Monday, December 22, 2008

110 jobs cut at GM-Spring Hill supplier



Chambers Williams reports on Spring Hill supplier job cuts on Tennessean.com:
Johnson Controls, Inc., said it will layoff 110 of the 410 workers today at its plant in Columbia, Tenn., that makes seats and interior consoles for the new Chevrolet Traverse, according to the United Auto Workers, which represents the facility’s hourly employees.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Centerstone cuts 34 jobs

From staff writer Getahn Ward:

Centerstone, the state’s largest provider of community-based mental health and substance abuse treatment services, has laid off 34 employees in its statewide operations as part of a restructuring.

“The economy, changing dynamics in the healthcare market and new contracts all played a part,” Bob Vero, CEO of Centerstone of Tennessee, said about reasons for the restructuring.

The cutbacks were across all divisions of the company, said Ramona Rhodes, a spokeswoman.
Nashville-based Centerstone has 1,058 employees statewide plus another 558 in Indiana.

State has lost 20,000 jobs

Tennessee got some new jobs in education, health care and government over the past year, but the gains were more than wiped out by losses in other sectors, the state reports.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Pros and cons of employee buyouts

Why would an employee take a buyout? Why would an employer offer one? This Q & A explains the risks and the rewards.

Nissan to reduce production, cut temps

As car sales continue to slump, Nissan Motor Co. says it will reduce production and cut 500 temporary workers. Nissan has a manufacturing plant in Smyrna and its North American headquarters in Franklin.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Clarksville factory heralds green future

About 1,000 workers will be employed to build Hemlock Semiconductor's polysilicon plant in Clarksville over the next three years. Better yet, it appears Tennessee has a foothold in a developing "green energy" economy because the company's product is used in producing solar energy. The company's CEO says the green push will help "retrain idle workers" for new careers.

AT&T to cut 22 workers

AT&T is expected to lay off at least 22 union employees in Middle Tennessee by this spring as part of plans to cut 12,000 jobs nationwide, a union official said Monday.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Job training programs face cuts



In case you missed Chas Sisk's story in the Sunday Tennessean business section, he reports on federal job programs being cut at a time when they appear to be most needed:

Labor experts and political leaders are stressing the need for workers to earn high-tech certifications like Bloom’s to compete in the modern economy.
But as the nation deals with a recession and as unemployment rises, the state and local officials in charge of the federally funded programs that teach these skills are adjusting to cuts that have taken more than $10 million out of their budgets over the last three years.

A turning point in job growth in Clarksville


Clarksville leaders have agreed to buy 1,200 acres for Hemlock Semiconductor. Here's how they got the jobs.

Austin Peay to start new curriculum in polycrystalline silicon production

The college in Clarksville will receive $6.4 million to train workers for a new manufacturing plant that is expected to hire 500 to 800 people.

GM adds a month to Spring Hill downtime

More than 2,000 workers will be idled until Feb. 9, but they will still get partial pay.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Hemlock Semiconductor to bring 500-plus jobs to Clarksville


Gov. Phil Bredesen will be in Clarksville Monday to announce a multibillion dollar expansion project by Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. The company is the largest maker in the world of polycrystalline silicon, which goes into solar panels and semiconductors.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Out of work? At least you can ditch the shaving kit



Whether as a sign of mourning, or simply because it's a pain to shave everyday, beards are popping up on laid-off executives all around the country, the Wall Street Journal reports. Perhaps Al Gore invented the trend:
Facial hair is showing up on more former corporate types. It’s one of those tiny luxuries unleashed by unemployment, a time when people are briefly released from workaday habits and may wish to take stock of their lives before setting out anew. Al Gore grew a beard after losing the tumultuous presidential election of 2000. Neatly trimmed, it looked cozy and anti-establishment as he pursued creative projects on his way to the Nobel Peace Prize.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Nashville's still getting new jobs

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce has 31 deals pending with companies looking to locate in Nashville, economic development manager Janet Miller said Tuesday. If the city landed them all, it would mean 8,400 new jobs.

In the past three months, 36 companies have either expanded in Nashville or moved here, Miller said, bringing 1,775 new jobs.

"Activity is not as robust as it was, but it's there," she said.

The jobs are there - if you have the right skills

Didn't your parents always tell you to forget philosophy, study science, and get that teaching certificate while you were at it? It looks like they were right -- health care and education are the two industries that generally don't shrink when times are bad.

These Q&A's tell more about today's employment outlook.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

FedEx's Fred Smith talks leadership

Fred Smith, the legendary founder of Memphis-based FedEx discusses leadership -- and the lack of it that helped spark the current economic crisis -- in a conversation with The Washington Post's Steven Pearlstein.

Monday, December 8, 2008

3M, Anheuser-Busch announce layoffs



Stocks may be going strong today, but more layoff news coming from companies around the country:
  • Anheuser-Busch InBev announced it would cut about 1,400 U.S. jobs, 6 percent of its domestic workforce, in another round of layoffs following a merger with Belgian company InBev.
  • Dow Chemical Co. will slash 5,000 jobs, about 11 percent of its workforce.
  • 3M (of Post-In Notes and Scotch tape fame) said it will cut about 1,800 jobs in the fourth quarter in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.
  • And while no job cuts were announced, Tribune Company, parent of Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Cubs, filed for bankruptcy.
Happy Monday!

How to get unemployment benefits

Don't call on your cell phone, and watch out for scams. Here's advice on getting your claim filed.

MTSU and other college faculty jobs would change under proposal

Chancellor Charles Manning of the Tennessee Board of Regents has suggested radical changes that call for more productivity from faculty and staff at colleges including Middle Tennessee State University.

Colleges in Tennessee are under pressure to trim at least 15% of expenses. (Search a database of faculty and staff salaries here.)

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Unemployment office overwhelmed with requests



Officials plan to offer a new web program to make it easier and faster to get benefits. Here are a few eye-opening stats about why the unemployment office is having a hard time keeping up:
The state had 15,000 applicants in the first week of November, compared with 2,000 that week in 2007. In all of November, there were 46,000 applicants, compared with 25,000 in 2007.

Friday, December 5, 2008

HCA cuts 109 IT jobs

The hospital company is eliminating more than 100 corporate jobs at its headquarters in Nashville, including 109 information technology positions.

Sewing company to move jobs to Nashville area

New jobs for Nashville. Click here to read about it.

Government jobs on the rise

Despite buyouts and budget cuts, government is one of the few sectors that actually gained jobs last month, the AP reports.

Think you might be interested in joining the public payroll? Take a look at what some of the jobs are paying.

Lost a job? Try a startup

Don't think you can succeed by starting a business during a recession? Think again -- Microsoft did it.

Seth Murray works at a startup focused on used bikes.

Yes, Virginia, there is hiring going on

Steve Hayes recruits executives. Here's some of his advice on getting a six-figure job in this economy.

Job cuts round up


National job numbers released today show just how brutal the job market has become: 533,000 jobs cut in November, the most in 34 years. In Nashville, the cuts have been dramatic as well. Scanning the week's worth of The Tennessean's business page covers shows the following companies cutting jobs:
  • AT&T
  • HCA
  • Gannett
  • Thomas Nelson
  • Bridgestone
What companies have you heard about?

(Photo: Associated Press)

Tips from the Tennessee Career Center

Tennessean reporter Naomi Snyder interviews Terry Hiers, manager of the Tennessee Career Center.