Background checks can save employers in all industries from many problems, but they are particularly important in certain lines of work. Employees that will be responsible for the well being of others have a larger chance of effecting the lives and health of others and, therefore, should always be subject to a pre-employment background check.
Because of similar reasoning, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California recently passed a bill that requires the state's 70,000 emergency medical technicians to be the subjects of mandatory criminal background checks. Last year he vetoed similar legislation after saying that he disapproved over changes that were made to the bill that made it possible to keep secret certain details about the misbehavior of these professionals.
The Assembly bill that Schwarzenegger has agreed to stands to bring the licensing and certification system in California up to date. In 2007 a variety of problems were discovered with the system during the Bee investigation.
"EMTs provide vital services that help Californians in their time of need, and because of the critical role they play, it is important to that we have a universal statewide standard that will prevent those who are unqualified or have a past criminal history of becoming EMTs," said Schwarzenegger in a statement put out by his office.
"By signing these bills into law, we are increasing safety and accountability within the emergency medical services field and ensuring that Californians have the best EMTs available at any given moment," he said.
The legislation, Assembly Bill 2917, which made the mandatory background checks possible, was originally introduced by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico. In addition to the background checks, the bill also makes it where EMTs have to be certified in the county that they will be working in and will create a statewide EMT registry.
This is expected to help to stop EMTs who have criminal records or negative employment histories from trying to obtain certification in different counties in hopes of finding a weak spot. The Bee investigation found that this problem had been occurring for some time.
The registry will make it possible to track EMTs throughout California. In order to pay for this, EMT fees will be raised. According to Torrico, the statewide system will make it possible to create a standards for certification, disciplinary orders and conditions of probation for EMTs that have gotten themselves into trouble.
In addition to this, EMT employers will now be able to check to see if an applicant has been subject to a background check already and if they have had past actions against either their certification or license.
Deepwater Wind was recently chosen as the developer to construct a wind energy project off the shores of Rhode Island. The project is expected to create 800 new Rhode Island jobs with annual wages of $60 million. The company has pledged a private investment of $1.5 billion to the local economy, according to an article by Market Watch.
The project by Deepwater Wind was chosen out of seven proposals. The energy project will result in a facility that can provide 1.3 million megawatt hours per year of renewable energy, which amounts to about 15 percent of all electricity used in the state. The project is expected to cost more than $1 billion to construct, with funds coming from private investors.
The exact location of the project has not yet been decided, and should be determined from the results of a Special Area Management Plan process. Final approval of the project is contingent on regulatory approvals from state and local governments.
"Today marks a major step to bring wind power to Rhode Island and to reach our goal of at least 15 percent of all electricity in the state be renewable energy," Governor Donald L. Carcieri said in the article. "Of the many forms of renewable energy alternatives available, wind is the proven leader. Wind power is clean, green power that is not subject to variations and increases in fuel price. Rhode Island is uniquely positioned to lead the nation with the development of this country's first off shore wind farm.
"This is much more than an energy project," Carcieri continued. "This is about creating a new industry in Rhode Island; an industry that puts Rhode Island at the epicenter of the emerging alternative energy market. Deepwater Wind will help bring new economic activity, jobs and opportunity to Rhode Island. From construction through operation, Deepwater Wind projects will provide high-quality, green collar jobs. Further, Deepwater Wind's jacket foundations are the ideal cost-effective solution for the deeper waters in our region."
Deepwater Wind was established to develop utility-scale offshore wind projects in the northeastern part of the United States. So far, the company's major investors include FirstWind, a developer of on-shore wind projects; D.E. Shaw & Co., a capital investment firm with experience in the energy sector and Ospraie Management, an asset management firm with a focus on alternative energy.
The outlook for New Jersey jobs in bioscience remains positive. Currently, the state is one of the top five areas for biotechnology in the world. Over the last ten years, the number of employers who specialize in this sort of work have almost tripled.
At this time, more than 10 percent of the country's employment in drugs and pharmaceuticals is in New Jersey. In addition to this, the state also has over 5 percent of all of the nation’s research, testing and medical laboratories, medical devices and equipment subsectors.
The state continues to benefits from the presence of the numerous high paying jobs associated with bioscience. Because of the strength of this area of employment, a large portion of New Jersey's workforce is considered more educated than is the national average.
As far as venture capital invested and patents issued during the course of the last six years goes, the state is fourth in the country. Altogether, $2.78 billion in venture capital was invested in New Jersey by bioscience employers who are attracted to the area, at least in part, by the high presence of skilled employees.
At a recent conference discussing the industry and furthering it's influence in the state, Debbie Hart, president of BioNJ said that, "[W]henever we can foster good, high-paying jobs, stimulate research opportunities within our academic institutions and be a part of the solution for addressing the health concerns for our citizens --I know we are doing our job. Working together -- we all can win."
While many other industries are downscaling the number of jobs they provide, bioscience employment remains relatively steady.
With the economy unstable, employers are less likely to create new jobs. As profits decrease, many businesses have to put aside increasing their payrolls in order to continue to stay above water. Because of this, the number of new jobs posted online fell in September, according to The Conference Board, a nonprofit business membership organization and research center, most recent Help-Wanted Online Data Series (HWOL) report.
Nationwide, the number of new jobs posted online dropped by 216,000 last month to 4,418,000 unique ads. The most recent decrease in employment opportunities continued to follow the trend that started in May of 2007.
"All in all, indications are that employment will deteriorate even more rapidly in the near term," said Gad Levanon, who is the Senior Economist at The Conference Board. "The current HWOL data indicates that labor demand was down in September even before the tumultuous events in the financial sector during the end of the month."
Levanon went on to say that there is a close correlation between employers need for new workers and unemployment.
"As demand drops, unemployment will rise as it becomes more difficult for the unemployed to find jobs," he said.
Since May of last year, The Conference Board has noted that the difference between the portion of the population that is unemployed and the number of new jobs advertised online has increased significantly. Currently there is approximately 2 unemployed workers for every help-wanted ad placed on the Internet.
Many times the loss new job announcements occurs in one or another of the Census regions, however, in September, it happened almost universally across the board. The larger states, of course, experienced a greater loss because they had a larger number of jobs to start with. Texas, which saw the biggest decrease, fell by 30,300 new jobs. California, New York and Pennsylvania followed suit.
Despite the decrease of new jobs posted on the Internet, there is still a significant demand for talent for higher paying occupations. As of now, these positions make up around 60 percent of the employment announcements online. The problem with this is that the individuals trained for such jobs only make up approximately 20 percent of the portion of the population that is currently unemployed.
Recent statistics show that Virginia jobs in Halifax in the tourism industry grew in 2007, according to the county's Department of Tourism. All together, the sector employed over 500 people, generated more than $2 million in taxes. Visitors to the area spent approximately $35.4 million in the community.
"In a very challenging and competitive market, tourism in Halifax County continues to demonstrate growth," said Halifax County's Director of Tourism, Linda Shepperd. "This is a testament to the dedication and hard work of organizations and attractions, public and private, that continue to offer events and activities that attract thousands of visitors to our communities each year."
Virginia is still one of the most popular locations in the country for tourists to visit during their vacations. This industry continues to make a huge contribution to area’s revenue.
Statewide, data for 2007 shows that visitors to Virginia spent $18.7 billion, which was an increase of 5.8 percent from the previous year. This means that the state is well over the national domestic travel increase of 4.7 percent. Altogether, the tourism industry employed 210,000 Virginia residents. According to the statistics, if tourism was considered its own industry, then it would be the 6th largest employer in the state.
"Tourism has such a positive financial impact on Virginia as a whole and on local areas as well," said the Virginia Tourism Corporation's president and CEO, Alisa Bailey. "You can see how so many of our localities depend on tourism to bring in money and sustain jobs that otherwise would not exist."
Problems with the economy this year may make the statistics for 2008 less positive than those most recently reported. Since many people across the nation now have less disposable income, there is a good chance that tourism growth will have slowed down slightly.
100 Lost Healthcare Jobs Nothing to Be Concerned About
Despite losing 100 healthcare jobs in hospitals, the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area of New York still had industry job growth in August, according to state Department of Labor's labor market analyst John Nelson.
Over the last year, the area has gained 500 jobs in the industry, when hospitals are excluded. Nelson believes that the 100 positions cut at local hospitals was "just a blip."
"You have to keep in mind that these surveys are sample-based estimates, so that 100 is not really a real factor," said Nelson. "You probably won’t find a company that laid off 100 people. There could be minor cutbacks, but nothing big."
The Times Herald-Record checked this by calling area hospitals to find out how many healthcare jobs they had cut, but all of those that returned the calls said that they did not layoff any employees during August. Rob Lee, a spokesman for the Orange Regional Medical Center, told reporters that the facility he represents is in the process of recruiting for 125 vacant positions.
"Hospitals across the nation are struggling, and the climate in New York state is particularly challenging," said Judi Stokes, who is a spokesperson for St. Luke's. "New York state hospitals' operating margin are the second worst in the nation. While volatility in the economy certainly plays a role regarding increased costs for operations - such as utilities and supplies - the challenges are far greater and longer term."
According to Lee, the struggling economy could actually be partially to blame for the rising rates of illness. Stress can induce many health problems, but he says that he is not aware of the hospital he represents having an increased problem in patients not paying their bills.
Ageism, the prejudice against older members of the population, exists in many workplaces. From time to time, older employees find themselves pushed out or forced into early retirement for one reason or another, despite the fact that they are completely capable of fulfilling their responsibilities to the company. According to AARP, Chicago jobs exist that are extremely friendly to workers over 50 years old.
"Employers across the country are increasingly recognizing the importance of innovative practices as they seek to recruit and retain experienced workers," said AARP"s Illinois State Director Bob Gallo. "AARP is honored to award these four Illinois companies for being ahead of the curve."
The corporation chose to award these honors based on a number of criteria that showed concern for the needs of mature workers. According to a recent press release, these included; workplace accommodations, alternative work options (for example: flexible scheduling, job sharing and phased retirement), employee health and pension benefits and retiree work opportunities. BCBSA was chosen in part to its Mature Worker Program which has a variety of benefits for employees who are over the age of 55.
"AARP's recognition underscores Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's commitment to enhancing the lives of our members and employees -- of all ages," said BCBSA president and CEO Scott P. Serota. "We are proud to have a strong professional workforce of employees and are pleased to reward their dedication with competitive benefits, pay and human resources initiatives."
New Horizons was recognized for the training and wellness programs they provide for its employees who are over 50.
AARP will honor the winners at a dinner in Chicago that is scheduled to take place on October 7th.
Limited acceptance into nursing school and a group of RNs nearing retirement age has caused serve issues for employers. Since finding enough professionals to fill many healthcare jobs has become a serious problem, many hospital administrators are now focusing even harder on retention than ever before.
According to the Kansas City Star, the state is expected to have a supply of nurses that has decline by 2.3 percent in 2020. At the same time, the demand is expected to increase by 25.6 percent, making it extremely important for employers to hold on to ever nurse that they can. The newspaper also found that 13 percent of nurses make the decision to leave their career each year. This means that more than 9 percent of the positions for this healthcare job continue to be unfilled.
In an effort to encourage nurses to stick with the career and battle burnout, many employers are now offering better benefits, higher salaries and more training.
Susan Lacey, who is the director of nursing work force and systems analysis at Children's Mercy Hospital, told the newspaper that a new center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing plans to address the problem in a variety of different ways over the course of the next two years.
The center plans to conduct a comprehensive survey of all of the local hospitals and clinics in order to find out which facilities have issues that need to be improved in order to keep nurses around. It also plans to create a Clinical Scene Investigator (CSI) Academy in order to provide education and technical support to those in the profession. They will also share the results of the survey and CSI Academy at an up-coming conference devoted to nursing work-force innovation.
"We believe the center will serve as a national model for strategic innovation in health-care transformation," Lacey told the newspaper. "It truly is one of a kind. We believe we can meet the demands with the available resources if we help to improve the environment in which nurses are working."
While having the perfect Web site is a goal of many companies, it's a hard feat to obtain. Search engines, such as Google, that rank Web sites according to content are often hard to read, and these sites don't always make their ranking rules clear.
One option many companies choose is to hire a firm to optimize your Web site for you. In the meantime, there are a few things companies can do to help the process along, according to an article by Macon.
First, making sure the site's content is relevant and unique is extremely important. Companies can help by posting new press releases and news articles on the site, which can be filled with keywords and relevant content, as well as some unique content. Another idea is to post articles or newsletters written by staff or other professional writers.
The Web site also should contain as many related links as possible, without overdoing it. This includes adding links to articles and news postings.
Companies should avoid having Flash headers or other animated content on the site, as these can't always be indexed on a search engine because they contain no text.
"Using Flash on sites today is like showing up at a 2008 school dance dressed like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever," the article notes. "A simple, informative site is best, and positions your business as one that is diligent about keeping up with today's changing world."
Finally, it's especially important the site contain title tags that can be indexed by search engines. Having correct tags you can plug into analytic tools will help maintain and trace traffic, as well as help analyze what keywords to use and what links are the most popular.
"Be sure to list your Web site everywhere, including on the rapidly-growing social networking sites," the article adds. "And any business that fails to include its Web site address on a print or broadcast ad anywhere at anytime is, well, eventually doomed."
MonsterTRAK.com, a part of Monster Inc. that deals with internships and entry level jobs, recently released a report announcing the top five industries for recent graduates. The results for this are based on the number of jobs posted by employers on the job search website.
According to the report, there has been a major shift in entry level job postings showing that medical and educational employers are now looking for more recent graduates than ever before.
MonsterTRAK.com's vice president and general manger commented on this, saying "[A]s the medical and educational sectors continue to add jobs, as well as expand online recruitment efforts, we expect their need for qualified applicants to outpace other white-collar industries that previously dominated year-over-year growth such as the slowing financial and business sectors."
"Because the majority of industries, regardless of the sector, will continue to face a shortage of talent generationally, many employers are looking to attract entry-level candidates by offering long-term growth potential and other perks." He went on to say that "[T]his remains good news for students who are undecided about a degree path, as well as recent graduates and young professionals still looking for their first opportunity."
Sales and business development came is as the top industry for employing recent graduates. This sector made up for a quarter of all the jobs posted for entry-level workers on MonsterTRAK.com. Positions under this category include jobs in account management, real estate, advertising and field sales.
Secondly was accounting and finance, which made up for nearly 15 percent of the job announcements on the website. Despite the current issues with mortgage and loan providers, there were still a good number of entry-level job postings for accounting positions, financial analysis, consulting and administration positions.
Third on the list was training and instruction. All together these education-related jobs increased 90 percent since last year.
Information technology and software development came next. Popular entry-level jobs in this sector included web and software design, consulting, online security systems, computer maintenance and help desk support.
Finishing off the list was the medical and healthcare industry, which had the highest growth over the last year, showing an increase by approximately 200 percent. Employers looking for newly graduated nurses, dental practitioners, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapist and general practice physicians posted the most new jobs.
