South Carolina hailed for insourcing jobs to U.S.

By James Rosen McClatchy Newspapers

President Obama praised companies that are bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States from abroad at a White House conference Wednesday where he met with leaders of firms investing in South Carolina and other states.

Obama said the 2012 budget proposal he’ll send to Congress in a few weeks will include tax credits for businesses that repatriate overseas jobs and will eliminate subsidies for companies that ship them abroad.

“You heard of outsourcing,” Obama told the business leaders, members of his Cabinet and the heads of two large unions. “Well, these companies are insourcing. These companies are choosing to invest in the one country with the most productive workers, the best universities, and the most creative and innovative entrepreneurs in the world, and that is the United States of America.”

Randy Wilcox, head of Otis Elevators’ North America operations, said during a break in the White House session that his firm is bringing back 260 mainly American workers from Mexico to make energy-efficient lifts at a former Maytag laundry machine factory in Florence.

Otis Elevators will locate an additional 100 people at the $40 million fabrication, research and shipping plant, with some hired locally and others brought in from its sites in other states.

Wilcox praised Gov. Nikki Haley and other state leaders for helping his company choose South Carolina from a short list of states to build the factory, where workers will earn an average of $25 per hour.

“We found a facility that met our needs and required very little work in Florence,” Wilcox said. “And frankly the state of South Carolina worked with us. They were very helpful. They helped with some incentives, they helped with training.”

Haley responded to criticism of the $127,000 she and staff spent at the Paris Air Show last June by saying she recruited suppliers for Otis Elevators, Boeing, BMW and other manufacturers in South Carolina.

South Carolina’s unemployment rate was 9.9 percent in November, among the worst in the country and above the national level of 8.6 percent.

Wilcox said he talked extensively with Obama, who showed a keen interest in how Otis Elevators came to choose South Carolina and how the state had cooperated with the firm to bring it there.

Otis Elevators is part of United Technologies Corp., a Connecticut-based multinational conglomerate with 208,000 employees, including 75,000 in the United States.

“Sometimes we get lumped into the category of exporting jobs,” Wilcox said. “I think it’s important to remind [Obama] that that success globally allows us to reinvest here in the United States. Sometimes we [at Otis Elevators] can take advantage of some of the improvements and manufacturing techniques other parts of our company have developed, maybe even offshore, and bring them back and really accelerate the in-shoring of jobs, particularly when they’re focused on our market here in the United States.”

Mark Vergnano, executive vice president of Dupont, also attended the White House session. He talked about the $500 million plant his company started last year outside Charleston to produce Kevlar anti-ballistic fiber.

Vergnano said the plant has created 500 construction and 135 full-time jobs.

Among other conference participants were executives from Ford, Intel, Siemens, Rolls Royce and Lincolnton Furniture in North Carolina.

Bruce Cochrane, owner of the furniture company, opened his business two years ago in the vacant plant where his family once made furniture and is adding 130 jobs at the operation near Hickory.

“It was a great opportunity to move back into the same facility that my family used to produce furniture in,” he said.

Hal Sirkin, an analyst with the Boston Consulting Group who attended the session, said the outsourcing of jobs to China, India and other countries has slowed as wages have increased in those nations and American workers’ productivity has risen.

“The U.S. worker is three to four times more productive than the Chinese worker,” he said. “It will be a lot easier to retain jobs in the United States, and it will be a lot easier to attract jobs. The economics are favoring the United States at this point in time.”

Cabinet members and other senior Obama administration officials at the meeting included Vice President Joe Biden, Commerce Secretary John Bryson, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Small Business Administration head Karen Mills and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

Obama didn’t allay Republicans’ criticism that he is using such events as part of his burgeoning re-election campaign, as he cited four key swing states he’s targeting for manufacturing renewals.

“I don’t want the next generation of manufacturing jobs taking root in countries like China or Germany,” Obama said. “I want them taking root in places like Michigan and Ohio and Virginia and North Carolina.”

180 targeted for unearned SC jobless overpayments

By SEANNA ADCOX Associated Press 1/4/12

South Carolina authorities say they are going after 180 people who fraudulently received at least $10,000 each in unearned jobless benefits.

The 180 are the first targets of the state's effort to clamp down on unemployment insurance fraud. The attorney general's office has alerted them to "potential criminal prosecution," said Mary-Kathryn Craft, spokeswoman for the state Department of Employment and Workforce.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that South Carolina improperly doled out $86.2 million in unemployment insurance last fiscal year, representing nearly 18 percent of all claims paid, according to a federal audit of 520 sampled cases. That compares to estimated overpayments of $94.4 million, or nearly 13 percent of payments, in fiscal year 2010; and $176 million -- 22 percent -- in 2008-09.

Improper payments spiked in South Carolina and throughout the nation as the Great Recession put more people on unemployment rolls, increasing the workload on staff at the same time that desperation spurred risk-taking, Craft said.

"Fraud has increased as more people are out of work and willing to risk committing fraud to get benefits," she said.

The biggest reason for overpayments in South Carolina is people continuing to collect after getting a job. That accounted for nearly half of the estimated $86 million improperly paid between July 2010 and June 2011, according to the U.S. labor agency.

That includes people getting a part-time job without reporting it, so their unemployment benefits aren't lowered as formulas dictate.

Last month, the state Department of Employment and Workforce announced it's working with the U.S. Labor Department's office of inspector general and the state attorney general's office to investigate and prosecute unemployment insurance fraud.

DEW has identified about $10 million in unearned payments through June 2011 to pursue as fraudulent. If the 180 people contacted so far pay back the excess they received, the state's unemployment insurance trust fund would recoup $2.5 million, Craft said.

The U.S. labor agency also is pursuing cases in which overpayments tally an additional $1 million. Indictments are pending, Craft said, without being specific.

Unemployment benefits vary based on a person's income in the lost job. In South Carolina, the average benefit is $239 a week. The maximum is $326 weekly.

The best way to catch overpayments is cross-matching wage and employment data with employers and agencies, Craft said. The state's unemployment agency is encouraging employers to participate in a database, she said, which involves entering new employees as they're hired through www.scnewhire.com.

Recouping overpayments could help South Carolina pay back federal loans quicker.

The state borrowed $963 million from the federal government to cover jobless benefits amid chronically high unemployment rates and the economic downturn. The state made its first payment in August and still owes more than $700 million. Officials hope the trust fund will be solvent by 2015.

An overhaul of the jobless benefits system that legislators approved in 2010 included a repayment plan, which increased unemployment insurance taxes for employers with the worst records for firing and laying off people. Legislators approved more changes last year. A law signed in June cut the number of weeks the jobless can receive state benefits from 26 weeks to 20, reducing the combined state and federal benefits from 99 weeks to 77. It also limited unemployment benefits for people in seasonal jobs.

Best Bets For Jobs In 2012

By CareerBuilder , Posted Jan 2nd 2012

By Debra Auerbach

Looking forward to 2012, there is cautious optimism that the economy -- and the job market -- will continue to improve. The recently released National Employment Report from ADP, a private staffing and business services firm, showed private employers added 206,000 jobs in November. University of Michigan economists are predicting a brighter 2012; according to a recent study, the jobless rate should continue to drop to 8.8 percent by the end of 2012.

There's hopeful news for soon-to-be graduates, too. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Job Outlook 2012 survey, employers plan to hire 9.5 percent more graduates from the Class of 2012 than they hired from the Class of 2011. While many of those job openings will be triggered by attrition, it's still a good sign that the number is increasing.

What this all means is that things are starting to look up, but there will still be bumps in the road ahead. Yet some industries are seeing growth -- so much so that some can't fill their positions fast enough.

If you're a job seeker, consider exploring a career in one of these nine occupations, all of which are expected to grow in 2012. Full Story...

Upstate economy poised to improve
Region takes lead in state job growth - 1/1/12

Unrelated story: Upstate SC Alliance hires two employees
IndependentMail.com - January 1, 2012

SC Work Force making it easy for vets to find jobs

By Trent Faris, SC Bureau Reporter (WBTV.COM) 12/14/11

"We see Vietnam vets on into Desert storm to right up to the present Iraq Afghan," said Jeff Wilcox with the SC Work Force Center.

The Veterans Affairs office in Rock Hill tells WBTV they've seen a spike in veterans coming looking for benefits, 600 in the past two months. Wilcox says that number will only go up.

"Some left without a job because of the economy so being deployed was a blessing, but now they're back home without a job again," said Wilcox.

Though some see the job market as bleak, Wilcox says vets coming home from overseas, may have a leg up on the others out there looking for work.

"We've always treated our veterans here with priority of service," said Wilcox

One program for vets is the Gold Card initiative where post 9-11 era veterans sign up and can get a pass to the front of the line so to speak when it comes to Veteran Benefits and jobs out there.

The key Wilcox says, is helping transfer military skills and terminology to the civilian world.

"Taking the words like Units and Soldiers and Weapons and making them in to inventory, co-workers etc.," said Wilcox.

Wilcox also says there are dozens of programs out there for veterans to find jobs but what they need now is more companies to put up the Help Wanted sign for them.

"There are business and tax benefits for those hiring veterans now," said Wilcox.

All to help those who served our country serve their communities with the same honor and dignity.

Coming up on Dec. 22^nd the local Rock Hill VFW and York Technical College will have a resume writing seminar for Veterans looking for help translating military skills to civilian job markets.

Myrtle Beach launches $212 million dollar project

(Myrtle Beach.com) 12/14/11

Myrtle Beach announced the launch of JOIN THE CONVERSATION 2012 today. This new concept is expected to generate over $212 million dollars in total revenue for the area over the next ten years and will cost somewhere in the range of $9.4 million over that same period when all marketing, production costs and campaigns are completed. Read full story...

SC agency: Businesses to keep unemployment credit

COLUMBIA, S.C. – November 15, 2011South Carolina's unemployment agency says businesses will continue to receive the full federal credit on their 2011 unemployment taxes, meaning they won't see a big spike in what they pay.

The Department of Employment and Workforce announced Tuesday that the U.S. Labor Department has conditionally approved continuing the full 5.4 percent credit on what South Carolina businesses pay.The state avoided federal tax penalties by paying down the federal loans that kept the state's unemployed receiving benefits when the trust fund went broke in 2009.

The state agency has repaid nearly $184 million of the $972 million in federal loans. South Carolina is on track to repay the remaining $788 million in loans in 2015 under laws passed by legislators last year and earlier this year.

VIDEO: From textiles to high-tech: S.C.'s plan for jobs

(CBS News) 11/11/11 - South Carolina was one of states hit hardest by the great recession. At 11 percent, unemployment is above the already-high national average, and jobs will the pivotal issue in the 2012 elections. Read more...

Dan Schneider, founder and CEO of SIB Development and Consulting, (center) stands with his employees, who can get an extra $50,000 if they stay with his company for five years.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- One small business owner is putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to valuing his employees.

Dan Schneider, founder and CEO of SIB Development and Consulting in Charleston, S.C., is offering $50,000 bonuses to any of his full-time employees who stay with his company for five years.

"In this day and age, there is nothing that makes people loyal to companies anymore," said Schneider. However, a $50,000 retention incentive can change that, he said.

Schneider introduced the incentive in May and any of his 30 full-time employees is eligible.

Ditching debt

There are no strings attached, said Schneider. If an employee stays on for five years, he or she will get a check for $50,000. If an employee stays on for 25 years, he or she will get $250,000 in bonus cash. "Most people think I am nuts, and I am fine with that," he added.

Cash bonuses are more common among big corporations looking to keep top talent. In the '90s, even some smaller companies jumped on board. However, the majority of bonuses at smaller firms were stock options often granted during mergers and acquisitions, said Colleen Aylward, president of executive recruiting firm Devon James Associates.

In these still dicey economic times, Schneider's program is unusual and "a great ploy," said Aylward. People usually remain in jobs two to three years, especially at startups, she explained. Even if SIB employees "don't stay five years, it is a good mental motivation for them."

Schneider, a serial entrepreneur, came up with the idea when he realized that training employees is expensive. Indeed. Training can cost a company tens of thousands of dollars depending on the employee's experience, added Aylward.

Friday, January 13, 2012

BMW To Add 300 Jobs In S.C.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- BMW said Thursday it will add 300 new jobs at its South Carolina plant and make a $900 million investment to expand the factory over the next three years, continuing a recent trend of automakers boosting their U.S. operations to help meet growing global demand.

Officials for the German automaker said the move will boost production at the plant, BMW's only one in the United States, to at least 300,000 cars this year from 276,065 in 2011 and include the introduction of its new X4 crossover.

"This site is an essential pillar of our international production," said Frank-Peter Arndt, BMW's board member responsible for production, speaking during a webcast of the celebration.

BMW has invested $6 billion at the plant since it opened in 1994. It was the German automaker's first full manufacturing site outside of Germany.

Arndt said the expansion is a response to rising demand worldwide for its X series four-wheel-drive vehicles. The plant will have 7,500 employees by the end of the year and be able to produce up to 350,000 vehicles by 2014.

The plant has expanded four times and produced six different BMW models including a version of the top-selling 3 Series sedan, the Z3 and Z4 roadsters, and three different X series models. Arndt said the plant produced 73 percent more vehicles in 2011 than the year before, and 70 percent were exported.

Thursday's announcement follows a trend of domestic and foreign automakers increasing their U.S. production capacity and hiring more workers to meet higher U.S. demand.

-- Also on Thursday, fellow German automaker Daimler AG said its commercial truck division will add 1,200 jobs at two facilities in North Carolina. Most will staff a new second shift at its truck plant in Cleveland, N.C. Another 100 jobs are to open at a logistics center in Gastonia, N.C.The Cleveland plant, one of Daimler's largest in North America, produces heavy-duty trucks under the Freightliner, Cascadia, Columbia and Argosy product lines.

-- Chrysler said earlier this month that it will add 1,250 jobs at two Detroit factories next year to help build a Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel model and make a Street Racing Team version of the Dodge Viper muscle car.

-- General Motors said in November that it will begin building its Chevrolet Equinox at its idled Spring Hill, Tenn. plant this year and make a midsized vehicle there in the future. The initial $61 million investment will create nearly 700 jobs and the subsequent $183 million investment in the unnamed midsized vehicle will create another 1,200, GM said.

AP Auto Writer Bree Fowler in New York contributed to this report.

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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

S.C. bill would require unemployed to volunteer

By SEANNA ADCOX Associated Press

COLUMBIA -- If unemployed workers in South Carolina can't find a job in six months, they would have to volunteer 16 hours weekly to continue getting benefits from the state under a bill up for debate Tuesday by a Senate panel.

Its sponsor, Sen. Paul Campbell, said it's easier for people to get a job if they have a job of some sort, and his intent is to match people's skills with work that needs done in city or county governments and schools, from electrical work to assisting in classrooms.

"I just think if someone's busy working, they'll be more industrious and more likely to get a job," said Campbell, R-Goose Creek. "Depending on the skill they've got, I think we can put that skill to work. I'm not talking about collecting garbage on the side of the highway."

Campbell, a chemical engineer, says the unemployed would still have time to search for a paying job, while honing their skills.

His bill is among several involving unemployment benefits set for discussion in a Senate subcommittee meeting today, the start of the 2012 legislative session. Another would require laid-off workers to pass a drug test to qualify for benefits, and require the unemployed to pay for the test.

A spokesman for Gov. Nikki Haley said she generally supports the measures.

"Anything that increases accountability over unemployment benefits, enhances workforce training and incentivizes people to get back to work, the governor will support," Rob Godfrey said.

A spokesman for the U.S. Labor Department said the agency won't comment on proposed legislation.

But the senior attorney of the National Employment Law Project said both the drug testing and community service bills conflict with federal law. They also feed negative stereotypes of the unemployed, George Wentworth said.

"The unemployed are just a slice of America. They're you and I without a job," he said. "To suggest that the unemployed are lazy drug abusers who are just sitting around feeds a false, ugly stereotype. Most of these workers are unemployed because we have a horrible labor market."

South Carolina's unemployment rate is nearly 10 percent and has remained above the national average for years. The average unemployment benefit payment in South Carolina is $235 weekly, which ranks 45th nationwide. The maximum a laid-off worker can receive is $326 weekly.

Last year, Florida lawmakers considered a bill requiring community service for unemployment benefits, but it died after the Department of Labor informed lawmakers it would conflict with federal law, Wentworth said.

Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, said the details of his drug testing bill must be worked out, and he acknowledged he's unsure what the federal agency would allow, but he wanted to jumpstart the process.

"Those working to keep their jobs are susceptible to a possible drug test - those working and paying taxes - so those drawing benefits from those taxes should be held accountable also. That's the argument," Bryant said. "Hopefully, folks would make the better decision to not use drugs, and we can get them back to work."

The bills will be in his subcommittee.

The idea of drug testing the unemployed has come up before.

Last year, Haley touted it in meetings across the state, but an example she gave for needing the tests was erroneous. In September, Haley acknowledged she couldn't back a statistic she said she'd repeated numerous times: that half the workers applying for jobs at the Savannah River Site near Aiken failed drug tests. The real number? Less than 1 percent.

The U.S. House version of a bill renewing payroll tax cuts and an extension to jobless benefits would have allowed states to test applicants for illegal drugs. But that provision didn't make it to the final version passed by Congress last month.

Beyond not allowing drug testing for benefits, federal law doesn't allow states to put the cost of administering benefits on the worker, meaning workers couldn't be required to pay for their own test, Wentworth said.

Bryant said he believes that even if the state had to pay, it would be worth it.

"I think it's worth the cost out of principle. The money spent would be a good prevention to encourage people to not use illegal drugs," he said.

But Wentworth believes the expense would be a bad investment. Tests cost between $25 and $75 each. Texas lawmakers considered a similar idea but abandoned it after an estimate put the cost at $30 million, he said.

Florida enacted a law requiring people applying for welfare to pass drug tests, before a federal judge halted implementation on constitutional grounds. While it was in place, 2.5 percent of applicants tested positive, Wentworth said.

In 2010, less than 2 percent of pre-employment tests nationally were positive for drugs, according to an annual report from Quest Diagnostics, a national drug testing company.

"It's definitely a gross overreaction to subject everybody unemployed to tests, when it's really only a tiny fraction," Wentworth said.

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Jobs, real estate prices among top issues to watch in 2012

Bring on the jobs

By Dawn Bryant and Adva Saldinger (MyrtleBeachOnline)

More Horry County residents should be back to work in the coming year, but unemployment rates are likely to remain high.

Jobs are the most important factor in South Carolina’s economic recovery, according to University of South Carolina economists who predicted that more workers will find jobs in 2012.

Manufacturing led the way in job creation in 2011, and will continue to be a contender in 2012. Jobseekers are likely to have the most luck finding work in business and professional services, health care and education, sectors that are expected to add jobs this year, USC economists predicted.

Still, the jobless rate is likely to remain high because those who had given up looking for jobs are likely to start looking again, putting them back in the mix, the economists predicted.

In Horry County, the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp. aims to bring in hundreds of jobs in 2012 – with three companies already committed to the area but working through paperwork and final approvals, said Brad Lofton, the CEO of the EDC. The corporation is also working with about 20 other companies, of various types and sizes, that have expressed interest in Horry County, he said.

The EDC has a full staff for the first time in years and a bigger-than-ever budget, with the county earmarking $2.1 million for economic development. Its first major jobs announcement came last week, with aviation company AvCraft planning to add 150 jobs to its Horry County operation.

“[The AvCraft announcement] is going to kick start us in the new year, and with more projects in the pipeline it’s going to be a historic year for us,” Lofton said.

The first phase of the International Technology and Aerospace Park, a planned business park near the Myrtle Beach International Airport that will target aeronautics and technology-related companies, will be complete in early 2012. The EDC will work to find companies to move to the site, including through a developer day, where they will host several top aviation-related consultants to show them what the area has to offer, Lofton said.

By midyear, a new product development plan, which will outline what land the EDC will buy and what projects it will build, will be complete, paving the way to start on new projects, he said.

The EDC also plans to build a ready-to-go call center to lure one of its targeted industries, probably in partnership with national call center developer Adevco Inc. The building will require several funding partners but should be complete by the end of the year, Lofton said.

FULL STORY...

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Federally funded effort aimed at auto, aviation industries

Expanded training could grow factory jobs

South Carolina took a step toward boosting manufacturing Wednesday when Clemson University and three technical colleges announced a statewide program to train technicians for the automotive and aviation industries.

The program — made possible by $2.3 million from the National Science Foundation — was unveiled through two announcements at South Carolina’s epicenters for the two industries: North Charleston, where Boeing built an aircraft plant; and Greenville, where Clemson operates an automotive research park a few miles from BMW’s expanded U.S. factory and Michelin’s North American headquarters.

At the Greenville event, executives with the area’s biggest manufacturing employers — BMW, Michelin and General Electric — joined Clemson President Jim Barker at the university’s International Center for Automotive Research.

“We are going to build 270,000 BMWs this year in South Carolina, and therefore we need a motivated and highly qualified work force,” Josef Kerscher, president of BMW Manufacturing Co., said during the ceremony.

Kerscher said he is always asked, whenever he is at BMW’s headquarters in Munich, whether the South Carolina plant has enough trained workers.

“And I can promise you we are working hard and smart to do even more business here in South Carolina,” he said.

The new perk for manufacturers arrives at a time when the sector is growing again, holding out hope for eventual relief from South Carolina’s persistent high unemployment.

The state’s manufacturing employment turned the corner in 2010, adding 3,300 jobs for the first net gain in 13 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This year, South Carolina’s manufacturing employment has fared even better, growing every month through August for a net gain of 8,700 jobs. And that doesn’t include 3,750 jobs announced for new or expanded plants to make transmissions and tires in Laurens, Aiken and Sumter counties, factories that haven’t come online yet.

Greenville site consultant Mark Sweeney, who helps companies such as Nissan and Boeing find locations for new facilities, said some manufacturers with job openings can’t find the skills they need among the ranks of the unemployed, and the new program should help solve that problem.

Sweeney also said the new training option should help South Carolina hold on to the factory jobs it already has as well as recruit new ones.

The automotive industry is recovering from the economic downturn, and “aviation is globally very hot,” Sweeney said. “The Boeing presence almost can’t be overstated as the core of what over time could develop into a really significant cluster.”

Sweeney said workers trained through the program should be able to work in a range of manufacturing industries, not just aviation and automotive.

Sweeney said South Carolina has been supporting industry with training programs for 50 years, and the new program is a “way for the feds to invest in what’s already a successful training infrastructure.”

The program, called the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development, will employ virtual classrooms and distance-learning technology to disperse technical knowledge statewide.

Officials said it would be developed by Clemson and include satellite locations at Greenville Technical College in Greenville, Florence-Darlington Technical College in Florence and Trident Technical College in North Charleston.

Anand Gramopadhye, chair of Clemson’s department of industrial engineering, will oversee the satellite centers.

Keith Miller, president of Greenville Tech, said his college is already training workers for industry. “What this does is help make that training more accessible,” Miller said.

The $2.3 million came through the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program, which funds “educational programs that prepare skilled technicians to work in the high-tech fields that drive the U.S. economy,” according to the NSF Web site.

Most of the projects funded under the program involve partnerships between community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, secondary schools, business, industry and government, according to the NSF.

State Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt said in a statement that the new program will help “show the companies coming to South Carolina that the state is prepared.”

The announcement of federal funding related to job creation was the latest in a string of such announcements by Clemson in recent years.

Others include $45 million from the Department of Energy for wind turbine research in North Charleston and $3 million from the Economic Development Administration for an office building to house high-tech startup companies at ICAR.

Last month, Clemson announced $1 million from the Energy Department to establish a research and education center for “sustainable vehicle systems.”

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2012.01.01 | 2011.11.01

Lexington County Jobs

EMPLOYMENT (Kiplinger) November 4, 2011

Look for moderate job growth to continue, stumbling forward next year at a pace of about 150,000 net new jobs a month. That’s just a bit more than the growth of the labor force and will result in the unemployment rate of 9% falling to around 8.5% next year.

In 2012, the economy will create about 1.8 million jobs, after creating about 1.5 million this year. The private sector will add about 2 million jobs after creating around 1.7 million in 2011.

Private-sector job growth will continue, while government employment continues to shrink. Federal job cuts have been a small share of public-sector job losses so far, but expect that to grow as deficit cutting in Washington accelerates.

A good bet for gains next year are temps and consultants. Tapping this source enables a firm to stay flexible in case their fears are borne out and the economy stalls instead of expanding further.

Health care will add, too, though not in as large numbers as in some previous years. There’s still uncertainty about the scope and pace of Obama’s health care reform measures.

There will be only a modest rise for construction. After shedding 2 million jobs during the recession, there’s no room to fall further. But gains will be moderate, especially on the residential side, where the inventory of unsold homes remains high. Manufacturing will post a very small gain, too. Firms are putting their money into equipment, and productivity gains enable most to produce more with fewer workers.

With consumers still paying down debt and with wages trailing inflation, there won’t be a spending boom at malls. So don’t look for much hiring by retailers.

Net job creation in October was a meager 80,000 and would give cause for concern except that the Labor Department revised up the previous two months by 102,000. Even so, the average monthly job growth for the past six months is only 90,000, which explains why the unemployment rate is dropping so slowly.

The private sector added 104,000 jobs in October, with September revised up to 191,000 from 137,000. Private employment is key because it represents the lion’s share of jobs and points to the overall direction of the economy. State and local governments, which typically add jobs during recovery from recession, instead are paring back.

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New Rules for the Job Interview - The Curious Capitalist (TIMEcnn)

The job interview has always been a crucial part of the hiring process. But in today's intensely competitive labor market, it couldn't be more key. For every open position, expect to find an army of qualified, and even overqualified, candidates starving for work in a country with 9% unemployment. If you're lucky enough to make it to the interview stage, you'll need to be at your best to seal the deal. You can't just rely on your resume. “Absolutely, the interview is more important than ever,” says Shawn Boyer, founder and CEO of snagajob.com, a site geared towards hourly workers. “They are harder and harder to come by. You need to do your best to differentiate.”

No pressure, right? But if you're looking for work, or have an interview lined up soon, there's no need to panic. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Research, research, research. Your online footprint is out there, for all to see – hello, beer-chugging Facebook picture. Similarly, these days it's easier to find a wealth of information about the company you want to work for. So be an online sponge. Read blogs where the company, or industry it competes in, is a focus. Check out that company history timeline on its website, and become a fan of its Facebook page. Know the background of the executives you're going to meet with, and be prepared to talk about the company's successes. “Companies are not as forgiving as they were in the past,” says Lenroy Jones, associate director of the University of Kentucky's James W. Stuckert Career Center. “They always wanted candidates to know about their businesses, but understood, for example, that college kids might have extracurricular activities that kept them too busy. Now, they don't hope that you are knowledgeable. They expect you to be.”

Ask questions. Since you'll be entering the interview with so much knowledge about Company X, you should be curious to soak up even more. So when the interviewer offers you a chance to ask questions about the company or the specific position, never pass. “I just got out of an interview where the candidate did not have any questions, and said that they were all answered during the interview,” says Boyer. “That's a lame answer, not just to me, but to a lot of employers.” Remember, in an era of enhanced competition, a little slip-up like failing to ask good questions could cost you the job.

Stay away from Facebook friendship. During the interview, you feel like you've really connected with Viv, your potential new boss. You really want the job. You've got a good vibe. You're feeling so good, you're just going to go right ahead and “friend” her on Facebook. No!!!! You've crossed a line. It's fine to follow her on Twitter. All of her musings there are open to the public, and she'll probably be psyched that you're interested. Definitely do that. But Facebook friendship is more awkward. Viv now has to decide whether she wants to let you into her online circle. You don't want to appear high-maintenance before being offered the position. “Things that are annoying in person are annoying online,” says Charles Purdy, senior editor and career expert at Monster.com. “You can follow somebody's career in the newspapers. But don't ask him to invite you to his birthday party.”

As for those gaps in your resume ... Don't fret about them. Employers understand that it's been a brutal market, and that you may have spent significant time without work. “You're not the only one in that boat,” says Michelle Dollarhide, senior talent acquisition partner for Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, a public relations firm. Be able to explain your situation in two or three tight bullet points: my entire division lost jobs in a layoff, demand for the product dried up in the recession, etc. “Don't ramble on, making excuses, and talking bad about your prior employer,” says Boyer. And discuss what you've been doing to keep your skills fresh, and your mind active, during unemployment. Community work, for example, tells a good story. Says Boyer: “Employers want to see that you've done something other than sitting at home watching Dr. Phil.”

Overdress – even online. Yes, more workplaces are business-casual these days. That should not give you license to dress down in an interview. “Always, always wear at least a coat and tie, and preferably a suit,” says Boyer. “Most people know that, but I've heard plenty of stories to the contrary.” This rule also applies to digital interviews. More companies are using Skype and other video-chat technologies to talk to potential employees. “Look professional, even from the waist-down,” says Purdy. Hey, what if the phone starts ringing incessantly, and you're forced to stand up? “And please,” says Purdy, “take the dog out of the room.”

Be a closer. First impressions are always important. But last words stick too. With job competition as tight as it is, every second of the interview counts. “Close it out,” says Dollarhide. “Ask about the next step in the process. Show that enthusiasm until the end.” And send those follow-up notes, either through email or an old-school, hand-written letter.