Showing posts with label Jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jobs. Show all posts

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Austin's Secrets For Economic Success

From Forbes, May 12, 2009...

Few places have received more accolades in recent years than Austin, the city that ranked first on our list of the best big cities for jobs. Understanding what makes this attractive, fast-growing city tick can tell us much about what urban growth will look like in the coming decades.

Austin's success is not surprising since, in many ways, it starts on third base. Two of its greatest assets result from the luck of the draw; it's both a state capital and home to a major research university.

Our ranking of the best cities for job growth includes many college towns--from Fargo, N.D., (home to North Dakota State) to Athens, Ga., (University of Georgia), Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C., (Duke and University of North Carolina) and College Station, Texas (Texas A&M).

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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Austin to pump $69M into roadwork projects, create jobs

From News 8 Austin, April 29, 2009...

The City of Austin is fast-tracking the awarding of contracts for roadwork and other projects approved under a 2006 bond election.

The program, Accelerate Austin, aims to move on more than $69.1 million in improvements within the next 18 months. The city held an orientation for businesses interested in the stimulus program Tuesday.

The city said the projects will help boose the local economy, creating about 300 area jobs. They also said the negative impact of the recession on the construction industry means the city could save some money.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Region's job market is holding steady

From statesman, April 18, 2009...

Central Texas continued to add jobs during March, in the face of a recession that led to job losses in every other large Texas city.

The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday that jobs grew in the region at a 0.4 percent annual rate last month. That works out to 3,300 jobs between March 2008 and March 2009. Job growth was 0.2 percent in February.

The local unemployment rate was 6.2 percent, down from 6.3 percent in February but up from 3.8 percent in March 2008.

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Monday, April 13, 2009

Job Angels seeks to help Central Texans find work

From KEYE, April 3, 2009...

People are out of work now more than ever, but a twist on an old idea is taking shape and finding the jobless jobs. One may says hope is still alive. "We don't ask you to save the world," Chris Bailey said.

"We just ask for you to, one person at a time, help them find a job. Do whatever you need to do. Open up your network," he said.

Bailey joined a contact of his in Washington, D.C. on a venture called Job Angels. In its most basic form, Job Angels seeks to connect unemployed people to those with connections in order for them to find a job.

You can find out more about Job Angels by visiting their website at JobAngels.org.

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Valence plans big battery plant for Austin

From statesman, April 3, 2009...

Valence Technology Inc. will build a $760 million battery manufacturing plant in Central Texas that could employ thousands of people, but the plan relies in part on whether it secures federal stimulus money, executives said Thursday.

The Austin company, which makes rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, backup power sources and other applications, said it has applied for $608 million in low-interest loans from a federal program designed to spur the development of next-generation cars and trucks.

Valence currently produces its battery systems in China. But its need to expand its manufacturing capacity and an ongoing shift to a new generation of battery-cell technology makes this "a perfect time to consider bringing our expansion plans to the United States," CEO Bob Kanode said.

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Report: Texas online job postings down

From Austin Business Journal, March 30, 2009...

Texas posted the largest decline of online job postings in March, according to new numbers from the Conference Board.

The state's online postings were down 16,500.

Meanwhile, the board’s Help-Wanted Online Data Series found online advertised job openings overall fell 100,000 to 3.2 million in March.

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Thursday, January 22, 2009

Kyle Kohl's opening brings thousands of job seekers

From KEYE, January 12, 2009...

The Labor Department says we’re in the fastest labor market decline in more than three decades. The government reports, employers cut more than 520,000 jobs in December.

A new department store in Kyle offers some hope for Central Texans. Kohl’s is offering 120 new part time jobs at their new store set to open in March.

Some of the positions only pay about $7 to $8 an hour, but that’s not stopping more than a thousand people from applying to work there.

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Monday, September 22, 2008

Austin job market holds up amid national slowdown

From statesman, September 20, 2008...

Austin's job market has slowed, but the region continues to gain jobs while many other parts of the country are losing them.

The Central Texas job growth rate was 2.4 percent in August, meaning the region had 18,100 more jobs than it did a year ago, the Texas Workforce Commission reported. Unemployment was 4.5 percent, up a tenth of a percent from July and up from 3.7 percent a year ago.

The local job market has taken some hits this year, the biggest being Dell Inc.'s decision to close two North Austin plants. The region lost 2,800 manufacturing jobs in the past year, but almost every other sector has grown.

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Report: Texas still strong in job creation

From Austin Business Journal, September 3, 2008...

Texas remains a bright spot while more job losses and weak growth continues in the western United States, according to an economic report.

According to the Western Blue Chip Economic Forecasts, Texas recorded the second highest percentage change with 2.4 percent more jobs created in July compared to a year ago. That increase translates to the highest number of actual jobs added in any state at 250,900.

Among Western states, only Wyoming topped that number with a 2.5 percent increase.

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Economist: Austin will recover faster than the rest of the U.S.

From Austin Business Journal, August 18, 2008...

In the coming year Austin will outperform the rest of the country in job growth and in the health of its housing market, according to Mark Dotzour, chief economist at Texas A&M University's Real Estate Center.

Austin will add 8,500 new jobs between now and August 2009, despite a negative job growth across the country, he says. The local housing market will turn around faster than the rest of the country by next summer, Dotzour predicts.

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Monday, July 21, 2008

Austin experiences small job dip in June

From Austin Business Journal, July 21, 2008...

The Austin area saw a slight decline in the number of jobs in June as the regional unemployment rate ticked up.

There were 775,900 nonfarm jobs in the Austin-Round Rock area in June, down about 200 jobs from May, according to the latest figures from the Texas Workforce Commission. The unemployment rate increased to 4.2 percent last month from 3.7 percent the month before.

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Austin area gains jobs at 2.7 percent annual rate in April, down from 5.4 percent last year

From statesman.com, May 17, 2008...

The job growth engine that has been keeping the Central Texas economy strong is losing steam.

The region gained jobs at a 2.7 percent annual rate in April, down from 5.4 percent a year ago, the Texas Workforce Commission said today.

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Saturday, April 19, 2008

Austin Area Has Gained Nearly 22,000 Jobs in the Last Year

From Austin Business Journal, April 18, 2008...

The number of jobs in the Austin area held steady in March, while statewide employment gains were slighter than the previous month.

View article...

Central Texas Job Market Holds Up

From statesman.com April 19, 2008...


Central Texas' job market is holding up, even as the national picture deteriorates.

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Friday, April 18, 2008

Austin Area Has Gained Nearly 22,000 Jobs in the Last Year

From Austin Business Journal April 18, 2008...

The number of jobs in the Austin area held steady in March, while statewide employment gains were slighter than the previous month.

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Countrywide takeover means Bank of America must create Texas jobs

From the Rockford Register-Star January 16, 2008...

Bank of America's plan to acquire Countrywide Financial Corp. means it would assume Countrywide's contract to create 7,500 new jobs in Texas, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Austin-Based Web Site Eases Job Searching

From KXAN.com January 8, 2008,


While Austin is reporting a healthy job market, there's been a lot of talk lately about the national unemployment rate and how it could lead to a recession.

A Web site, however, that was started in Austin is making the search for a job very easy. When you're searching for a job, the first place you probably look is online.

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Thursday, January 3, 2008

Need a Job? Austin's Got Plenty

From The Austin Business Journal January 3, 2008...

There's good news for those looking for work in Austin in 2008.

The Austin area ranked as one of the top metro areas in the nation when it came to online job advertisements in December, according to a report by The Conference Board.

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