Friday, February 3, 2012
Jobless rate falls from 8.5 percent in December to 8.3 percent in January.
Good news for job seekers as figures released Friday showed the national unemployment rate falling from 8.5 percent in December to 8.3 percent last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. added 243,000 new jobs in January, the highest job gains in nine months, according to a report by staffing firm Robert Half International. The last time the unemployment rate fell for five straight months was in 1994, the report says. The Associated Press (which has an in-depth look at the numbers) says that the professional services industry added 70,000 jobs in January, while manufacturing added 50,000. Daryl Pigat, Metro Market Manager for RHI Brooklyn said, “Today’s jobs report was a pleasant surprise and a lot brighter than …
Friday, November 4, 2011
The unemployment rate in Brooklyn is still close to 10%, and though new jobs are being created, employment is still not at pre-recession levels.
Brooklyn has the second highest rate of unemployment in New York City, behind the Bronx, according to a new report in the Brooklyn Ink. As part of a series that hopes to humanize the unemployment problem in Brooklyn, the news site features personal stories about people who have lost their jobs. Kings County’s unemployment rate is still close to 10 percent, double what it was back in 2007 when the recession began. The article reports that there are now 107,000 Brooklyn residents out of a job, according to the New York State Labor Department's figures. Henry Butler, the chairman of Community Board 3, which serves Bed-Stuy, a hard-hit neighborhood in terms of unemployment, told the Brooklyn Ink that the mood in the community is one of “fear” …
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Company representatives say laid-off workers elsewhere in the city to get first dibs at 100 positions at the long-promised Myrtle Avenue grocer.
For residents eagerly awaiting the arrival of badly-needed fruit and vegetables—not to mention jobs—it was an important first step. Beginning this week, the office of Councilwoman Letitia James, D-Brooklyn, will be accepting applications on behalf of the Red Apple supermarket slated to open this September in The Andrea building at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Ashland Place. That's the good news. Now make room for the not-so-good: according to representatives of the Red Apple Group, laid-off workers elsewhere in city, many of whom are members of UFCW Local 1500, will get first dibs on the approximately 100 positions created at the new market. While those union rules provide important protections for existing workers, that means there …
Celina
12:09 pm on Friday, July 8, 2011
continued from above comment... FUREE members will be vigilant to ensure that the new supermarket benefits other low-income families in our community. We'll be tracking how many local people RAG hires in addition to the quality and price of food. As an economic justice organization, we view the new supermarket as an opportunity to bridge community and labor as we address the area's high … more ›