When most people think of available positions in the leisure and hospitality industry, they only consider restaurants and hotels, but there are a number of other roles that are integral to this industry - from sports promoters and artist agents to gambling workers and museum employees.

The overall leisure and hospitality industry is part of the broader service-providing group, meaning that employees in this industry provide services to the greater public. As of October, there were 13,275,000 employees working in the leisure and hospitality industry earning an average of $13.28 per hour.

Here’s a look at the various segments that make up the leisure and hospitality industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

A recent report from comScore found that retail e-commerce sales reached $36.3 billion during Q3 2011, a 13 percent increase from last year. This marks the eighth consecutive quarter of yearly growth and the fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

“The third quarter of 2011 saw a continuation of the year’s strength in U.S. retail e-commerce spending, even in the face of renewed economic headwinds and uncertainty facing the U.S. consumer,” comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni said in a press release. “As we approach the critical holiday shopping season, we are optimistic about the continued health of the e-commerce sector despite other factors – including stubbornly high unemployment and volatile financial markets – currently weighing on the economy.

“More consumers than ever before are relying on the online channel for product and pricing information, which along with the Internet’s fundamental appeal of convenience and attractive pricing, are contributing to the sustained upward momentum in e-commerce spending,” he added.

Some highlights of the report include:

• The online product categories that saw the highest sales growth over the year, each increasing at least 15 percent, include: digital content and subscriptions; event tickets; jewelry and watches; consumer electronics; and computer software.
• 74 percent of all Internet users made at least one online purchase during Q3, an increase of 22 percent over the year.
• 40 percent of e-commerce transactions included free shipping, a decrease from 49 percent during Q4 2010.

The Causeway Foundation recently launched the 2011 Holiday Card Campaign, a program that aims to raise funds for the Causeway Work Centre. Since beginning 11 years ago, the volunteer-run campaign has raised more than $100,000.

The Causeway Work Centre provides a place where people with mental health issues and other barriers to employment can go to improve their skills, receive one-on-one support ,overcome challenges, find employment, and embark on a more independent life.

This year’s cards feature six original designs from local artists in the Ottowa area. The campaign is being sponsored by: Warlyn Construction; Smith Petrie Carr & Scott Insurance Brokers; RBC Royal Bank; OnConference; Emond Harnden; Banfield Seguin; and TriCo Group.

The holiday cards are being sold at:

• Bija Bijoux
• Books on Beechwood
• Celadon Spa
• Collected Works Bookstore
• Da Bombe Desserts
• Escape
• Fab Gear
• Glebe Fashion Cleaners
• Governors Walk Residence
• Heavens to Betsy
• Kitchenalia
• Langdon’s Flowers
• Merrickville Personal Fitness Studio
• Mother Tongue Bookstore
• Octopus Books
• Pharma Save Richmond Road
• The Tea Store

“Moving Ahead Amid Fiscal Challenges: A Look at Medicaid Spending, Coverage and Policy Trends,” a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, found that many states are projecting slower Medicaid growth during 2012.

While the rough state of the economy forced 11 states, including Arizona, to reduce their Medicaid budgets this year, most states are taking measures to prevent further declines in enrollment.

However, Arizona is the only state that expects to see further declines in its Medicaid program during 2012, as a loophole in federal law will allow the state to stop tens of thousands of participants from being covered.

According to an article by KTAR.com, healthcare reform laws prevent states from cutting Medicaid coverage, but Arizona’s program expired this October. The planned cuts will save the state about $260 million.

Arizona’s Medicaid enrollment is expected to fall from 230,000 to 140,000 next year. The state plans to eliminate Medicaid coverage for 6,000 people who need medical help and freeze coverage for about 90,000 childless adults.

Gov. Jan Brewer and a number of other local leaders recently announced that the first ever Arizona SciTech Festival will take place during February 2012 as part of Arizona Science and Technology Month.

The six-week festival will feature more than 200 organizations from the arts, education, sports, business, and the community. The organizations involved will hold different events to show the public how science and technology are everywhere.

Arizona State University, the Arizona Technology Council, and the Arizona Science Center teamed up to launch the event. Financial support will come from a number of sources, including the Helios Education Foundation, Flinn Foundation, and Cox.

“Arizona is an intellectual center and emerging world leader for advances in aerospace, aviation and defense, semiconductor and electronics information technology, optics, life science, health science, renewable energy and telecommunications,” Brewer said in a statement. “Arizona is now focused on ushering in the next generation of great scientific and technological leaders and must cultivate the scientific talents of all its students.”

In the future, the state hopes to have more public celebrations of science, technology, and education in an effort to raise student and public awareness of the impact that science and technology have in our lives, as well as to inspire the next generation of scientific leaders.

Occupational therapists help injured, elderly, and disabled people rehabilitate from and adapt to physical and cognitie impairments. Their main duties are to evaluate clients’ specific problems, provide a customized action plan, and follow up.

These professionals can choose to specialize in a number of treatment areas. The American Occupational Therapy Association offers board certification in pediatrics, geriatrics, mental health, and physical rehabilitation.

According to Education-Portal.com, occupational therapists can choose to become certified in the following areas:

• Pediatrics - Help children adjust to physical, emotional, mental, and other problems. OTs work with patients in schools, hospitals, childcare programs and in the home.
• Geriatrics - Work with the elderly who are ill or need help getting around their home. OTs work with patients in hospitals, nursing facilities, and in the home.
• Mental health - Help patients suffering from a number of mental health problems develop skills for stress management, money management, and socializing.
• Physical rehabilitation - Work with patients who are suffering from physical limitations due to disease, disability, or injury by helping them relearn daily tasks.

After increasing for three months in a row, Arizona’s unemployment rate dropped from 9.4 percent to 9.3 percent during August. Unfortunately, the state’s rate is still higher than the national average of 9.1 percent.

Arizona employed a total of 2,408,400 workers during August, which is up from 2,393,000 workers during September and a 1.7 percent increase from last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The education and health services industry added the most jobs over the year, as employment in the industry reached 360,400 workers, an increase of 4.6 percent. However, the industry lost 400 jobs over the month.

Here’s a look at how each industry fared over the month and year during August:

• Government - +8,800 jobs/-1.1 percent
• Leisure and hospitality - +3,000 jobs/+3.9 percent
• Trade, transportation, and utilities - +1,900 jobs/+1.3 percent
• Construction - +700 jobs/+3.4 percent
• Professional and business services - +600 jobs/-.1 percent
• Manufacturing - +500 jobs/+3.1 percent
• Information - +300 jobs/+1.6 percent
• Other services - +300 jobs/+1.1 percent
• Mining and logging - +200 jobs/+2.8 percent
• Education and health services - -300 jobs/+4.6 percent
• Financial activities - -600 jobs/+1.5 percent

The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index dropped by .3 percent to 99.4 during August, marking the index’s second monthly decline in a row. The decrease is mainly due to fewer patrons and lower sales.

During August, the current situation index dropped by .5 percent to 99.3, while the expectations index declined by .1 percent to 99.5.

The Restaurant Performance Index tracks the health and outlook of the nation’s restaurant industry. An index of 100 or lower means the industry is shrinking, while an index of 100 or higher means that the industry is expanding.

“The August decline in the Restaurant Performance Index resulted from softening of both current situation and expectations indicators, as well as Hurricane Irene,” Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the National Restaurant Association, said in a statement. “Although restaurant operators reported net positive same-store sales results in August, their six-month outlook for both sales growth and the economy continued to deteriorate.

“It is important to note that the industry’s August performance is a substantial improvement over the 2008-2009 period, but overall, the near-term health of the restaurant industry will depend heavily on the economy’s ability to create jobs and bolster consumer confidence,” Riehle added.

The National Retail Federation recently unveiled its Jobs, Innovation, and Consumer Value Agenda - a plan that would support 41.6 million jobs and add $2.48 trillion to the nation’s GDP.

“The retail industry supports a quarter of our nation’s jobs and will continue to be at the forefront of our economic recovery,” Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the NRF, said in a statement. “This campaign aims to ensure that we do everything possible as a nation to support the vitality of the retail sector, in order to create jobs and continue to foster U.S. innovation and competitiveness.”

Some highlights of the plan include:

• Creation of RetailMeansJobs.com, an interactive website and action center aimed at engaging the retail community.
• Grassroots efforts among retail businesses, employees, and consumers throughout hundreds of communities.
• Outreach to Congress.
• Advertising in print, radio, and online.
• A viral campaign to showcase the “Faces of Retail,” a video contest.
• New research that measures retail’s unique role as a significant job creator.
• A social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
• International focus on the importance of retail to the global economy.

The “Back to Business Travel Season” from Best Western found that a majority of people are still planning to travel for business reasons this year. That stability will support a number of jobs directly tied to the industry.

“Despite uncertainly on Wall Street, we expect to see a growing number of business travelers back on the road this fall as advance bookings at our hotels are up 8 percent this fall over last,” Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Best Western International, said in a statement.

“Guests and business travelers are growing tired of surprises at check out, and we’re seeing that pricing transparency is growing in importance,” she continued. “All of our properties offer free high-speed Internet as we know that our loyal business guests appreciate it and rightfully so, have come to expect it.”

Here are some highlights from the report:

• 17 percent of people plan to travel more for business this fall, while 56 percent are planning to travel the same amount.
• 51 percent of people use a car when traveling for business, while 36 percent use a plane.
• 80 percent of people expect high-speed Internet to be included in their hotel room rate, while 74 percent think breakfast should be included, and 65 percent think parking should be included.
• 38 percent of travelers use hotel-based loyalty programs, while 34 percent use airline-based programs, and 12 percent use travel-branded credit cards.