Employers

West AlabamaWorks hosts workforce training event in Demopolis

From the West Alabama Newsroom– A non-profit in Demopolis is working to build industry in the Black Belt region by improving workforce development. West AlabamaWorks hosted a Lunch & Learn event Tuesday to promote the use of the Alabama Career Essentials program to train workers. The ACE program is a free 40-hour training course — that provides workers with basic…

Postings of U.S. Job Openings Hit a Record High in July

Job openings posted by U.S. employers reached an all-time high in July, suggesting that the steady hiring of the past year will endure. The Labor Department says openings edged up 0.9 percent from June to 6.2 million, the highest on records dating to 2000. Hiring also increased, but the record number of openings make clear that employers have plenty of…

U.S. Employers Posted More Jobs in February and Quitting Fell

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. employers posted more open positions in February, but the number of people getting hired and the number quitting jobs fell. The overall figures suggest that the job market remains healthy, although it has yet to take off during the early stages of the Trump presidency. The Labor Department says job openings rose 2.1 percent in February…

U.S. Unemployment Claims Fall to 12-week Low

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dipped to a 12-week low at the start of February, a sign of a stable job market for U.S. workers. The Labor Department says claims for jobless aid fell 12,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 234,000, the best reading since this past November. The less-volatile four-week average decline 3,750 to 244,250, which…

Overtime Pay to Become Reality For More US Workers

More than 4 million U.S. workers will become newly eligible for overtime pay under rules issued Wednesday by the Obama administration. The policy changes are intended to counter an erosion in overtime protections, which date from the 1930s and require employers to pay 1 ½ times a worker’s regular salary for any work past 40 hours a week. Vice President…