By Thomas Ahearn, ESR News Blog

In a positive sign that companies may increase hiring soon, the U.S. Labor Department reports that the number of jobs advertised rose in July after two months of declines.

The Labor Department’s ‘Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey’ (JOLTS) showed that the number of jobs advertised rose by 6.2 percent to 3.04 million in July, the highest total since April when hiring for temporary census jobs inflated that month’s figure.

Among industries, the JOLTS report revealed that education and health services and leisure and hospitality showed the biggest increases in job openings.

• Education and health services posted 533,000 jobs in July, up from 487,000 in June.
• Restaurants and hotels advertised 310,000 openings in July, up from 263,000 in June.

In addition, the JOLTS report illustrates the degree of “job churn” that the U.S. economy experiences each month. In July, while companies and government agencies hired 4.2 million people, 4.4 million people were laid off, quit, or retired during the same month.

The JOLTS report also indicates heavy competition for each job. An average of 4.8 unemployed people competed for each job opening, less than the 6.3 unemployed people in November 2009 but more than the 1.8 unemployed people when the recession began.

Despite the increase in job openings, total job openings remain far below the 4.4 million that existed when the recession began in December 2007, according to the JOLTS report.

With an increase in hiring, employers will need an increase in employment screening for the millions of job applicants competing for a limited amount of jobs. Using a Safe Hiring Program (SHP) will help employers save time and money selecting new employees while also lessening legal risks during the hiring process.

For more information about Safe Hiring Programs and background checks for job applicants, visit Employment Screening Resources (ESR) at http://www.ESRcheck.com.

Source:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.htm

By Thomas Ahearn, ESR News Staff Writer

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has reported that the nation’s unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in roughly a year in June.

According to the BLS Employment Situation Summary for June 2010, the unemployment rate edged down to 9.5 percent, the lowest level since last July, while the number of unemployed persons also decreased to 14.6 million.

In addition, private-sector payroll employment edged up by 83,000. However, total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 125,000 in June, reflecting a decrease of 225,000 temporary employees working on the once-in-a-decade Census 2010.

The 83,000 new jobs in private employment is due to modest increases in several industries, and private-sector employment has increased by 593,000 so far this year.

• Leisure and hospitality employment rose in June by 28,000 job in amusements, gambling, and recreation.
• Professional and business services employment continued to increase in temporary help services (+21,000 jobs), management and technical consulting (+11,000 jobs) and business support services (+7,000 jobs) in June.
• Transportation and warehousing added 15,000 jobs in June, and has added 44,000 jobs since a recent low in February.
• Health care employment edged up in June (+9,000 jobs) and has gained 217,000 jobs over the past 12 months.
• Mining employment added 6,000 jobs in June and has gained 56,000 jobs since October 2009.
• Manufacturing employment added 9,000 jobs in June and has added 136,000 jobs since December 2009.

On the negative side, construction employment decreased by 22,000 in June and government employment fell by 208,000 during the same month due to the loss of 225,000 temporary workers hired for Census 2010.

For news and information about employment screening and background checks, visit Employment Screening Resources (ESR) at http://www.esrcheck.com.

Source:

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm