US News

Veterans are geared for technology, operations, engineering jobs, report states

by  • 
Veterans

Veterans

U.S. servicemen and women who are returning stateside and to civilian life have a few hot industries where they may ply their trade, skills and credentials, according to an annual ranking released earlier this week.

Technology, operations management and engineering are the lead sectors cited in the “Top 20 Hot Jobs For Veterans” list, NBC News reports. Released on Monday, the list is based on inquiries posed to companies and employers, the list’s publisher told the publication.

Also a veteran himself, Sean Collins is the vice president of G.I. Jobs.

“We literally derive this data from the teams at the very employers that are doing the most to move the needle to hire military talent,” Sean Collins, the vice president of G.I. Jobs, told the news source.

Additional sectors seek vets’ skills
Additional career opportunities for veterans include logistician, management of customer service matters, and technology manufacturing, the news source reports.

“The positions on the list have broad applicability,” he added. “They focus less on the direct translation of (veterans’) military occupations and more on the intangible skills that all post-9/11 veterans have – team leadership, effective communication, logistics experience, and management of teams and assets.”

The newly released list cites the recompense that individuals who win these positions may earn and the names of the companies for each category that are won to embark on the hiring process.

The list’s release comes at an opportune time. In addition to the U.S. planning to cut down the number of active U.S. forces, the military also is in the process of withdrawing personnel from the Afghanistan theater.

The jobless rate for veterans has been persistently higher than that of civilians. Just this past February, the metric for veterans after the September 11, 2011 attacks checked in at 9.2 percent, while figures for civilians registered at 6.9 percent.

“The employment prospects for post-9/11 veterans are improving,” legislative associate Lauren Augustine with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America told the news source.

A veteran herself, Augustine said the public and private sector need to continue moving forward with effort to hire veterans once they leave the service.

Multinational praises vets contributions
General Electric is one company that holds high regard for veterans, according to a press release. One administrator said veterans fit very nicely with the mission of the company he serves.

“We are always looking for talented, dedicated people of character to lead our teams,” chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Immelt with GE said. “Veterans have these qualities, which is why they are a good fit with our culture.”

Chemical, Engineering, Manufacturing, Metals and Minerals, Mining, Monthly BLS Report, US News

Manufacturing Thrives in Early 2014

by  • 
US Manufacturing

US Manufacturing

U.S. jobs growth has been impacted by weather in the past two months, thus also suggesting some weakness in the labor market. On a positive note, manufacturing grew faster than projected against Mother Nature. The economy added 175,000 jobs in February. One manufacturing association predicts that employment can grow 300,000 jobs every year with $1.5 trillion added to the economy. Additionally temporary employment sees a significant increase  Regulation continues to be the biggest threat to manufacturing, especially in the energy and chemical manufacturing sector.

Employers continue to face the challenge and competition of hiring top talent against the rising demand. While statistics show that more professionals are willing to make a change, their rising expectations are limiting employers ability to hire, especially for employers less willing to compete at the highest level. Risks abound, future market uncertainty, instability in the global economy, pressures from current customer relationships are all significant impacts on an employers decisions. It will be interesting to see how the first quarter closes and what level of stability we might see entering April.

Engineering, Manufacturing, Transportation, US News

US Manufacturing Improved in February

by  • 

The January results for US Manufacturing were off pace a bit from what they have been over the last couple of years, but the February numbers showed that things have bounced back again in spite of the bad weather.  The bad weather we have had has definitely made for a fun first quarter, but the numbers showed that new orders were up again in February, and that overall consumer spending rose more than had been projected in January.  A shortage of parts in certain sectors restricted an even greater pickup in production.  All of this points to continued improvement in orders in coming months in order to replenish depleted stockpiles.  The weather also impacted unemployment numbers.  The official unemployment rate rose by 0.1% to 6.7%.  All of this should continue to improve as we get into the warmer months of the year.

Bruce Peacock
Vice President of Business Development
The Richmond Group USA

Chemical

Oil and gas employment rises across the country

by  • 

oil and gasWhile employment numbers in January were not as high as economists had hoped, one sector in which job creation has not disappointed is the oil and gas drilling industry. Opportunities for work in these companies have continued to grow over the years, with states including Texas and Louisiana leading in the number of employees, according to the 2013 State of Energy Report released by the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association.

Oil and gas drilling boasts soaring employment numbers
Millions of Americans currently hold jobs in the oil and gas field, which isn’t surprising considering that since 2007, the industry has grown by 40 percent, as reported by a release from the Manhattan Institute. Mark Mills, author of the report, writes that not only has employment fully recovered from the Great Recession, but had it not been for oil and gas, the U.S. may still be in the same state it was in during that time. The Oil and Gas Journal summarized Mills’ findings, including the facts that statewide employment within the top oil producing regions has exceeded the national average, the sector remains the top provider of jobs for the middle class and overall gains the country has received due to the boom exceed $300 billion per year. Mills explained to Real Clear Markets that the industry holds potential for continuing to improve the nation’s economy.

“In the last few years, the oil and gas sector, dominated by small and midsized companies, tens of thousands of them, has achieved astounding and broad-based job creation, more than in any other single segment of the economy,” Mills said to the source.

Texas paves the way for jobs in the industry
Due to the large boom Texas received following the Great Recession, 49 percent of all new jobs in the U.S. stemmed from the Lone Star State from July 2009 to June 2011, the majority of which were provided by the oil and gas industry, Forbes reported. Due to the large number of companies and factories in Texas, workers are drawn to the employment opportunities provided. Numbers are only expected to grow in the future, with the Investor’s Business Daily reporting that by 2017, 100 more factories and 1 million additional jobs will have surfaced. These corporations have seen an increase in demand, which has led to a higher amount of activity and greater need for workers, neither of which is predicted to slow in the upcoming months.

Manufacturing

Bruce Peacock & TRG Manufacturing Complete North American Logistics Manager Search

by  • 

RICHMOND, VA February, 2014 – Bruce Peacock & the Manufacturing Search Team of The Richmond Group USA (TRG) are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of a North American Logistics Manager search for a multi-billion dollar global specialty chemical manufacturer. 

This person will take the lead for a 28 person corporate logistics team.  This team is responsible for insuring that they have an effective plan to ensure process efficiency for customer order fulfillment of finished goods by directing shipments from point of manufacture through to customer delivery. 

This company has also experienced 400% growth during the past decade, and is projecting an additional 40% over the next 5 years.  Working with the Director of Global Logistics, we took on the challenge to find an individual who had the technical skills and experience to make an immediate impact within their organization.  Due to specific qualifications this role required, a comprehensive national search was conducted to uncover and attract a pool of qualified candidates. 

We identified an outstanding logistics professional.  This degreed Chemical Engineer has built a successful career in logistics with a global leader in specialty chemicals.  This placement will provide our client company with outstanding leadership for their North American logistics team, and provide them a talented addition to their ongoing succession plan.

Should you desire additional information about this successful search or about our firm please contact Bruce Peacock & TRG Manufacturing division at 804-285-2071 or email Bruce at brucep@richgroupusa.com

US News

IT industry may see more jobs, better pay

by  • 

Wi-Fi signals aren’t the only thing getting stronger within the information technology realm. According to a new release, IT professionals may see not only an increase in the number of coworkers they have, but a substantial pay raise in 2014 as well.

The January Employment Situation report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that hiring within the tech industry was up, with industry, professional and technical services adding more than 20,000 positions last month. The BLS predicts that jobs will continue to grow as recent trends, such as the cultivation of 3-D technology and wearable devices, require more minds to create and perfect new items.

Additionally, Dice reported that unemployment in the IT sector is very low, standing at 3.5 percent. Shravan Gali, president of Dice, said in the Q4 Tech Employment Snapshot that people interested in working in IT were in luck, as employees are afforded more opportunities.

“This data just reinforces it’s a better job market for developers and data professionals,” Gali said in the snapshot. “Those tech professionals can write their own ticket and create the career they want.”

Overall, the industry employs 1.7 million technology workers, according to the statistics on Dice.