Houston Construction Jobs Continue Decline
Houston construction jobs accounted for the majority of the city's yearly employment drop during July. Visit http://houston.jobing.com/jobs/construction to learn more.
During July, the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area's unemployment rate remained at 8.8 percent for the second month in a row, after increasing from 8.3 percent during June. The area's rate is still lower than the national average of 9.5 percent.
The Houston area had a total non-farm employment of 2,511,100 workers during July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 2,528,100 workers during June, but only a .4 percent decrease from last year.
Texas Background Checks: 10 Tips for Employers
If you're a local employer looking to hire, requiring any potential candidates to undergo a Texas background check is in your best interest.
There are many reasons to complete a background check on all your employees. They can help you weed out the bad candidates and even avoid various lawsuits. But most importantly, a background check can help you gain peace of mind during the hiring process.
Here are 10 tips to keep in mind when conducting a background check, as compiled by the Texas Workforce Commission:
- Simply conducting a telephone reference call won't give you much usable information, as many people are concerned about being sued for giving bad references on former employees or co-workers.
Jobs in Texas Leading National Economic Recovery
Now is a great time to look for jobs in Texas.
Forbes has named a slew of Texas cities to its list of America's Recovery Capitals. Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio all seem to be coming out of the recession faster than most other cities throughout the nation.
So what's causing the easy recovery in Texas? The government and tech industries are creating Austin jobs, while major corporate operations are bolstering jobs in Dallas TX, the oil industry is bringing in City of Houston jobs, and the military is adding jobs in San Antonio.
Jobs for Ex Military a Focus in Texas
Veterans looking for jobs in San Antonio and other areas of the state should benefit from a new initiative aimed at creating jobs for ex military members.
Officials from the State of Texas recently announced the launch of a $3 million workforce development initiative, which is meant to maximize the knowledge, skills and abilities of returning veterans for college credit and employment.
"This initiative will connect the dots between the high-quality training our military offers and college coursework and professional certification standards, especially in the Allied Health Care Occupations, such as physical therapists, x-ray and pharmacy technicians," Gov. Rick Perry said. "As Texas’ population grows, the demand for those essential skills continues to increase, and this program will accelerate veterans' transfer from the military’s top-quality training environment into helping Texans."
Funeral Home Jobs in Dallas
Positions for funeral directors are among the most important funeral home jobs Dallas has to offer.
Funeral directors help to arrange and oversee funeral services, which may include coordinating transportation of the body to a mortuary for embalming, talking with family members to make funeral arrangements, selecting
pallbearers, finding an official to offer religious rites and providing transportation for funeral attendees.
Most funeral homes require candidates for funeral director positions to have at least an associate degree, with most college programs in mortuary science lasting anywhere from two to four years. In addition, all states require funeral directors to become licensed, and some require a license in embalming.
Emergency Management Jobs in Texas Recognized
Residents often acknowledge those with Texas medical jobs, but a recent event gave notice to a part of the medical community that often goes unrecognized - those with emergency management jobs.
Gov. Rick Perry recently attended the Texas Hurricane Conference to thank the 1,500 people in attendance for their continued dedication to ensuring the safety of Texas residents during hurricane season. The annual conference brings together state and local emergency response personnel, volunteer organizations and private sector partners to discuss ways to enhance preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.
"Our emergency response team in Texas is second to none, an effort that speaks to the dedication and abilities of our emergency planners, the courage of those who willingly head into danger while everyone else flees, and the essential generosity of our citizens," Perry said.
Background Check Delays
If you're undergoing a background check in the State of Texas, you may have to wait a little longer than usual for the results.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is reporting that certain fingerprint-based criminal history background checks requiring information from the FBI will be delayed. The reason for the delay is that about 484,000 employees being hired by the U.S. Census Bureau need to undergo the same checks.
Throughout the nation, anyone who is required to undergo a civil background check for employment purposes or to receive a concealed handgun license will see delays between April 28 and May 3. However, the FBI has reported that fingerprints submitted for criminal justice purposes will not be affected.
Houston-Based Recruitment Outsourcing Expert Joins Talent Acquisition Company
A local RPO expert has joined a well-known talent acquisition company. To learn more about recruitment outsourcing visit http://www.worldconcertrpo.com.
Futurestep, a company specializing in talent acquisition solutions, recently announced that it has hired Houston-based RPO expert Laura Eaton to serve as U.S. director of the company's RPO service delivery team.
Eaton has more than 20 years of experience in the recruiting industry and extensive knowledge in designing, implementing and managing RPOs and on-site client relationships. She has worked with such entities as Kellogg Company, Hershey's and Comerica Bank.
Texas Jobs Cut with Pilgrim’s Pride
One food producing company is planning to eliminate hundreds of positions, with the majority of cuts to effect Texas jobs.
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, an American company that produces chicken, recently announced that it plans to cut about 230 positions during its effort to integrate with JBS SA, a Brazilian-based meat company.
Only corporate and administrative salaried positions will be eliminated, while no production jobs will be lost. Displaced employees will be offered severance benefits and outplacement services from an undisclosed company.
Criminal Background Checks in Houston Jails
Jails in Houston now have the technology to complete criminal background checks (Click here) on incoming suspects.
Officials recently announced that all jails throughout the City of Houston will receive a technology upgrade allowing them to complete national criminal background checks, including fingerprint checks, and immigration background checks on all suspects booked into jail.
That upgrade will allow the city to participate in Secure Communities, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that completes biometric checks for the immigration history of a suspect when they are taken to jail.