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Washington is the Nation's Strongest Job Market - Businessweek.com
July 14, 2010
Real Estate July 13, 2010, 5:30PM EST
By Venessa Wong
(Updated in the fourth paragraph to identify the correct location of Manpower's headquarters.)
It took more than a year, but Bernice Spicer finally found a job. Spicer, 52, has been working since April as a sales associate at the new Bel Air, Md., store of hhgregg (HGG), an Indianapolis-based appliance and electronics retailer that has been expanding in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Until she was laid off in March 2009, Spicer had for nine years been marketing director for Bel Air's Harford Mall. Suddenly without work, she fell behind on bills, was forced to sell her house, and moved in with her mother. "It wasn't total destitution but it rearranged my lifestyle completely," she says. While some may see her new position as a step down from her former management role, Spicer says: "I was very thankful to be extended the opportunity." She hopes to be promoted within the company.
Spicer was able to seize the opportunity just as fresh jobs arrived in her area—a rare victory for the unemployed these days. Nearly two years after the U.S. economy tumbled, millions continue to feel the financial and emotional stings of unemployment—among them debt, late payments, and anxiety. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in June some 125,000 jobs were lost. Given so much gloom, what's surprising is that more employers are saying they plan to start hiring again. Read the Full Article
By Venessa Wong
(Updated in the fourth paragraph to identify the correct location of Manpower's headquarters.)
It took more than a year, but Bernice Spicer finally found a job. Spicer, 52, has been working since April as a sales associate at the new Bel Air, Md., store of hhgregg (HGG), an Indianapolis-based appliance and electronics retailer that has been expanding in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Until she was laid off in March 2009, Spicer had for nine years been marketing director for Bel Air's Harford Mall. Suddenly without work, she fell behind on bills, was forced to sell her house, and moved in with her mother. "It wasn't total destitution but it rearranged my lifestyle completely," she says. While some may see her new position as a step down from her former management role, Spicer says: "I was very thankful to be extended the opportunity." She hopes to be promoted within the company.
Spicer was able to seize the opportunity just as fresh jobs arrived in her area—a rare victory for the unemployed these days. Nearly two years after the U.S. economy tumbled, millions continue to feel the financial and emotional stings of unemployment—among them debt, late payments, and anxiety. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in June some 125,000 jobs were lost. Given so much gloom, what's surprising is that more employers are saying they plan to start hiring again. Read the Full Article
