The University of Pittsburgh’s property and facilities committee recently approved $46 million worth of construction and renovation projects. Of that funding, $28.2 million will go to expand the school’s physics and astronomy laboratory, $15 of which will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Aside from the construction jobs the projects will support, the university also plans to add three permanent faculty positions in experimental physics research, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The committee also approved three agreements to lease space for research in neuroscience and cancer. Two of those agreements will cost the university about $160,000 per year in city and county taxes. The third agreement, which allows the school to lease space at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, will cost $12.36 million per year.

Two of the construction projects approved will allow the university to guarantee three years of student housing. The first - a $1.56 million effort to convert office space in Lothrop Hall - will create 47 undergraduate beds, bringing the number of available undergrad beds at the school to 7,241. The second project - at a cost of $2.8 million - will create a 150 to 200-bed undergrad apartment complex.

All of these projects will create much-needed jobs for the Pittsburgh areas’ construction industry, which has been hard-hit by the economic recession.

The city’s construction industry employed 51,800 workers during December 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 54,300 workers during November and a 6.8 percent decrease from December 2008.

Many staffing agencies and job market analysts note that Houston’s medical industry has remained the most resilient throughout the economic recession. Luckily for job seekers, the industry continues to see some of the most significant job growth in the city.

“Healthcare has been the most consistent large hirer over the last quarter,” reCareered President Phil Rosenberg told the Houston Chronicle. “Two weeks ago, 10 of the top 40 recruiters were health care companies.”

The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area’s education and health services industry employed 296,600 workers during December 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 296,200 workers during November and a 2.3 percent increase from December 2008.

In Houston and throughout the nation, other industries avidly looking to fill positions include insurance, defense contractors, banks, retail, hospitality and education. Another positive - there has been an increase in temp worker hiring, which usually indicates an economic turnaround.

The increase in hiring is in part because some companies are finally seeing payrolls start to loosen up, but hiring levels are still uneven.

According to Robert Half International, energy companies have been slower to add staff. Although they are starting to hire for some projects and departments, they are continuing to layoff workers in others.

Hiring for some other industries hard-hit by the recession, such as construction, home building and manufacturing, remains scarce in Houston.

Another positive for the Houston area is that a recent career fair at the River Oaks Crowne Plaza Hotel saw companies vying for the many qualified candidates in attendance. However, the number of job seekers - more than 500 - still outweighed the number the positions available.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced that the San Diego area will receive a three-year, $4.95 million grant for the Biotechnology Readiness, Immersion, Certification and Degrees for Gainful Employment Project.

The BRIDGE Project is an effort among San Diego State University, BIOCOM, San Diego Workforce Partnership and the Southern California Biotechnology Center at Miramar College. The project will provide education, training and placement services to more than 1,000 veterans, incumbent workers, and dislocated and unemployment workers in the area.

The BRIDGE project is meant to link training and higher education with employment opportunities in the life sciences industry. The project will specifically focus on the need for clinical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, medical physicists and professional scientists.

SDSU and Miramar College will provide certificate, degree and Professional Science Master’s programs, while the BIOCOM Institute’s Life Science Immersion Program will provide training needed for biotechnology careers and the BioCollaborative will provide an online resource for a seamless transition from higher education to life sciences careers.

As a whole, the courses will work to educate, recruit, train and place workers of all levels. Everything from positions for high school students, to those for people with graduate degrees, to veteran jobs will be facilitated through the program.

For the effort to create veteran jobs, the California Department of Veterans Affairs and military education offices will work with the BRIDGE Project to place a special focus on connecting veterans with employment opportunities.

The grant is part of more than $225 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act slated to create jobs in healthcare and high growth industries. A total of 55 grants were awarded during this round of funding, and the BRIDGE Project is one of only four biotechnology programs to receive funding.

Manpower Inc., a leader in the employment services industry, recently announced that it will acquire COMSYS IT Partners, Inc., a professional staffing firm. The deal is valued at $431 million, including $17.65 for each outstanding share of COMSYS common stock and net debt assumed by Manpower.

COMSYS’ professional IT staffing services will be integrated with Manpower Professional and combined with Elan, Manpower’s European IT staffing business. Those moves will create an entity with total revenues of more than $2.5 billion. The number of professional consultants on assignment with Manpower will increase to more than 25,000.

“The acquisition of COMSYS is consistent with our strategy and strengthens the continued expansion of our professional staffing services and outcome-based solutions,” Jeff Joerres, Chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc., said. “Both are areas where we have significantly grown organically over the past few years, driven by our strategy to provide clients with all the talent they need, particularly in the high demand skill verticals of IT, engineering, finance and accounting.”

Manpower also plans to integrate COMSYS’ managed service program and recruitment process outsourcing into its Manpower Business Solutions. This will strengthen the company’s offering to deliver clients with full-employment life cycle and outcome-based solutions.

“Manpower and COMSYS have very similar cultures, focused on a client-first and consultant-first mindset and values,” Jonas Prising, president of the Americas for Manpower Inc., said. “Joining our trusted brands and services, combined with our ability to deliver a unique experience to clients and candidates, will address the market’s needs from both a scale and capabilities perspective. The strong alignment of our services and cultures positions us well for a rapid and successful integration.”

The healthcare industry as a whole is considered to be one of the most stable industries, and is one of the only industries that managed to thrive throughout the economic recession. Registered nursing is one of the most popular occupations within the healthcare industry.

According to the Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation, a medium amount of preparation is needed to become a registered nurse. Most employers require one or two years of training, including on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. Registered nurses also are required to obtain state and national licensing.

The main job of a registered nurse is to administer care to ill, injured, convalescent or disabled patients. They also are responsible for assessing patient health problems and needs, developing and implementing nursing care plans and maintaining medical records. Registered nurses may advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management.

Employees in the occupation can expect to be paid relatively well. The average wage for a registered nurse in Nevada is $70,700 per year, while the average entry-level wage is $55,385 per year, and the average experienced-level wage is $78,357 per year.

The future for registered nurses is a bright one, as employment in Nevada is expected to grow from 14,939 workers during 2006 to 20,430 workers by 2016. That would account for a 36.8 percent increase in employment and 862 available jobs each year.

The Las Vegas-Paradise area’s education and health services industry employed 69,700 workers during December 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 69,300 workers during November and a 3.4 percent increase from December 2008.

After announcing that 200 Seattle city workers would lose their jobs, Mayor Mike McGinn recently said he would postpone those layoffs in an effort to boost employee morale. According to an article by The Seattle Times, those cuts were expected to affect senior managers, executives and strategic advisers.

Aside from wanting to maintain employee morale, McGinn said he has now learned the anticipated city budget deficit will most likely be worse than he originally thought, meaning more than 200 jobs may need to be cut.

It was previously estimated that next year’s deficit would be about $40 million, but given the expected increase in that number, McGinn now plans to recommend midyear job cuts by June 30. However, officials say those cuts will be made in a more “thoughtful and methodical” way.

Officials previously implemented a senior-level personnel review, which will work toward the goal of cutting jobs. The review process, which will take place during Q1 of this year, will identify positions that can be eliminated or reclassified, focusing specifically on executive, manager and strategic adviser positions.

McGinn also signed four executive orders meant to reduce or limit city government spending, including:

1. Eliminating salary increases during 2010 for executives, managers and strategic advisers instead of the previously proposed 2 percent increase. In addition, the number of furlough days offered to these employees will be reduced from 10 to seven.
2. A hiring review requiring departments to obtain authorization before initiating any hiring process to fill open positions.
3. A senior-level salary review requiring departments to obtain authorization for any salary offer made to an executive, manager or strategic adviser.
4. A consulting contract review requiring departments to obtain authorization before awarding any new consulting contract or consulting contract amendment.

Most of the city’s public primary and secondary schools are operated by the Phoenix Union High School District. The district enrolls about 26,000 students and employs 2,800 workers throughout its 17 schools, according to Wikipedia.

PUHSD is known for attracting highly-qualified teachers and retaining experienced staff because it offers the highest teacher salaries in Arizona, as well as health benefits, professional growth opportunities and administrative support.

According to Salary.com, the average pay for a public school teacher in Phoenix is between $43,693 per year and $58,037 per year.

The district rates its schools on site performance, student excellence, teacher accreditation, progressive programs, student enrollment and parent involvement. When it comes to student achievement, which is the district’s top priority, the Arizona Accountability System states all schools are rated as “performing” or better.

The school system ranked so well because of its improving test scores and graduation rates, as well as a dropout rate that is below the state and national averages. PUHSD offers expanded honors and Advanced Placement classes, AVID, Read 180, new strategies in math instruction, special education inclusion and English as a Second Language.

The district also encourages the use of instructional technology in classrooms that improves teaching and enhances the learning environment for children through increased participation and interaction.

PUHSD has embraced the Small Schools Initiative, which can be seen in schools such as Bioscience High School, which was the only school to be rated as “excelling,” and Franklin Police and Fire High School, which focuses on law enforcement and fire science.

When it comes to higher-education, there are three public universities located in Phoenix, including Arizona State University, a branch of the University of Arizona and a branch of Northern Arizona University. Phoenix College, which is part of Maricopa Community Colleges,  also is located in the city.

Check out this ASU recruiting video, which profiles Music Professor Sam Pilafian:

Video By Jobing

Private institutions in Phoenix include:

• Grand Canyon University
• Midwestern University-Glendale
• Thunderbird School of Global Management
• American Indian College
• The Art Institute of Phoenix
• Western Governors University
• University of Phoenix
• University of Advancing Technology
• Collins College
• DeVry University
• Argosy University
• Phoenix School of Law

As with most of the nation, the healthcare industry in St. Louis has remained stable, despite the economic recession, and even managed to add jobs when compared to previous years.

St. Louis’s education and health services industry employed 218,900 workers during December 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the same as during November, but a 1.3 percent increase from December 2008.

Healthcare professionals in St. Louis can expect to be paid well. According to Salary.com, the average pay for a staff registered nurse is between $58,791 per year and $71,903 per year, while the average pay for a family practice physician is between $149,315 per year and $194,504 per year.

The St. Louis area is often considered a center for medicine and biotechnology, according to Wikipedia. The city is home to Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine, which together operate the Siteman Cancer Center.

When considered as one entity, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine is the fifth-largest hospital in the world. The School of Medicine, which consistently ranks among the top five medical schools throughout the nation, is home to the The Genome Center.

The city also is home to Saint Louis University School of Medicine, which is responsible for awarding the first medical degree west of the Mississippi River. The school operates a cancer center and bioethics institute and is affiliated with SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The school previously operated Saint Louis University Hospital, which is now owned by Tenet Healthcare Corporation.

Pfizer, which is considered the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, operates one of three major American research sites in western St. Louis County. The company also is constructing an additional 330,000-square-foot building there.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Solae Soy Company and Sigma-Aldrich - all of which are in the biotech industry - are located in St. Louis.

Eastbourne Investments Ltd. and Retail West recently unveiled development plans for a new Costco Wholesale to open on the south side of Tucson in March 2011. Although the developers still need city approval for grading and building plans, officials expect construction to be approved no later than March of this year.

According to an article by the Arizona Daily Star, the new Costco will be the third in the Tucson area. The store is part of a larger commercial project dubbed “The Bridges,” which also includes plans for the University of Arizona’s bioscience park and an upscale housing development.

As voted by the Tucson City Council in 2007, Eastbourne will be responsible for providing $2 million to pay for job training, business-assistance programs, neighborhood improvements, economic improvement grants to area nonprofit organizations and improvements to pedestrian access and roads. The city will provide $4.5 million in matching funds that it expects to collect from construction sales taxes.

The additional temporary and permanent jobs that will be created by the construction and opening of Costco will add to Tucson’s recovering economy. The city has added jobs on a monthly and yearly basis as of late as its unemployment rate decreases.

During November 2009, Tucson’s unemployment rate decreased from 8.4 percent to 7.8 percent, following an increase from 8.3 percent during October. That decrease places the city’s unemployment rate lower than the national rate of 10 percent.

Tucson had a total non-farm employment of 364,700 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 361,600 workers during October, but a 3.8 percent decrease from November 2008.

A recent report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies found that employment in nonprofits throughout Maryland increased by 2.7 percent to 256,628 jobs during 2008. Nonprofit workers account for about 10 percent of overall employment in the state and are the second largest employer, behind only retail, contributing more than $11.5 million in wages to the local economy.

In comparison, for-profit employment in Maryland decreased by 3.3 percent during 2008. However, the effects of the economic recession have still been felt in the nonprofit industry, as endowments, charitable contributions and other funding sources have declined along with the rest of the economy.

“We are concerned about the sector’s continued ability to meet rising demands as the recession drags on and state fiscal problems deepen, and will watch nonprofit employment numbers beyond the conclusion of 2008 to monitor the effects of the recession in 2009,” Maryland Nonprofits CEO Darryl A. Jones said.

Western Maryland saw the biggest growth in nonprofit employment during 2008, at 5.3 percent, followed by the Baltimore suburbs at 4.5 percent and the City of Baltimore at .8 percent.

The study further found that nonprofit employment in Maryland increased by 27 percent from 1999 to 2008, which is almost seven times the 4 percent growth rate the for-profit sector experienced during the same time period.

Although Baltimore’s nonprofit industry has been growing, the Baltimore area’s overall economy has continued to lose jobs on a monthly and yearly basis as the unemployment rate remains steady.

During November 2009, the Baltimore-Towson area’s unemployment rate remained at 7.7 percent, following an increase from 7.5 percent during October. The city’s stagnant rate is still lower than the national unemployment rate of 10 percent.

The Baltimore area had a total non-farm employment of 1,286,700 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,288,300 workers during October and a 2 percent decrease from last year.