According to a new survey, more and more companies are recruiting for executive jobs in Rhode Island.
A survey from job board CareerBuilder posits that thirty-one percent of employers expect to hire for executive-level positions over the next six months, up from 23 percent in October’s forecast.

Of employers hiring executives, nearly a quarter (24 percent) will hire in business development, followed by information technology (23 percent), sales (22 percent), marketing (19 percent) and accounting/finance (19 percent).

More than one-in-five (22 percent) companies still do not have female executives, and two-in-five companies (41 percent) do not have executive-level employees in any of the following demographics: African American, Hispanic, Asian, LGBT, Disabled, etc.

Twenty percent of employers say they have executives under the age of 30.

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,303 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between February 9 and March 2, 2012 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,303, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 2.04 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

“Hiring trends for executive-level management mirror what we’re seeing in the labor market for all workers,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “As companies look to expand their sales force, develop new products and improve their tech infrastructure, the need for diverse, experienced leadership grows along with these initiatives.”

According to recent data from a payroll company, Rhode Island small business jobs are climbing.

The online payroll to small businesses nationwide announced April results for its monthly SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard® showing small business owners’ optimism at 65 percent, despite a slight drop in hiring and size of average paychecks. Optimism remains well off its low of 33 percent in September of last year.

For those looking to hire, 40 percent of small business owners said they are having trouble finding qualified candidates in the fields of technology, sales/marketing, customer service and administrative work.

“We have a double-edged sword — on one side there’s a shortage of jobs. On the other side, where there are jobs, there aren’t enough qualified workers to fill them,” said SurePayroll CEO and President Michael Alter. “As a nation, we need to look forward, educating and training in fields where jobs will be available in the future, instead of just training for the jobs available today.”

Month-over-month SurePayroll Scorecard data shows hiring just barely negative (-0.1) and average paychecks down 0.3 percent. Month-over-month regional hiring and paychecks were down slightly in all regions of the country except the South, where hiring was up just 0.1 percent.

Year-over-year, nationwide hiring is down only 1.4 percent and paychecks are down 1.3 percent. The South continues to show promising signs with hiring up 1.8 percent and paychecks up 0.4 percent. The West has had the steepest hiring decline at 5.1 percent.

As the first economic indicator created by a payroll company, the SurePayroll Scorecard has provided a monthly look on national hiring and paycheck trends since September 2004. SurePayroll’s Scorecard compiles data from over 35,000 small businesses, and exclusively reflects the trends affecting the nation’s “micro businesses” — those with an average of eight employees.

Rhode Island unemployment has once again climbed, according to recent stats from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

In March 2012, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 29 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 20 states, and was unchanged in Alabama. The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred in New York (+19,100), followed by California (+18,200) and Arizona (+13,500). The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in Ohio (-9,500), followed by New Jersey (-8,600) and Wisconsin (-4,500). Arizona experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.6 percent), followed by the District of Columbia and Nebraska (+0.5 percent each). Maine experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decline in employment (-0.5 percent), followed by Wyoming (-0.3 percent). Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 45 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 4 states, and was unchanged in Alabama. The largest over-the-year percentage increase occurred in North Dakota (+6.5 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Wisconsin (-0.9 percent).

Nevada continued to record the highest unemployment rate among the states, 12.0 percent in March. Rhode Island and California posted the next highest rates, 11.1 and 11.0 percent, respectively.

North Dakota again registered the lowest jobless rate, 3.0 percent, followed by Nebraska, 4.0 percent. In total, 23 states reported jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 8.2 percent, 7 states and the District of Columbia had measurably higher rates, and 20 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

Thirty states recorded unemployment rate decreases, 8 states posted rate increases, and 12 states and the District of Columbia had no change.

A New England trade school said it is working hard to connect its students to viable jobs in Rhode Island.

IYRS, a marine trades and technology school based in Rhode Island, is located along the Ocean State’s 400 miles of coastline in the heart of the marine industry and the vast majority of the school’s students have jobs in place at graduation time. This March, the school is helping more individuals learn about marine-industry careers and connect with the region’s leading employers by hosting a Career Day in early March.

IYRS Marine Industry Career Day takes place on Saturday, March 3 at the school’s Newport campus (449 Thames Street, Newport, R.I.). The event runs from 10 AM to 1 PM and is free to the public. In addition to meeting and talking with employers, attendees can hear informative presentations by experts on careers, training opportunities, and the marine industry.

“Career Day is an invaluable opportunity for those already working in the industry as well as individuals considering a career change,” said Wendy Mackie, CEO of the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association (RIMTA) and a featured speaker at the event. “Attendees will get an overview of career tracks and training opportunities and a rare chance to talk with world-renown business owners and industry leaders. The entire day is focused on giving individuals a chance to network, to learn, and to see how they can fit into this important Rhode Island industry.”

Career Day comes to IYRS as the industry is detecting an uptick in hiring. The tide of downsizing experienced during the latest recession is turning, according to recent surveys and business insiders. A survey of RIMTA members revealed that 42% of the respondents plan to hire full-time, part-time and seasonal employees within the next six months.

Neal Harrell, founder of Newport-based Brooks Marine Group, a recruiting firm that specializes in the marine industry, sees this same uptick on a national scale. This January, his firm announced the addition of two new staff members to help manage the rise in recruitment. The sector Harrell sees most growth in is the demand for skilled tradespeople.

“The demand for skilled tradespeople we are seeing right now is due to two things,” says Harrell. “Companies are reloading their workforce after the cutbacks of recent years; we also have a graying workforce, and new talents are needed to take the place of individuals aging out of our industry’s labor pool.”

For the first time in years, hiring is picking up, and jobs in Rhode Island are also increasing.

According to CareerBuilder’s latest nationwide survey, one-third of employers added full-time, permanent employees in the first quarter of this year, on par with 2007 and the highest increase reported since the recession began. The momentum is expected to continue with 30 percent of employers planning to add new full-time, permanent staff in April through June.

The national survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from February 9 to March 2, 2012, included more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

“We have moved from an anemic job market to one that is stable and growing,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “While still cautious, employers are feeling better about the state of the U.S. economy and the debt situation in Europe. Forty-one percent of companies reported their sales have increased over the last six months, which is helping to fuel greater confidence in hiring. The amount of job listings we’re seeing for key categories on CareerBuilder.com are similar to that of 2007. All indicators point to steady improvement in the job market in the second quarter and beyond.”

The study also showed there is increased competition for talent among employers. Of employers who recruited for positions in the last year, more than half (56 percent) reported that a candidate rejected a job offer from their organization. Forty-one percent of those attributed the rejection to their inability to provide the candidate’s desired salary while 22 percent said they didn’t offer the position quickly enough and the candidate was already hired somewhere else.

In a previous survey completed in December 2011, 24 percent of employers planned to hire full-time, permanent employees in the first quarter of 2012. The number of employers who actually added headcount in the first quarter of 2012 was 33 percent, significantly higher than what was initially expected and up from 28 percent in Q1 2011.

Tom’s Market is holding a recruiting event to hire for management jobs in Rhode Island.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday the store is holding job fairs to attract the attention of local job seekers.

Jobs they are hiring for include grocery manager, produce manager, meat cutter and production cook positions.

Cashiers and deli positions are also being offered.
Both full time and part-time positions will be offered.

Benefits and salary were not disclosed.

Tom’s is hoping to hire at least 40 people for varying positions.

The Tiverton store is set to open on March 27. Tom’s Market has stores in Coventry and Warren and a catering operation in Newport

Rhode Island jobs are on the rise, according to a new survey.

The Manpower Employment Outlook survey released Tuesday shows that hiring is increasing in lots of states in the U.S.

Hiring plans are increasing for the second quarter of 2012, hitting the strongest pace since late 2008.

A seasonally adjusted net 10% of employers said they plan to add to their workforce in the second quarter, compared with 9% in first quarter, and 8% in the second quarter of 2011.

n a not-seasonally-adjusted basis, the net portion of employers who said they plan to increase their workforce in the second quarter was 12% — 18% planned to increase, 6% planned to decrease, 72% expected no change, and 4% didn’t know. In the first quarter, a non-seasonally-adjusted net 5% planned an increase, compared with 10% in the second quarter of 2011.

“There is some optimism in intention to hire,” said Jeffrey Joerres, chairman and chief executive of ManpowerGroup, a Milwaukee-based staffing services firm. “Companies are adding in a very judicious way. When there is uncertainty, they will add in a very cautious, very demand-based manner.”

According to the newest report from the BLS, Rhode Island hospitality jobs have risen.
Other cities showed growth in manufacturing and other various industries, including mining, research, and healthcare.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 227,000 in February. Private-sector employment grew by 233,000, with job gains in professional and business services, health care and social assistance, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, and mining.

The BLS reports that professional and business services added 82,000 jobs in February. Just over half of the increase occurred in temporary help services (+45,000). Job gains also occurred in computer systems design (+10,000) and in management and technical consulting services (+7,000). Employment in professional and business services has grown by 1.4 million since a recent low point in September 2009.

Health care and social assistance employment rose by 61,000 over the month. Within health care, ambulatory care services added 28,000 jobs, and hospital employment increased by 15,000. Over the past 12 months, health care employment has risen by 360,000.

In February, social assistance employment edged up (+12,000). In February, employment in leisure and hospitality increased by 44,000, with nearly all of the increase in food services and drinking places (+41,000). Since a recent low in February 2010, food services has added 531,000 jobs. Manufacturing employment rose by 31,000 in February.

All of the increase occurred in durable goods manufacturing, with job gains in fabricated metal products (+11,000), transportation equipment (+8,000), machinery (+5,000), and furniture and related products (+3,000). Durable goods manufacturing has added 444,000 jobs since a recent trough in January 2010. In February, mining added 7,000 jobs, with most of the gain in support activities for mining (+5,000).

Since a recent low in October 2009, mining employment has increased by 180,000. Construction employment changed little in February, after 2 consecutive months of job gains. Over the month, employment fell by 14,000 in nonresidential specialty trade contractors.

A new round of layoffs from Proctor & Gamble may hurt sales jobs in Rhode Island.
Proctor & Gamble just announced hundreds of layoffs globally.

The company is reducing the number of non-manufacturing workers by about 3 percent or or 1,600 people by the end of the fiscal year.

No details are known yet about where or when the layoffs will specifically occur.

According to its latest financial stats, P&G delivered four percent sales growth to $22.1 billion for the October – December quarter. Growth was driven by higher volume and pricing actions, partially offset by geographic and product mix.

The company continued to deliver broad-based organic sales growth, with all six business segments up versus the prior year. Diluted net earnings per share were $0.57 per share, reflecting non-core charges of $0.53 per share. The non-core items included a $0.50 per share non-cash impairment charge associated with the Appliances and Salon Professional businesses. Core net earnings per share were $1.10, toward the high end of P&G’s expectations for the quarter.

“We continue to make progress against our key business priorities in a difficult macroeconomic environment,” said Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer Bob McDonald. “We delivered solid top-line growth and continued to accelerate productivity improvements to drive down costs. With the easing of commodity cost comparisons over the next two quarters, continued solid top-line growth and cost savings progress, we expect operating profit growth to accelerate in the second half of the fiscal year.”

GE, which specializes in solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance, announced this week a big push to hire for manufacturing jobs in Rhode Island, among other locations around the U.S.

The company unveiled a program aimed at strengthening America’s global competitiveness by building a more highly skilled workforce, lowering healthcare costs and supporting the integration of the nation’s veterans into the workforce.

As part of its focus on what works, GE will launch several new programs throughout the year, including:

· New pilot programs with partners to improve healthcare delivery in Louisville, KY, and Erie, PA, to achieve better health at lower costs in each community. This follows a successful program in Cincinnati that has resulted in significantly lower costs for both local employers and providers while improving access and maintaining quality care.

· Hiring 5,000 U.S. veterans over the next five years and sponsoring a “Hire our Heroes” partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help veterans integrate into the civilian workforce and match them to jobs.

· Opening several manufacturing skill-building centers called “GE Garages” to spark interest in skills for jobs and partnering with GOOD/Corps on the What Works Project, a new interactive platform to highlight what works by inviting the public to submit stories, images or video depictions of what is currently driving American competitiveness. The project will award up to $10,000 each week through November to selected non-profit organizations that support American jobs and skills training.

· Doubling the number of GE engineering interns to more than 5,000 as part of an initiative proposed by the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to add 10,000 more engineering graduates a year in the U.S.