorado Health Care," a recent study from The New America Foundation and the Center for Colorado's Economic Future at the University of Denver, and supported by The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust, found that Colorado is in a better position than any other state to continue fixing its healthcare system.
Colorado's healthcare system will strengthen the economy and contain costs for families, employers and taxpayer-funded medical programs such as Medicaid. The report states that Colorado has already made progress toward healthcare reform and has more potential for transformative change than any other state in the country, as evidenced by several initiatives already underway in the state.
"Colorado isn't waiting for Washington on healthcare reform," Gov. Bill Ritter said. "We're taking aggressive steps to contain costs, improve quality and increase availability. We're making great progress, and this study confirms our strategy is leading us toward a sustainable, affordable and secure healthcare system for Colorado's families and small businesses."
Currently, Colorado has the seventh-highest healthcare costs in the nation, with health insurance premiums costing about 22 percent of the median family income and premiums expected to increase by 10 percent every year.
"Failing to enact health reform in Colorado will lead to higher healthcare costs, more uninsured Coloradans and higher health spending, especially by businesses," the study notes.
Officials in Colorado have already worked on achieving such reforms as establishing a Center for Improving Value in Health Care and advancing the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization. If additional reforms are enacted, premiums could decline by 6 percent to 17 percent by 2019.
"Focusing Colorado's health care delivery system on value and efficiency will allow the state to deliver higher quality care at lower costs over time, while freeing up resources for other state priorities," the study adds.
Posted by: jcheesman on 11/24/2009 at 12:19 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: denver healthcare jobs, denver jobs, denver medical jobs, medical jobs in denver
