News from Hiring Source



Awards Announcement

We wish to announce Jennifer Lacy Briscoe, President, has been recognized for her production in 2009 by Texas Association of Personnel Consultants. We would like to thank all of our client companies and candidates that helped her achieve these prestigious awards.

# 1 Top Producer 2009 – Blended Individual Administrative Support – Houston

# 4 Top Producer 2009 – Blended Individual Administrative Support - Texas

Economic Update

Houston begins to see job gains. The Houston area added 14,800 jobs in March 2010, according to Texas Workforce Commission. The Houston area gained 10,300 jobs from January to February 2010. Houston has been adding about 800 jobs a month since September 2009, a month after the local economy hit rock bottom per Barton Smith, University of Houston Economics Professor. The worst appears to be behind us. From February 2009 to February 2010, the metro area sustained a net loss of 80,000 jobs or 3.1%. Houston area employers created new jobs last month in restaurants, retail trade, and manufacturing per Workforce Solutions. The layoffs are slowing down and job growth is picking up. Initial claims for unemployment benefits are down 20.7% in March compared to a year earlier. Last month, 22,780 local workers filed for first-time jobless benefits. The local unemployment rate remained unchanged at 8.5% and the statewide rate was also unchanged at 8.2% in March per Texas Workforce Commission. The U.S. jobless rate is 9.7% in March. Texas has started to experience job growth over the past several months despite the challenges of the national recession. Growth has occurred in several industries including manufacturing and oil & gas exploration & production.

The 10-county Houston-Sugarland-Baytown Metropolitan Statistical Area gained 140,784 residents or 2.45% from mid-’08 to mid-’09 according to Census Bureau estimates. That extraordinarily large increase – second nationwide – put Houston’s total population on July 1, 2009 at 5,867,489 and ranks at 6th largest metro area nationwide. The Bayou City led the nation as the top destination in 2009, according to a survey conducted by U-Haul International Inc. Houston moved up to No. 1 from No. 2 on the list of “The 2009 Top 50 U.S. Destination Cities”. Harris County remains the 3rd most populous U.S. county topping 4 million with a gain of 90,387 or 2.27% in the past year.

Legal Update

After more than a year of debate over reforming our nation’s health care system, on March 23, 2010 President Obama signed into law The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Enactment of a package of amendments to this legislation through a separate bill, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, is expected later. With a price tag of $938 billion, health care reform legislation is expected to reduce the number of uninsured individuals by 32 million, leaving about 23 million nonelderly residents uninsured per Kerry Notestine, Shareholder at Littler Mendelson (employment & labor law firm). This legislation would require most legal U.S. residents to obtain health insurance and would provide government subsidies to help lower-income individuals obtain health insurance through newly created state health insurance exchanges. A health insurance exchange is essentially a “virtual” marketplace in which some individuals and groups can shop for health insurance plans and purchase a plan that best meets their needs. The new law also directs the Office of Personnel Management to contract for two multi state insurance plans, one of which must be non-profit, that would be available in state health insurance exchanges. The legislation would provide sliding scale refundable federal tax credits to individuals and families up to 400% of the federal poverty level to purchase health insurance from a plan in the exchange. The new law will impose significant new responsibilities on employers nationwide that could, over time, fundamentally alter the nature of employer-sponsored health care and the employer-employee relationship.

Hiring Source is a placement firm that specializes in the following disciplines: Administrative, Accounting, Legal, Human Resources, and Sales/Marketing. The firm offers temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire placement throughout the Greater Houston area. The President, Jennifer Lacy Briscoe, has extensive experience in the industry and has been recognized as a Top Producer by Texas Association of Personnel Consultants. Hiring Source is a local firm that takes pride in providing personalized service to each and every one of our candidates and client companies.

Sources: Greater Houston Partnership, Houston Business Journal, Houston Chronicle, Littler Mendelson

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April 2010

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