Latest Headlines on OCRegister.com
[x] Close
Handling Hard Times ~ Understanding and coping with the economic slowdown.

O.C. Oct. unemployment jumps to 9.6%

November 20th, 2009, 10:41 am by Mary Ann Milbourn

Orange County's unemployment rate rose to 9.6% in October from a revised 9.5% in September as people came into the job market faster than positions could be created, reported the Employment Development Department today.

Local employers added 8,200 jobs from September to October, but Orange County employment is down by 52,000 positions in the last year.

Statewide unemployment jumped to a modern-day record 12.5% from a revised 12.3% in September.  California's jobless rate is fourth highest in the country after Michigan (15.1%), Nevada (13%) and Rhode Island (12.9%). Unemployment nationwide was 10.2% in October.

octocunemply5years

Orange County job cuts declined at a 3.5% rate from October 2008 to October 2009, a big improvement over the 4.9% rate earlier this year, but that's of little solace to people seeking work, said Esmael Adibi, an economic at Chapman University.

"When they see unemployment at 9.6%, they don't see any ray of hope," he said.

But some sectors showed the beginnings of an improvement, not only for their sectors but for the economy. Temporary agencies added 600 jobs from September to October and 1,600 in the last three months. Experts say that in an economic recovery those jobs typically turn into permanent positions six months later.

Educational and health service grew by 1,300 and tech layoffs, at least in electronic instruments and  computer and electronics manufacturing, have stabilized.

Health care has been one of the few growing sectors in the last year, but the 300-plus attendees at a health care job fair in Anaheim this week gave mixed reviews about their prospects.

health-care-job-fair-medRose Hayes, a Texas transplant who just moved to Lake Forest, was hopeful about quickly getting hired as an X-ray technician.

"All my friends who are in X-ray are working," she said.

Kelly Thananant, a nurse who was recruiting at the fair for Hospice Touch in Santa Ana, said his company is growing so quickly that it is constantly in need of new workers including nurses, doctors, home health aides and support staff.

But a group of students from Stanton University Nursing School, getting ready to graduate as licensed vocational nurses next month, were not convinced jobs were out there for them.

"They're all asking for one year of experience," said Bernard Ponce of Westminster.  "I don't think it's a great market in today's recession."

Ponce's instructor, Nicholas R. Webb, who brought the two dozen students to the job fair,  told them not to get discouraged.

"This is a chance for them to get exposed and build up their confidence," said Webb, a former Air Force medic who knows what it's like to be in the job market. "I'm very optimistic about their prospects."

Orange County continues to be the only Southern California county with unemployment under double digits. Here's how the other counties fared in October:

  • Riverside: 15.1%
  • San Bernardino: 14.0%
  • Los Angeles: 12.6%
  • Ventura: 11.1%
  • San Diego: 10.5%

Did you miss these recent stories on jobs and the economy ...

LexisNexis closes O.C. office

November 20th, 2009, 6:36 am by Mary Ann Milbourn

LexisNexis Risk Solutions, the online information services provider, will close its Brea office and lay off 70 workers by mid-December, the company confirmed today.

lexisnexisThe company said the closure was part of its efforts to streamline business due to the economic climate.  The affected employees received 60-days' layoff notice and severance.

LexisNexis said the Brea office is one of several across the U.S. that does employment verification and customer service for the company’s background screening services business. The majority of the positions will be transitioned to other employment service center, the company said.

The LexisNexis announcement brings major layoffs in Orange County this year to 13,236. See the Orange County Register's list of major 2009 layoffs HERE.

Did you miss these recent stories on jobs and the economy ...

Everest College expands in O.C., adds 100 jobs

November 19th, 2009, 10:31 am by Mary Ann Milbourn

Everest College, part of the Santa Ana-based for-profit Corinthian Colleges, will open a new campus in Santa Ana next summer and hire 100 faculty and support staff.

studying-ap-testmed“We believe the Orange County market for career training is underserved, especially in the face of an on-going recession and funding cutbacks at public post-secondary institutions," said Bob Bosic, president of Everest's western division.

The school will offer five diploma and four degree programs that will be able to accommodate up to 1,100 students.

The diploma programs will include medical assisting, medical insurance billing and coding, massage therapy, medical administrative assistant and pharmacy technician.  Associate degree programs will be available in criminal justice, paralegal, business and accounting.

Everest's new campus will be in the Civic Center Professional Plaza at 505 Civic Center Dr.  It's the school's second campus in Orange County.  The other is in Anaheim.

Did you miss these recent stories on jobs and the economy ...

Hiring demand picking up

November 19th, 2009, 3:00 am by Mary Ann Milbourn

Hiring demand, based on the number of jobs advertised online, is growing at a 2.1% monthly pace, three times faster than in the two years before the recession began, according to a new analysis of help wanted data.

EconomyWanted Analytics, which crunched the numbers, said that before the recession, online job ads nationwide were growing 0.7% monthly.

As the economic downturn took hold from January 2008 to February 2009 , hiring demand plummeted 3.5% a month. Things started picking up last March after the stock market began to rally with ads jumping 2.1% monthly.

"This allows us to change our outlook from 'stable' to 'positive,'" said the company.

Just because help wanted ads may be picking up does not necessarily mean unemployment will drop, noted Wanted Analytics. If more people are leaving — either through layoffs or attrition — than jobs being filled, unemployment will continue to suffer. The change in online job ads, however, is an early indicator for the job market, said the company.

Wanted Analytics said the big industry winners on the hiring demand front right now are retail sales, food, transportation, production, education and health care.

Businesses associated with the real estate downturn, including architecture/engineering and construction, are still struggling.

In terms of job categories, worker bees in office jobs, including business/finance, office/administrative support and computer/math, are most in demand. Positions in upper-level management continue to lag. (Click on chart to enlarge.)

nov-hiring-demand

Source: Wanted Analytics

Did you miss these recent stories on jobs and the economy ...

New bills would extend COBRA subsidy

November 18th, 2009, 11:00 am by Mary Ann Milbourn

Two bills have been introduced in Congress that would extend the COBRA insurance subsidy that is due to expire Dec. 31.

capital-building-lrgThe economic stimulus package approved in February provides a 65% subsidy on COBRA premiums for nine months for those unemployed between Sept. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2009.

Many people have already exhausted the nine months of subsidy or soon will leaving them with the difficult choice of paying the full, often costly premium, trying to find other less expensive insurance or dropping their coverage.

Louis Aldeen is trying to figure out how to pay the full cost of COBRA  — $937  a month  — if the subsidy isn't extended.

The Brea resident lost his mortgage job six months ago — a month after his daughter was born. With the COBRA subsidy, he's paying $323 a month.  He's not sure how he would pay the full premium if the subsidy isn't extended but dropping coverage isn't an option.

"With a 7-month-old baby at home, you have to have it," said Aldeen, 46.

Two bills introduced in the last month would extend the subsidy until next June and, in one case, also increase the amount the government will cover.

H.R. 3930, sponsored by Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Penn., was introduced Oct. 26 and referred to several House committees.  Here are the major points:

  • Extends the maximum length of federal COBRA benefits from 18 months to 24 months (in California COBRA benefits are available for up to 36 months.)
  • Applies to people who lost their jobs or whose hours were reduced between April 1, 2008 and June 30, 2010.
  • Extends the current 65% government subsidy from nine months to 15 months.

S. 2730, was introduced by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Robert Casey, D-Penn., Al Franken, D-Minn. and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., on Nov. 4.  It was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.  It is slightly different from the House bill.  Here are the key points:

  • Extends the COBRA subsidy from nine months to to 15 months
  • Includes people who had an involuntary reduction in hours
  • Extends eligibility through June 30, 2010
  • Increases the government subsidy from 65% to 75%

Did you miss these recent stories on jobs and the economy ...

Lower gas prices hold down SoCal inflation

November 18th, 2009, 6:57 am by Mary Ann Milbourn

Southern California consumers continued to benefit in October from the drop in gasoline prices which helped push inflation down 0.4% over the last year, reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Consumer prices in the Orange County-Los Angeles-Riverside area have been unchanged or down every month this year over the same month in 2008.  That's the longest string of falling local prices year over year since 1954-55.

From September to October, the Southern California consumer price index was unchanged.

Nationwide, consumer prices dropped 0.2% over the last year, but rose 0.3% from September to October.

octsocalcpiweb

The BLS said that Southern California gasoline prices overall were down 10% in the last year. Unleaded prices fell 10.4%. The last time gasoline prices were up year over year was in October 2008.

However, the gasoline price windfall may be ending. AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge reports that regular unleaded gasoline is selling for $2.955 a gallon in Orange County today compared to $2.361 a year ago.  Current gasoline prices are still well off the peak of $4.598 on June 16, 2008.

Prices in Southern California for other items in October were mixed:

  • Apparel: 3.6%
  • Food: -0.7%
  • Housing: -0.6%
  • Household gas/electricity: -0.7%

Did you miss these recent stories on jobs and the economy ...

Uncle Sam wants (to hire) YOU!

November 17th, 2009, 3:00 am by Mary Ann Milbourn

Think no one is hiring these days?  Well Uncle Sam is.

unclesammedBetween a wave of Baby Boomer retirements, stimulus spending and expansion into new areas, the federal government may be the biggest employer out there for local jobs.

The non-profit Partnership for Public Service estimates there are nearly 273,000 so-called mission critical federal jobs that the government will need to fill in the next three years.

A random check of the government's USAJobs.gov Web site turned up 162 positions open at 14 federal agencies within 30 miles of Santa Ana.

The jobs ranged from temporary laborer work paying $10 to $12 an hour at the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Riverside to a full-time position as a Nurse V network quality management officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Long Beach.  Salary range is $116,818 to $143,500.

Need to work in Orange County?  The IRS in Laguna Niguel is looking for two economists for jobs that pay $83,445 to $108,483 and two secretaries with a salary of $34,191 to $49,543.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in Irvine has a job for a compliance analyst with a pay range of $59,387 to $94,023. There's also a multi-agency position for an information technology specialist paying $49,544 to $77,194.

Check out all the jobs at USAJobs.gov.  The list is constantly being updated so check back often.

Did you miss these recent stories on jobs and the economy ...

EDD working on extension checks

November 16th, 2009, 3:00 am by Mary Ann Milbourn

The California Employment Development Department says it is working to get the new unemployment extension checks out as soon as possible. A specific date has not yet been set.

irvine-one-stop-job-board2smallPeople who potentially are eligible will be contacted directly so EDD officials say there is no need for those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits — or may soon — to do anything.

EDD reiterated that there currently is a sunset provision in last February's economic stimulus bill that will limit the latest extension of benefits to a total of 14 weeks. If that provision is changed,  six weeks more in benefits will be available for a total extension of 20 weeks of benefits.

The first eligible week for extension benefits is Nov. 8.  The legislation is not retroactive, so anyone who ran out of benefits before then will not get a payment for those lost weeks.  Those eligible for the extension, however, will be paid for the weeks since the bill was enacted on Nov. 8.

EDD officials said when the bill was signed that difficulties in reprogramming the computer for the changes would delay checks from being sent out for "several weeks."

"Once programming is in place, we will follow up with further instructions and automatically file the extensions for as many of our clients as possible," says EDD.

Did you miss these recent stories on jobs and the economy ...

California job market improves for grads

November 14th, 2009, 10:00 am by Mary Ann Milbourn

More entry level jobs and internships are being advertised for college students and California leads the nation in both categories,  reports CollegeRecruiter.com.

line-of-grads-lrgCalifornia employers had 13,760 entry-level jobs in November, an increase of 252 positions over October.  Internships being offered rose 136 to 1,899.  Texas was a distant second in entry-level jobs and New York was second in internships.

"We were quite happy but not surprised to see the significantly higher number of job openings advertised on CollegeRecruiter.com," said Steven Rothberg, president and founder. "Many of our employer clients have been telling us that they are or soon will be hiring again and not just one person here and there but dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of people."

CollegeRecruiter is a web site devoted to helping college students and grads find jobs, business opportunities or continuing education programs. The monthly review is intended to serve as a guide to help job seekers estimate the status of the job market in the states in which they live.

Top states with entry-level jobs
State Nov. Oct. Change
California 13,760 13,508 2%
Texas 8,550 8,153 5%
New York 6,824 6,869 -7%
Florida 6,053 5,814 4%
Pennsylvania 5,149 5,137 0.2

Source: CollegeRecruiter.com

Did you miss these stories on jobs and the economy ...

Check out the latest in Orange County business news HERE.

Calendar of job events (Nov. 16 and on)

November 14th, 2009, 3:00 am by Colin Stewart

Monday, Nov. 16

Inland Empire Hires Job Career Fair Meet face-to-face with top employers at the InlandHires Job Fair! Attendance is free for job seekers! Register at www.inlandhires.com and you will receive the company list and our online job fair guide. Free. 11 a.m.. (877) 561-5627. Sheraton Suites Fairplex, 601 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona

Tuesday, Nov. 17

Healthcare Career Fair An opportunity for current and future healthcare professionals to network and interview with prospective employers.  Co-sponsored by the Orange County Register and Monster.com. Free. 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Pre-register HERE. The Grove of Anaheim, 2200 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim

Wednesday, Nov. 18

Job Search Series: Part 2 - Interview Basics Laura U'Ren, Career Placement Officer will present interview tips, techniques and common questions asked in the interview. 2 p.m. More info online. Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine

Wednesday, Nov. 18

Career Support Mariners Career Support Group offers adults experiencing unemployment or job transition practical tools for improving their career prospects including resume preparation, interview rules and job interview role-playing.  Free.  6:30 p.m.  (949) 854-7030, ext. 892 or online. Mariners Church, 5001 Newport Coast Dr., Irvine

Thursday, Nov. 19

Careers In The FBI Workshop 1 p.m. (714) 892-7711 or www.gwc.info Golden West College, 15744 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach

Friday, Nov. 20

Meet Your Power Partners Networking Fair The JOBS Committee of Santa Clara de Asis Catholic Church hosts Meet Your Power Partners Networking Fair. Improve your business & social network, increase your knowledge of your industry, and look for opportunities to better your organization and career. Free. 6 p.m. (714) 970-7885 or santaclarachurch.org/jobs.html Santa Clara de Asis Church, 22005 Avenida De La Paz Pl,, Yorba Linda

Friday, Nov. 20

Joe Jobs Expo Leads to thousands of jobs will be up for grabs at a one-of-a-kind job expo in the City of Industry in two sessions: 9 a.m. to noon and 2-5 p.m. Parking availability limits attendance to about 1,300 people per session. Online registration required. $5 admission fee includes parking, two Clippers tickets, refreshments and more. Potential jobs that will be presented at the expo include a San Gabriel Valley project in development that could employ thousands in construction early next year. More info: 213- 300-3871. Pacific Palms Hotel & Conference Center, One Industry Hills Pkwy, Industry Hills, CA 91744.

Tuesday, Nov. 24

Job Search Series: Part 3 - Job Search Strategies Laura U'Ren, Career Placement Officer will discuss ways to look for employment. 1:00 p.m. Info online. Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine

Monday, Nov. 30

Job Search Series: Part 4 - Mock Interviewing For The Job Seeker Laura U'Ren, Career Placement Officer, will conduct this workshop in SSC230 from 1 p.m. (949) 451-5100 or online. Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine

Wednesday, Dec. 2

Anaheim Job Fair Meet face-to-face with top employers at the OCHires Job Fair! Attendance is free for job seekers. Register at www.OChires.com and you will receive the company list and our online job fair guide. Free. 11 a.m. Sheraton Park Hotel at Anaheim Resort, 1855 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim

Friday, Dec. 11

Resume-Writing Workshop Staff from the Orange County One-Stop Center will show you up-to-date techniques for writing highly effective professional resumes and cover letters to increase interview opportunities. Free. 10:15 a.m. (949) 459-6098 or http://www.ocpl.org Rancho Santa Margarita Library, 30902 La Promesa, Rancho Santa Margarita

Friday, Dec. 18

Workshop on Interview Skills Haven't interviewed in awhile and need to know what questions are being asked in today's job market? Staff from the Orange County One-Stop Center will update you and take you through the phases of the interview process. Free. 10:15 a.m.. (949) 459-6094 or http://www.ocpl.org Rancho Santa Margarita Library, 30902 La Promesa, Rancho Santa Margarita

Have an event that should be listed in this weekly Handling Hard Times calendar? Submit it at events.ocregister.com. Need instructions on how that works? Send an email to eventsupport@ocregister.com.

Need a job? Looking for bargains? Facing financial setbacks? Visit the O.C. Register's Web page on Handling Hard Times.

Did you miss these jobs stories ...