By George Avalos | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: November 16, 2018 at 11:03 am | UPDATED: November 16, 2018 at 11:03 am The Bay Area lost thousands of jobs in October, but the South Bay and East Bay still managed to post employment gains despite large losses in the San Francisco-San Mateo region, state labor officials reported Friday. The latest report from the state’s Employment Development Department suggests that Santa Clara County remains a steady economic pillar of the Bay Area economy, while at the same time, some areas such as San Francisco might have begun to sputter a bit. Santa Clara County added 600 jobs and the East Bay gained 100, but losses of 1,000 jobs in the San Francisco-San Mateo region and a reduction of another 1,200 positions in Marin County were the main factors behind a loss of 2,000 jobs in the Bay Area during October, according to the EDD report. All the numbers were adjusted for seasonal variables. California added … [Read more...] about Bay Area loses jobs, but South Bay, East Bay post employment gains in October
Employment
‘It kind of feels like a scam’: Employers are so desperate for workers they’re making job offers after a single phone call
Up against a tight job market, some employers are making job offers after a single phone interview, The Wall Street Journal reported. This strategy is being seen mainly for seasonal jobs at retail companies such as Macy’s and Bath & Body Works, but employees have also reported it happening for roles including teachers, engineers, and IT professionals, according to the Journal. For employees, the practice might take some getting used to. Jamari Powell, a 22-year-old in Oregon, told the Journal that he was sceptical after being offered a full-time seasonal sales job at Macy’s following a 25-minute phone interview. “It was a little weird,” he said. “You’re kind of like: ‘Is this real?’ It kind of feels like a scam almost.” Read more: Macy’s is making a move that signals the death of department stores as we know them This hiring tactic is yet another way desperate employers are trying to attract workers amid a nationwide … [Read more...] about ‘It kind of feels like a scam’: Employers are so desperate for workers they’re making job offers after a single phone call
Suffolk presence of one of the county’s biggest employers is at stake in Brexit negotiations
PUBLISHED: 13:57 16 November 2018 Jessica Hill Philips Avent in Glemsford. General manager, Walter Mattis and Pauline Sparkes (pic taken in 2014). Archant A multinational company which employs around 600 people in Glemsford could relocate out of the UK if Theresa May’s plans are rejected and Britain opts for a hard Brexit. Philips Avent in Glemsford.The Dutch electronics giant Philips, which operates the Philips Avent baby products factory in Glemsford, has warned that it could move its production out of Britain in such a scenario.Last month, the company’s chief executive Frans van Houten expressed concern at the lack of progress on a Brexit deal in comments reported by Reuters.“As time passes and there is no solution I get increasingly worried that hereafter frictionless trade between the United Kingdom and European mainland could be at risk,” he told Reuters last month, after the company posted worse-than-expected quarterly … [Read more...] about Suffolk presence of one of the county’s biggest employers is at stake in Brexit negotiations
Fed plans review of how it pursues inflation, employment goals
By Jonathan SpicerNEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve, under pressure from a critical White House even while it largely hits its inflation and employment targets, will conduct an extensive review next year of how it guides the U.S. economy as it seeks to become more open and accountable.gi The U.S. central bank said on Thursday it will hold a series of forums across the country to hear from a "wide range" of stakeholders. By the time the review wraps up around mid-2019, it could lead to a rethink of the tools the Fed uses to achieve its goals and the way it communicates policy to the public and financial markets.The unusual announcement suggests that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, who took over as head of the central bank in February, wants to quicken its decades-long march toward greater transparency and accountability in order to head off any damaging political interference. President Donald Trump has publicly slammed the Fed's gradual interest rate hikes, saying higher borrowing … [Read more...] about Fed plans review of how it pursues inflation, employment goals
Apple to employ trafficking survivors to fight slave labor
LONDON - Apple will employ trafficking survivors to work in its retails stores, the technology giant said, after winning an international award for making details of its supply chains public in a bid to help end modern slavery. Since 2012 Apple says it has reduced the number of underage workers in its extended supply chain, which includes locations where rare earth minerals are mined for use in smartphones. Labor rights groups had previously criticized Apple and its biggest manufacturing partner Foxconn for excessive overtime, hiring underage workers and failing to provide health insurance. "As a company whose work touches the lives of so many people, we feel we have an enormous responsibility ... to turn our values into action," Angela Ahrendts, head of retail at Apple, said during Trust Conference in London on Wednesday, which is hosted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Though we've only just started, we see a tremendous opportunity to be a beacon of hope for trafficking survivors … [Read more...] about Apple to employ trafficking survivors to fight slave labor