Category Archives: Employment

Working with Baby?

Employment, ,

What would people’s finances look like if they could bring their newborns to work?  How would this impact their quality of life and family dynamics?  These questions may soon be answered if the recent proposal by lawmakers in California of bringing newborns to state offices to work is approved.  With Assemblyman Randy Voepel’s Assembly Bill 2481 – that has already gained bipartisan support – people would be able to stop worrying at the office about their kids’ wellbeing!

Women have complained for years that they stay at home simply because it just doesn’t pay for them to get childcare while they are out at work.  If ultimately little or no money is made after childcare costs, women decide to stay home with their children.  If it is accepted, it would be for babies between 6 weeks and 6 months.

This is not the first state to do this.  a similar program has been at work in various state offices in Arizona and Washington, primarily with workers with flexible desk jobs. In addition to it being good for the parent, the babies actually get sick less often.

Living and Working in LA: The Numbers

Employment, ,

While LA is renowned for high housing rental prices, the March 2018 LA Rent Report showed that thankfully there has been little increase in pricing since December of 2017. While of course prices are still high, the good news is that they are not getting even higher. Still, making housing more affordable has to be a priority for state officials.

How do the locals feel about life in California?  When looking at community life, personal relationships and physical attributes, it seems that California ranked very well.  On the Gallup’s Quality of Life 2017 poll, California came in at Number 14.

Workplace safety is improving in California too.  US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a drop in work-related fatalities from 2016 and anyway the state was the fourth lowest in the nation between 2015 and 2016.  There was a drop in non-fatal injuries too.

Employment Opportunities

Employment, , , ,

Various employment opportunities are becoming available in the Los Angeles area.  First, BYD (a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturing company) has opened an electric bus manufacturing plant in the region. This is set to be America’s largest ever such plant.  While BYD has already been in LA County’s Antelope Valley for nearly 8 years, it will now be further expanding with the new facility spanning 450,000 square feet.

This means jobs:  right now there are 750 positions but that will increase to 1,200 and those workers will be privy to the backing of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, Local 105. Future BYD plans include the building of a second plant in Lancaster for the manufacturing of electric trucks.

But that’s not the only place where the California area is encountering job gains.  Reports from September 2017 showed an increase of 52,200 positions with unemployment maintaining at 5.1 percent.  Plus, payrolls have expanded year-over-year by 1.7 percent to 16,8360,500 positions.

So things for workers are starting to look pretty good in California right now.

LA: Expanding Employment

Employment,

There have been a variety of employment expansion opportunities in the LA region recently.  First, an approval was received from the Port of L.A.’s Board of Harbor for a 10-year extension on a labor agreement to continue hiring workers from the harbor area and high-unemployment communities in the city.

First signed back in 2011, the Project Labor Agreement was awarded the extension with the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council (a union that represents over 100,000 trade and craft workers). And it’s great for job creation.  As the LA Mayor pointed out: “it will create new career opportunities that Angelenos deserve, and bring stability to operations as we invest billions in infrastructure that will define the future of the Port.”

So how does that work exactly?  According to the regulations of the agreement, nearly a third of top-paying jobs/apprenticeships connected to construction projects must be given to qualified local residents.

The port has already invested $848 million on 20 completed major construction projects (and 6 additional ones to come) but with the new agreement, there are a further 38 planned and proposed infrastructure projects (totaling around $780 million). These projects include: wharf improvements, rail enhancements, shore power upgrades and marine terminal modernization.

 

A Boost for LA’s Economy

Employment, ,

There has been some great news for LA residents recently, vis-à-vis the bolstering of the economy in particular vis-à-vis employment.  LA-based companies are continuing to hire, most notably in the second quarter.

In the first quarter there was little hiring as businesses were taking the “wait and see” approach following the election.  Business owners were concerned about the possibility of recession at the time.  Now they have seen this is not the case, business is booming.

This is evidenced by real estate executives noting the increase in lease agreements.  There was also one of the biggest deals – an 80,000 square foot expansion – signed by Riot Games Inc., in West LA.

A couple of the popular places are Hollywood and Burbank.  There have also been a slew of top-end eateries and apartment buildings opening up with new and renovated office space which has earned the area a reputation for being up-and-coming and thusly more attractive to business owners.   As Steve Algermissen of Cushman & Wakefield pointed out:  “knowledge and value-creating businesses need to be in interesting places.  There is a desire to be novel and edgy, and Hollywood has become much cooler.”

Meanwhile there have been some significant minimum wage increases in LA, with the most recent one (July 1st), according to Natalie Kitroeff of the LA Times “mark[ing] the fourth such increase in three years, and the single largest year-over-year jump in the city’s scheduled climb to $15 for all employees by 2021.”

LA Jobs

Employment,

For job seekers in Los Angeles, Home Depot might be a good place to start.  Earlier this month, the company had 225 part-time and seasonal vacancies available in the greater LA region. Nationwide, the availability of spring positions reached 80,000, given that Home Depot is busiest then.

The main vacancies were in cashier and sales.  Hires were made on the spot and all those in line up to a certain time were at least guaranteed an interview.

Home Depot it seems could be part of an area-wide trend in job hiring.  Figures for unemployment in California plummeted to 5% in February, marking a decade low on eight consecutive months of job growth. According to the Employment Development Department, 22,900 employees were added to California businesses and in the last year, there has been an increase of 1.9% jobs (as compared to 1.6% throughout America).

Given that according to previous-EDD director, Michael Bernick, California has not encountered a “jobless rate below 5% since 2006,” now could be just the time for unemployed Californians to turn things around.

Women Working for (Fair) Wages

Employment, , , , ,

At the end of last month, a group of women from a wide variety of industries got together at the ‘Women’s Rising’ conference to brainstorm ideas on how African American women can try to overcome inequality and discrimination in the workforce. The event – subtitled Organizing Power for the Achievement of Racial Justice and Economic Equity,’ – was sponsored by the Holman United Methodist Church.

Discussions centered around equality in business, community organization, education, law, medicine, politics and spirituality. Anything that is integral to the stabilization of families and community revitalization was on the agenda.

Keynote remarks were delivered by the General Commission of the United Methodist Church’s General Secretary, Erin Hawkins as well as Charles Drew University Medicine College’s Dean, Dr. Deborah Prothrow Stith. Other names integral to the event were: , general manager of the Los Angeles Economic and Work Development Department, Jan Perry; the LA Business Licensing Commission President, Renee L. Campbell; CEO and President of The Hamilton Enterprise, as well as Civil Rights Advocate, Juanita Hamilton among others.

Personal stories and aspirations were shared as well as tips on how to overcome prejudice and assert needs and rights. All in all it was an extremely productive and positive experience.