Workplace
May 2

Ford will add 900 jobs at its Claycomo plant

To meet surging demand for its best-selling F-150 pickup trucks, Ford Motor Co. plans to add 900 jobs and a third shift at its Claycomo plant. The company confirmed in a statement that the new jobs will be announced at a 10:30 a.m. event at the plant with Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, and Gov. Jay Nixon in attendance.

Workplace
May 1

Area jobless rate was 6.6 percent in March

Kansas City area employers added a net 1,800 jobs from March 2012 to March 2013, a 0.2 percent increase. The drop in joblessness from 7.1 percent a year earlier was partly due to about 8,000 workers leaving the local labor force and no longer being counted as working or looking for work.

Workplace
May 1

Regional survey shows a dip in economic growth

The Mid-America Business Conditions index dropped to 56.8 in April from 58.2 in March, according to a report released by Creighton University in Omaha. But the survey noted that the economy in the region should continue to grow over the next three to six months. The employment component of the survey rose to 60.7 in April from March’s 56.3, the third consecutive month for growth.

Workplace
April 30

Wage costs are mostly flat for employers

The cost to employers of employee pay and benefits grew 0.3 percent in the first quarter this year to stand 1.8 percent higher than a year earlier. The government’s employment cost index, published Tuesday, said employers’ costs for civilian wages and salaries rose 1.6 percent over the 12 months ending in March 2013.

Diane Stafford
May 1

Summer job odds improve

The seasonal job market remains competitive, but a survey of hirers indicates that there may be more openings this summer than the previous five years.

Workplace
April 24

More staff cuts at Providence and St. John hospitals

A “realignment of operations” leads to the elimination of 45 more positions. A spokeswoman for the hospitals said many of the jobs were in management or administrative positions that provided services that now are covered by Prime Healthcare Services.

Labor notes
April 22

Labor-Management Council presents leadership awards

The Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City presented its Leadership in Labor-Management Cooperation award last week to Sam Alpert, executive director of the Construction Users Council. The council also honored Gary O’Bannon, Kansas City’s director of human resources, with its service award.

Workplace
April 20

Interns of the future line up for summer jobs

The Bright Future Employment Fair drew more than 250 young people to the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus. “Young people may be only about 30 percent of our population, but they are 100 percent of the future,” Mayor Sly James told the assembled applicants.

Workplace
April 18

Students leaving college boosting jobless rate

Only 58.6 percent of Americans aged 16-24 were enrolled in high school or college last fall, which effectively raises the national labor force participation and unemployment rates because non-students are far more likely to be working or looking for work.