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U.K. Stores Jobs on the Chopping Block

Many stores jobs are expected to close overseas as one company continues to struggle. To see some available jobs in the states, check out http://grocery.coloradojobs.com.

HMV Group, a popular European media retail chain, recently announced its plans to close 60 stores and layoff more than 1,000 sales positions (Click here) throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company hopes employee turnover will reduce the number of anticipated job cuts.

The stores to be closed include 40 HMV stores and 20 Waterstones stores. According to an article by Marketing Magazine, the first stores to be closed are those in underperforming cities, as well as those in cities with two or more stores.

HMV is one of the few remaining stores that focuses on distributing media to a mass audience, meaning the store closures could negatively effect the local music industry, which prompted seven top U.K. music executives to sign a pledge in support of the store.

The layoff announcement follows what HMV called a disappointing Christmas period that left the company with a net debt of £151 million. The company also is undergoing a credit insurance review in order to keep up with supply and demand.

HMV currently operates 285 stores throughout the U.K. and Ireland. HMV International operates 125 stores in Canada, five in Hong Cong, and two in Singapore. The company employs about 9,000 employees throughout five countries.

The company saw U.K. sales of about £1.24 billion during the last fiscal year. About 45 percent of the store's sales come from DVDs and Blu-rays, while 28 percent is from music, 24 percent is from games and technology, and 3 percent is from related entertainment products.

In addition to its popular stores, HMV also operates a number of live music venues in the U.K., including: the HMV Apollo and HMV Forum in London; and the HMV Picture House in Edinburgh. The company also puts on a number of summer music festivals.

Broward Family Therapist Jobs: Joining a Professional Association

If you are one of the many professionals with Broward family therapist jobs, you may want to consider joining a professional association to further your connections and your career.

Why should you join a professional association? Employees in any industry can benefit from these types of organizations, whether by making new contacts in your field of work, accessing leads to jobs or clients, and gaining a ton of continuing education.

For family therapists, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy would most likely be the professional organization of choice. The association currently represents more than 24,000 family therapists throughout America, Canada, and abroad.

The AAMFT was founded in 1942 and has worked ever since to address the problems, needs, and changing patterns of families. Today the organization focuses on increasing understanding, research, and education about family therapy.

The organization helps to develop standards for graduate education and training, clinical supervision, professional ethics, and the clinical practice of family therapy. They also host a yearly training conference and a week-long series of continuing education courses.

AAMFT further provides its members with the tools they need to succeed as a family therapist, including a variety training tools and two magazines. Members of the group are required to meet specific standards when it comes to education, training, and ethics.

Family therapists of any level can become involved with the organization, which has membership options for clinical professionals, associate workers, and students. Even employees in closely-related industries can become affiliate members.

Grocery Store Jobs on the Chopping Block

One popular wholesale chain is cutting hundreds of grocery store jobs. Check out http://grocery.coloradojobs.com for some jobs that are currently available.

BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. recently announced that it will close five stores throughout the nation and layoff a number of store and corporate level employees. According to an article by The Wall Street Journal, the cuts are being made in an effort to improve operations.

The company is planning to close three stores in the Atlanta area, one store in Sunrise, Fla., and one store in Charlotte, N.C. All of those closings will result in the elimination of about 380 jobs. BJ's currently employs about 23,000 people in 194 warehouse clubs throughout 15 states.

BJ's also is planning to cut 114 corporate jobs, 61 of which are at the company's headquarters in Massachusetts, and 53 of which are field positions.

"Our management team has been working for several months on a strategic plan to optimize our performance and build for the future," Chief Executive Laura J. Sen said in a statement. "In making these very difficult but necessary choices, we eliminated positions held by team members who have contributed to our success. We will be supporting affected team members in many ways to help ease their transitions."

During December, BJ's saw same-store sales increase by 3.8 percent, which was lower than the expected increase of 4.4 percent. On top of that, the company's chief financial officer recently announced his plans to retire by the end of January.

Leonard Green & Partners LP, a private-equity firm, took a 9.5 percent stake in BJ's during the summer of 2010. That company has suggested that BJ's consider new financing or sale-leaseback deals.

Jobs Fort Lauderdale Continue to Suffer

The local economy continues to suffer from the long-lasting effects of the economic downturn, even as the number of jobs Fort Lauderdale (Click here) had increased near the end of last year.

During November, the Ft. Lauderdale area's unemployment rate increased from 10.1 percent to 10.8 percent, after falling from 10.6 percent during October. The latest jump keeps the area's rate above the national average at the time of 9.8 percent.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach area employed about 699,900 workers during November, which is up from 697,500 workers during October, but a .8 percent decrease from the previous year.

Here's a look at how each local industry fared during November:

• Professional and business services - added 1,400 jobs
• Leisure and hospitality - added 1,200 jobs
• Trade, transportation, and utilities - added 1,100 jobs
• Financial activities - added 100 jobs
• Other services - added 100 jobs
• Information - remained even with 15,500 jobs
• Manufacturing - lost 200 jobs
• Government - lost 400 jobs
• Education and health services - lost 500 jobs (Check out this teacher job description)
• Construction - lost 600 jobs

And here's a look at how the industries performed between November 2009 and November 2010:

• Other services - increased by 4.9 percent
• Education and health services - increased by 1.8 percent
• Leisure and hospitality - increased by .3 percent
• Professional and business services - increased by .2 percent
• Trade, transportation, and utilities - remained even with 160,300 jobs
• Manufacturing - decreased by 1.6 percent
• Government - decreased by 2.1 percent
• Financial activities - decreased by 3.8 percent
• Information - decreased by 4.9 percent
• Construction - decreased by 10.7 percent

Dallas Retail Jobs to Improve with Economy

The improving economy is painting a good picture for people seeking Dallas retail jobs.

Ira Kalish, director of global economics for Deloitte, is predicting that consumers will continue to spend more money this year. The uptick in shopping will be brought on by the slowly-but-surely improving job market, which should include more sales employment opportunities (Click here) and higher income levels.

This prediction comes on the heels of the 2010 holiday shopping season, which was the best for retailers since before the economic recession began at the end of 2007. However, many people are still without jobs, and people who are shopping are spending their money on lower priced items.

"For those consumers that have jobs and are not underwater with their mortgages, there could be a slight uptick in spending," Kalish told Reuters. "To the extent they spend, they will be very price sensitive and more apt to spend more on small things rather than big items."

The International Council of Shopping Centers is predicting that same-store sales will increase by 3 percent to 3.5 percent this year. Big box stores that offer more sales and lower prices will benefit the most from that increase.

This bodes well for those wondering what sales careers Texas has to offer. The local economy has stayed ahead of the nation in most respects, and as the national employment situation continues to improve, it should become easier to secure a position in the sales industry.

During November, the unemployment rate in Texas increased to 8.2 percent after remaining at 8.1 percent for two months in a row. Despite that increase, the state's rate was still lower than the national average at the time of 9.8 percent.

Texas employed a total of 10,432,200 workers during November, which is up from 10,413,100 workers during October and a 1.9 percent increase from last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Anyone who is interested in applying for a retail sales job should be prepared if an employer wants to check background stats on you. Visit http://crimcheck.com/expertise to learn more about the background checking process.

Seattle Employment Opportunities Grow

Despite a jump in unemployment, there were still plenty of Seattle employment opportunities last November.

During November, the Seattle area's unemployment rate increased from 9 percent to 9.1 percent, after rising from 8.9 percent during October. Despite that increase, the area's unemployment rate is still lower than the national average of 9.8 percent.

The Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area employed a total of 1,396,100 workers during November, which is up from 1,393,500 workers during October and a 1 percent increase from last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Here's a look at how each industry fared on a monthly and yearly basis:

• Mining and logging - Remained at 900 jobs over the month, but increased by 12.5 percent over they ear.
• Construction - Lost 2,900 jobs over the month and decreased by 6.1 percent over the year.
• Manufacturing - Added 400 jobs over the month and increased by 1.4 percent over the year.
• Trade, transportation, and utilities - Added 3,000 jobs over the month and increased by 2 percent over the year.
• Information - Added 200 jobs over the month and grew by 3.6 percent over the year.
• Financial activities - Increased by 400 jobs over the month, but dropped by 4.6 percent over the year.
• Professional and business services - Lost 600 jobs over the month, but increased by 2.7 percent over the year.
• Education and health services - Added 1,100 jobs over the month and grew by 2.6 percent over the year.
• Leisure and hospitality - Dropped 1,300 jobs over the month, but increased by 2.4 percent over the year.
• Other services - Lost 100 jobs over the month and declined by 2.8 percent over the year.
• Government - Increased by 2,400 jobs over the month, but decreased by .3 percent over the year.

San Antonio IT Jobs to Flourish

Hundreds of San Antonio IT jobs will be created this year as tech companies continue to grow.

A recent report from Robert Half Technology found that 14 percent of companies in the West South Central region are planning to hire IT workers during Q1 2011. That's an 11 percent increase when compared to Q1 2010, when only 3 percent of companies were planning to hire.

What's even more promising is that only 3 percent of IT companies are planning to make layoffs during Q1, meaning the majority companies will maintain their staff levels in the region, which includes Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

"Companies want to stay in front in terms of corporate competitiveness," Soowan Scheuermann, marketing manager for Robert Half Technology, said. "So they're upgrading software, hardware, and they're looking for people who can help secure the company's network. There's going to be a sustained demand for network administrators, help-desk desktop support and emerging technologies for virtualization."

The hiring outlook for the West South Central region is more promising than that throughout the nation as a whole, where 11 percent of tech companies are planning to add jobs and 3 percent are planning to make layoffs.

In the San Antonio area - where technology makes up about 2 percent of total employment - several IT companies have already announced their plans to hire more workers this year. According to the San Antonio Express-News:

• Genesis Networks is planning to hire about 150 employees as it embarks on a new long-term project.
• VMC Consulting Inc. will hire about 600 employees as it opens a new office at Brooks City-Base.
• Rackspace, which already employs 2,077 workers in San Antonio and hired more than 800 employees last year, will add more workers during 2011.
• Webhead plans to hire more workers to keep up with growth and demand.

If you're looking for technology-focused jobs elsewhere throughout the nation, check out the IT sales jobs Tempe has to offer. To learn more, check out this tech job description.