The job market got two optimistic signs Thursday as private sector employers added 157,000 positions in June and fewer people filed new claims for unemployment benefits, according to two reports.

Payroll processing company ADP said private jobs grew rapidly in June — a figure that was much higher than expected and more than four times higher than the prior month. May’s figures were downwardly revised to 36,000 jobs.

Economists were expecting a gain of just 60,000 private sector jobs, according to consensus estimates from Briefing.com.

Smaller businesses led the charge in June. Small businesses, defined as those with fewer than 50 workers, added 88,000 jobs in June. Medium-size businesses, defined as those with between 50 and 499 workers, gained 59,000.

To read the full story: CNN Money

When someone asks Roger Fierro “What do you do?” — which he knows is shorthand for “Where do you work?” — he laughs. Then he says, “I do everything.”

Mr. Fierro, who is 26, has four jobs: working as a bilingual-curriculum specialist for the textbook publisher Pearson; handling estate sales and online marketing for a store that sells vintage items; setting up an online store for a custom piñata maker; and developing reality-show ideas for a production company. So far this month, he’s made about $1,800.

Whereas most 9-to-5ers have some kind of structure in their lives, each workday can be wildly different for him. On a recent day, he worked on and off from 7 a.m. to midnight, making business calls, working on the piñata store’s Web site and visiting the vintage store, among other things. (To maintain his sanity, he made sure to schedule some “me” time from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8.)

“I have eight million things going on,” said Mr. Fierro, who lives in the West Town area of Chicago. “It’s exhausting. Sometimes I just want to take a nap.”

To read the full story: NY Times

My brother has given away everything he owns and spent the past 4 months  travelling the world including Indonesia, New Zealand, and Australia  “spreading the word.” I have tried to talk to him about the “what if’s” in this situation – such as “What if you wake up Sunday morning and you  have nothing left?” To him, it isn’t even possible.

As far as rebuilding financially, fortunately he is still relatively  young (43) and has the skills to work again when he decides to. I think that the psychological devastation will be a bigger issue than the  financial one. People will likely not wake up thinking, “Oops, I should  start maxing out my 401k now since I may be around a while longer.”

To read the full story: Daily Finance

Syndi Blatt and Gail Fine from UnemployedWoman.com tell us about what their website does for out of work women.

The cost of benefits continues to drive up employee compensation costs, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Labor Department.

Over the last 12 months, total compensation—which includes salaries, wages and benefits—rose 2%. The rise was primarily due to a 3% rise in benefit expenses, the report said.

In addition to health insurance, benefit expenses include paid leave, retirement and overtime premiums.

Starting in about 2005, some companies began to mitigate these expenses by shifting the risk and costs of having to pay for injuries and illnesses to employees through consumer-directed health-insurance plans, said Beth Umland, director of research for health and benefits for Mercer, a human resources consultant.

Such plans have lower premiums but high deductibles and are frequently paired with tax-advantaged savings accounts.

Overall, the cost of employees’ wages and benefits rose at their fastest rate in a year, according to the report. Labor costs increased 0.6% in the first quarter, slightly more rapidly than their 0.5% rise in the fourth quarter last year.

Even though the nationwide unemployment rate—8.8% in March—is still high, wages may also start to increase in some industries if the skills companies are looking for are different than those that employees have, said Columbia University labor economist Till von Wachter.

“Generally, there’s always a bit of a mismatch,” Mr. von Wachter said, “but it’s too early to tell how much of an impact that could have.”

Already some companies, particularly in the technology industry and companies in a few oil-rich states, have reported bidding wars for employees with certain skills.

To read the full story: The Wall Street Journal

Employers plan to hire 19.3% more recent graduates this year, says a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The association surveyed 174 schools from February through April.

The increase in open positions means employers have half as many applicants per job now than at this time last year: 21.1 applicants this year vs. 40.5 in 2010.

Students are confirming the trend, says Lonnie Dunlap, director of career services at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. “What we’re seeing this year is that some of our students are getting multiple offers, which we’re thrilled about.”

The top-paying major for the class of 2011 is chemical engineering. It has an average starting salary of $66,886, the association report says. The accounting services industry has the most projected job openings for this year: 7,244 spots.

The Midwest is seeing an increase in manufacturing, information technology and sales openings, says Kelley Bishop, executive director of career services at Michigan State University. Not only can these companies now afford to hire graduates, they need to because they put it off during the recession, Bishop says.

A Michigan State survey of 4,600 employers found that companies will hire 10% more graduates with bachelor’s degrees this year, the first increase in two years.

Priya Suresh, a member of Northwestern University’s class of 2011, landed a job in November and will start work in August.

Her advice to jobless graduates is to use the university career resources. .

Daniel Zuccari, a journalism major who graduated with George Washington University’s class of 2011, hunted for a year before landing a job this month.

“I t felt great to get that offer,” he says of the communications position at a global professional consulting firm in Pennsylvania.

To read the full story: USA Today

Looking for a job or know someone who is? Here’s a brand new list of jobs in our area! For the full list, visit NBCPhiladelphia.com.

Company:
DAVITA INC.
Contact:
Valerie Maxwell, 610-722-6481, Valerie.Maxwell@davita.com

Jobs:
·Customer Service Representative, Berwyn, Pa.
·Patient Account Representative, Berwyn, Pa.
·Registration Specialists, Berwyn, Pa.

Company:
Integrity Staffing Solutions
Contact:
Nichole Massiah, 302-504-9901
nmassiah@integritystaffing.com

Jobs:
·Machine Operator, Southampton, Pa.
·Production Warehouse Conshohocken, Pa.
·Assembler Bensalem, Pa.
·Shipping and Receiving Montgomeryville, Pa.
·CNC Lathe Programmer and Setup, 1st Shift, Philadelphia 19133,
·CNC Lathe Setup Operator, 2nd shift, Southampton, Pa.
·CNC Amada Brake Press Setup and Operate, 2nd and 3rd shift
·Production Supervisor, 1st and 2nd shifts, Feasterville, Pa.
·Mazak Lathe Setup and Operate, 2nd shift, Southampton, Pa.
·P&L Analyst, Wilmington, Del.
·Financial Analyst, King of Prussia, Pa.
·Accounting Manager, Philadelphia, Pa.
·IT Finance, Wilmington, Del.
·Business Analyst, Newark, Del.
·Repo Analyst, Newark, Del.
·HR Ops Analyst, Newark, Del.
·Field Service Engineer, New Castle, Del.
·Pest Control Technicians, Elkton, MD
·Medical Secretary, Wilmington, Del.
·Sales Manager experienced in Selling Payroll Systems
·Field Service Technician, Delran, NJ
·Clean Room Packager, Moorestown, NJ
·3rd Party Collectors, Cherry Hill, NJ
·Forklift Operator, Swedesboro, NJ
·Cherry Picker Operator, Swedesboro, NJ
·IT Support Specialist, Mount Laurel, NJ
·Administrative Assistant, Swedesboro, NJ
·Safety Manager, Rosenhayn, NJ

Company:
Accountants For You & Office Staff For You
Contact:
Jerry Mitnik, 215-988-7200, Jerry.Mitnik@AccountantsForYou.com

Jobs:
·Administrative Assistant, Main Line, Pa.
·Controller/Accounting Manager CPA Preferred, Philadelphia, Pa.
·Financial Analyst, Philadelphia, South Jersey& Northern Del.
·Senior Financial Analyst, Bucks County, Pa.
·Medical Billing, DME, Delaware County & Del.
·Non-Profit Accounting Professionals, Philadelphia Metro Region
·Payroll Processor/Manager, Delaware Valley & Southern NJ
·Public Accounting Positions—CPA, Philadelphia Metro Region
·Senior Accounting/CPA, Southeastern Pa., NJ, and Del.
·Senior Tax Analyst US & NON US, Philadelphia Metro Region
·Senior Internal Auditor, King of Prussia, Pa.
·Manager Internal Auditor, Collegeville, Pa.
·Director IT Audit, Phoenixville, Pa.
·IT Technical Recruiter, Center City Philadelphia, Pa.
·Non-Profit Accounts Receivable Analyst, Philadelphia 70% National Travel

Company:
Global Employment Solutions
Contact:
Joe Verroca, 610-822-1223, jverroca@gesnetwork.com
Engineering Jobs:
·Mechanical Engineer, Newark, Del.
·Process Engineer, Allentown, Pa.
·Quality Inspector, Cherry Hill, NJ
·Process Engineer, Philadelphia, Pa.
·Production Supervisor, Philadelphia, Pa.
·Functional Engineering Mgr, BSChE; petrochem, chemical, Wilmington, Del.
·Lead Mechanical Engineer, spinning machine design, Wilmington, Del.
·Sr. Principal Product Development Engineer, Blue Bell, Pa.
·Maintenance Mechanic, w/PLC troubleshooting, Lancaster, Pa.
·Embedded SW/HW Engineer, EE/CE, 5+ yrs Embedded C, PCB Layout, Conshohocken, Pa.
·Carton Process Engineer, Downingtown, Pa.
·Commercial Architect, Coopersburg, Pa.
·Commercial Project Estimators (2), Coopersburg, Pa.
·Autocad Operator, Coopersburg (2), Pa.
·Maintenance Mechanics, Coopersburg, Pa.
Accounting/Finance Jobs:
·Sr. Tax Accountant, Limrick, Pa.
·Sr. Accountant, Media, Pa.
·Tax Manager, Philadelphia, Pa.
·Sr. Tax Manager, Philadelphia, Pa.
·Tax Controller, Newark, Del.
·Global Tax Leader, Newark, Del.
·Sr. Tax Analyst, Radnor, Pa.
·Income Tax Analyst, Radnor, Pa.

Over 1,300 Philly jobs are available after the Golden Arches announced 50,000 job openings. The fast food giant will hold a countrywide job fair on April 19.

Unemployment rates are falling in most metro areas across the country, suggesting that recent nationwide gains in hiring are widespread and not limited to a few healthy regions.

More than three-quarters of the nation’s 372 largest metro areas reported lower unemployment rates in February than the previous month, the Labor Department said Wednesday. That’s the most to report a decline since September.

And more than 300 areas added jobs in February compared to the previous month. That’s a much better showing than January, when most metro areas lost jobs.

The gains “are definitely becoming a lot more broad-based,” said Marisa DiNatale, a regional economist at Moody’s Analytics.

The metro areas that posted the biggest job gains in February, compared with the previous month, are: Los Angeles-Long Beach, with a gain of 53,600; New York City-Northern New Jersey, a gain of 18,500; and Miami-Fort Lauderdale, up 16,800.

January’s data was distorted by seasonal trends, such as the layoff of temporary retail employees after the holidays. The metro data is not seasonally adjusted, and therefore is more volatile from one month to the next.

More than 300 cities have seen their unemployment rates decline in the past year, the best showing since the recession ended in June 2009.

And 284 metro areas reported job gains in the past year, also the most since the recession ended.

Nationwide, private employers added more than 200,000 jobs in both February and March, the best two-month pace since 2006. The local data is one month behind the national figures.

Many of the cities that posted job losses were state capitals. State governments around the country are laying off workers in an effort to reduce huge budget deficits. The Sacramento, Calif., metro area posted the largest job loss over the past year, shedding 13,600 jobs. The Albany, N.Y., region reported the fifth-biggest loss, with 4,900.

Sandusky, Ohio reported the biggest percentage increase in its payrolls over the past year, adding 3,100 new jobs, or a 9.6% gain. The city is a tourism hub and is benefiting from a renewed willingness among Americans to take vacations. Cedar Fair Entertainment, the nation’s third-largest amusement park chain, is based in Sandusky, and so is one of its largest parks, Cedar Point. The chain reported record attendance in 2010.

To read the full story: USA Today

Fast-food chain McDonald’s Corp announced a one-day spring hiring spree aimed at fighting the use of the term “McJob” as shorthand for describing low-wage, dead-end work.

The global restaurant chain said it plans to hire as many as 50,000 new U.S. employees — ranging from restaurant crew to managers — on April 19. The move would increase the hamburger company’s U.S. workforce by 7.7 percent to 700,000, but such hiring is typical in the lead up to the busy summer months.

“Our total hires are similar to past years, but the goal of hiring 50,000 people in one day across the U.S. is unique,” McDonald’s spokeswoman Ashlee Yingling told Reuters.

The April hiring event is preparation for the busy summer months. “But these are not just seasonal jobs. It’s a mix of permanent and temporary jobs,” Yingling said.

She added that McDonald’s hourly employees typically make more than minimum wage, often more than $8 per hour.

There are some 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the United States. Ninety percent of McDonald’s U.S. restaurants are run by franchisees, and pay varies by ownership.

Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald’s said in a statement that its April hiring event is an opportunity to highlight that “a McJob is one with career growth and endless possibilities.”

Yingling said many of McDonald’s top executives and franchisees worked their way up the company ranks.

Janney Capital Markets analyst Mark Kalinowski told Reuters that the announcement “certainly seems like a way to attract some favorable publicity around something it was more or less going to do anyway.”

McDonald’s said it and its franchisees would be spending an extra $518 million on wages and salaries for the 50,000 new workers it plans to hire.

McDonald’s reported that February sales at its U.S. restaurants open at least 13 percent rose 2.7 percent compared with a year earlier.

U.S. employment grew firmly for a second straight month in March and the jobless rate hit a two-year low of 8.8 percent, underscoring a decisive shift in the labor market that should help to underpin the recovery.

To read the full story: The Huffington Post