Tarrant Business

Fort Worth direct marketing facility to close

DGI Services will close its Fort Worth facility on North Riverside Drive as part of an overall shutdown of the New Jersey-based direct marketing company. In a filing with the Texas workforce Commission, the company cited "industrial sabotage" at its headquarters for the loss of equipment and data, "as well as our recent loss of clients" as the reasons for its sudden closing. DGI did not disclose how many people work at the Fort Worth facility, but nearly 600 jobs are affected companywide.

-- Jim Fuquay 

International Bedding may close Cleburne plant

International Bedding Corp. says it’s trying to find a buyer or new financing, and shut down if those efforts aren’t successful.

The company has 76 employees at a plant at 400 Commerce St. in Cleburne, IBC told the Texas Workforce Commission in a letter.

“Over the past few years, IBC has been working aggressively to implement important changes such as adjustments in leadership, reductions in force and other organizational modiñcations, to reduce the Company’s debt and realign it with the current market,” the company said in the letter. “However, the ongoing economic downturn has not allowed IBC to realize fully the benefits of these initiatives.

“As such, we are considering a sale of the company and are currently in active negotiations with interested parties. Every effort is being made to find a buyer that values our employees as much as we do, as our hope is that any acquirer retains current IBC employees. Moreover, we are working to ensure that neither our customers nor vendors experience any disruption...If we are unable to finalize a sale or find an alternative financing solution IBC will  have no other option but to cease operations.

“The company has notified all of the affected employees...that operations may permanently cease 62 days after the date of this letter. To clarify, if we are required to take this course, all IBC plants and offices would be closing permanently,” the letter said.

- Scott Nishimura

Texas, Fort Worth-Arlington add jobs in September

The Texas unemployment rate held steady at 8.5 percent in September as the state bounced back from a month of job losses by adding more than 15,000 positions. The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday the increase in jobs came after the state dramatically revised the number of nonfarm job losses in August to 21,600 from the initially reported figure of 1,300. It was the first month of job losses this year, according to commission figures.

The U.S. jobless rate also held steady in September at 9.1 percent.

In Fort Worth-Arlington the jobless rate dipped to 8.2 percent from 8.3 percent in August as the area added 3,400 payroll jobs. Services and local government, driven by the resumption of the school year, each added more than 4,000 positions, offsetting a decline of 1,000 jobs in professional and business services and the loss of 700 restaurant jobs.

Commission Chairman Tom Pauken said he was "encouraged" by the state adding 26,500 private sector jobs in September. Professional and business services added 18,400 jobs in September, while government lost another 11,100 positions and has dropped 33,700 jobs over the past year.

Fort Worth-Arlington up 10,900 jobs in February over a year earlier

Fort Worth-Arlington's employment was up 10,900 jobs in February to 844,300, compared to the same mont a year earlier.

Here's more from Texas' Friday jobs report on Fort Worth-Arlington unemployment and where the jobs came were, compared to a year earlier:

Mining, logging and construction: 52,000 jobs, up 400 from the same month in 2010;

Manufacturing: 85,000, up 1,200

Trade, transportation and utilities: 195,800, up 1,600

Information: 13,500, down 1,100

Financial activities: 51,000, up 600

Professional and business services: 90,200, up 1,200

Education and health services: 108,300, up 3,500 jobs

Leisure and hospitality: 89,900, up 1,900 jobs

Other services: 31,300, up 400 jobs

Government: 127,300, up 1,200 jobs

Here's the S-T's Friday story on the statewide jobs picture.

- Scott Nishimura, jobs and workplace reporter, Star-Telegram

Texas adds 44,000 jobs in January, Workforce Commission reports

Texas added 44,100 jobs in January, led by trade, transportation and utilities, the Texas Workforce Commission said Thursday.

The state’s jobless rate remained at 8.3 percent, unchanged from December.

In the 12 months through January, Texas added 253,900 jobs, the commission said.

“Employers continued to expand their workforces in January as we saw hiring across a majority of Texas industries,” Tom Pauken, the Workforce Commission chairman, said in a release.

• Trade, transportation and utilities added 15,800 jobs.
• Education and Health Services added 7,600 positions in January and added 47,200 over the year.
• Manufacturing added 5,600 jobs.
• Mining and Logging added 4,000 jobs.
• Construction jumped by 3,700 positions and added 33,400 positions over the year.
• Professional and Business Services employment increased by 2,900 jobs, for a total 45,400 jobs added in the last year.

- Scott Nishimura, jobs and workplace reporter, Star-Telegram

How Fort Worth-Arlington jobs fared in 2010

Fort Worth-Arlington’s jobs picture continues to improve, along with the state’s, according to today's Texas Workforce Commission data.

Area employers listed 858,300 workers on payrolls in December, up from 857,600 in November and 850,000 a year earlier, according to figures out Friday from the Texas Workforce Commission. The numbers were not adjusted for seasonal fluctuations.

For all of 2010, most industries added jobs locally, led by government’s gain of 4,600 positions. Education and health services together added 2,900 jobs, leisure/hospitality added 1,900, and manufacturing added 900.

 

Job losers during the year included mining/logging/construction, down 500, information, down 1,000, and both wholesale and retail trade.

 

- Scott Nishimura, jobs and workplace reporter, Star-Telegram

Texas adds 230,800 jobs in 2010

Texas added 20,000 jobs in December and was up a total 230,800 over a year ago, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday.

The state’s unemployment rate, however, rose to 8.3 percent from 8.2 percent from both a month and a year earlier, as the number of people looking for work rose.

The state lost 359,000 jobs in 2009.

Seven of 11 industries added jobs statewide in December over the previous month, led by construction, which added 8,700 jobs.

"The annual job growth rate in Texas has steadily risen every month during the past 12 months," Tom Pauken, the Workforce Commission chairman, said.

Texas had a total 10.449 million nonfarm jobs in December. Here’s a look at Texas industries, total December jobs, change over a year earlier, and change over November:

Mining and logging: 228,600, up 29,400, up 1,400

Construction: 586,300, up 32,300, up 8,700

Manufacturing: 840,500, up 28,000, up 3,100

Trade, transportation and utilities: 2,040,600, down 3,200, down 300

Information: 187,800, down 12,900, down 800

Financial activities: 631,100, up 4,900, up 800

Professional and business services: 1,287,300, up 64,100, down 3,300

Education and health services: 1,407,200, up 46,000, down 4,500

Leisure and hospitality: 1,026,600, up 25,000, up 6,600

Other services: 368,800, up 12,200, up 3,400

Government: 1,844,900, up 5,000, up 4,900

The state’s civilian labor force rose to 12.21 million in December from 12.17 million a month earlier, and 12 million a year earlier.

The Fort Worth-Arlington area had 858,300 nonfarm jobs in December, compared to 850,000 a year earlier. The area’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.9 percent from 8.2 percent a month earlier and 8 percent in December 2009.

- Scott Nishimura, jobs and workplace reporter, Star-Telegram

Another 85,000 Texans set to exhaust jobless benefits without new federal extension

As Congress wrangles over whether to extend unemployment benefits, the Texas Workforce Commission “will continue to instruct claimants to file for their benefits if they are still unemployed, so that if Congress extends the deadline, we can pay those claimants retroactively,” Ann Hatchitt, spokeswoman for the commission in Austin, said.

“The Congressional bill to extend the deadline does not appear to be gaining traction in Congress, but TWC is monitoring the situation closely,” Hatchitt said.

Here’s a look at how many Texans are receiving unemployment benefits:

• 54,508 people in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area are receiving regular state-funded benefits.
• 75,258 additional DFW people have exhausted their state benefits and are receiving federally funded extended benefits.
• Through October, about 466,000 Texans were receiving state or federal unemployment benefits.
• About 117,000 more Texans have run out of all benefits.
• The Texas Workforce Commission expects 85,000 more Texans will “immediately” have exhausted all benefits, if Congress doesn’t extend benefits again.
• Some people who lost their jobs in 2008 and haven’t found one qualified for as much as 93 weeks of unemployment benefits – six months’ state-funded, and the remainder federally-paid.
• If Congress doesn’t extend unemployment benefits by Monday’s deadline: People who are receiving unemployment benefits can complete the stage of the program they’re in, but won’t be eligible for extensions.

- Scott Nishimura, jobs and workplace reporter, Star-Telegram

Fort Worth-Arlington's' leading industries by wages

What industries lead the Fort Worth-Arlington area in wages. Here's data on second-quarter wages by industry from the Texas Workforce Commission's jobs release today:

* Trade, transportation and utilities: $1.98 billion.

* Government: $1.44 billion.

* Manufacturing: $1.337 billion

* Education and health services: $1.08 billion.

* Professional and business services: $1.02 billion.

* Financial activities: $690 million.

* Construction: $458.4 million.

* Mining and logging: $411.7 million.

* Leisure and hospitality: $384 million.

* Information: $204.7 million.

* Other services: $173 million.

Here are the largest industries by number of jobs:

* Trade, transportation and utilities: 23 percent

* Government: 15 percent

* Education and health services: $13 percent

* Professional and business services: 11 percent

* Leisure and hospitality: 11 percent

* Manufacturing: 10 percent

* Mining, logging, and construction: 6 percent

* Financial activities: 6 percent

* Other services: 4 percent

* Information, 1 percent

- Scott Nishimura, jobs and workplace reporter, Star-Telegram

Fort Worth-Arlington adds 3,600 jobs in October

The numbers aren't adjusted for seasonal fluctuations (the statewide numbers are), but here's a look at the Fort Worth-Arlington jobs picture in October, according to the Texas Workforce Commission's release today:

* Total non-agricultural employment: Up 3,600 jobs to 852,800 compared to September, and 8,200 over the same month in 2009.

* Mining, logging, and construction: Up 100 jobs to 53,800 over September, and down 600 over last year.

* Manufacturing: Down 200 to 87,300 over September, and up 800 over last year.

* Trade, transportation, and utilities: Up 700 to 196,400 over September, and down 2,200 over last year.

* Information: No change at 14,200 over September, down 1,000 from a year ago.

* Financial activities: No change at 48,800 over September, down 900 from a year ago.

* Professional and business services: up 300 to 92,500 over September, up 1,900 over the prior year.

* Education and health services: Up 300 to 108,600 over September, up 3,000 over the prior year.

* Leisure and hospitality: Down 1,200 to 91,100 over September, up 2,100 over the prior year.

* Other services: Down 100 to 32,000 over September, up 500 over the prior year.

* Government: Up 3,700 to 128,100 over September, up 4,600 over the prior year. Local government was the strength here, adding 3,200 as school districts continued hiring employees for the fall. State government added 400.

- Scott Nishimura, jobs and workplace reporter, Star-Telegram