JOBWIRE

Resignations a Sign of Improving Job Market

The US Dept of Labor said 2.2 million workers left their jobs in December, a 7.8-percent increase from the previous year. Analysts view rising resignations as a sign of increased confidence in job availability and higher wages. NY research group The Conference Board measured an increase of nearly 15 percent in worker confidence from a year ago, attributed to three years of net hiring increases and declining unemployment.

Silicon Valley Job Boom Not Just in IT

A variety of economic indicators point to excellent employment opportunities in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area this year. Researchers with San Jose-based Joint Venture Silicon Valley and Mtn View-based Silicon Valley Community Foundation cited 'prodigious' job growth in a 2013 Silicon Valley Index report declaring the recession has ended in the region. The report said the Bay Area added 92,000 jobs in 2012, with Santa Clara and San Mateo counties contributing 42,000. San Francisco has attracted many rapidly expanding employers, as well. The proliferation of technology businesses in areas such as social media and software development has had a positive ripple effect on employment in other industries, particularly construction, the researchers said. That was supported by a WANTED Analytics report, which showed that of the region's mammoth 252,000 jobs posted online recently, 76 percent were for workers in fields other than IT and computer programming. WANTED Analytics said that outside IT, the most in-demand jobs include marketing mgrs, registered nurses, retail salespeople, executive secretaries and administrative assistants. A survey by Silicon Valley Bank reported that 87 percent of the nation’s startups are hiring, but are having difficulty finding talent, in part because of highly competitive recruiting by larger firms.

On the Job Front

MOUNTAIN VIEW – Panera Bread will open a bakery & café in August or September at a former Blockbuster location in the El Monte Center. The Missouri-based chain operates over 1600 fast-casual restaurants in 40 states.

RANCHO CORDOVA – Owner Harte-Hanks is closing PennySaver's local printing & inserting facility here, eliminating 150 jobs after major client JCPenney decided to redirect its advertising dollars from direct mail to broadcast.

SACRAMENTO – CalPERS, the state's public employee retirement system, has 100 information technology positions it hopes to fill by holding a career fair on Saturday, March 2 from 9am-1pm at its 400 Q St headquarters. IT professionals, recent college grads and college students are encouraged to register in advance at calpers.ca.gov.

SAN FRANCISCO - Anchor Brewing plans to build a production and distribution facility on the current Pier 48 site, which will result in 200 new jobs at Anchor’s Potrero Hill plant.

SAN JOSE - Oregon-based Lattice Semiconductor is moving local operations (mostly R&D) to a larger space and could increase its workforce from 200 to about 250 within six mos.

SANTA CLARA - Graphics chipmaker Nvidia has unveiled plans to build a huge new campus across from its headquarters on Tomas Expressway that could eventually provide workspace for 5,000. The first of two iconic triangular buildings is slated to open by July 2015. Nvidia employs about 3,300 locally and 8,000 worldwide.

WOODLAND - Walmart will hire up to 95 people for a Neighborhood Market opening this fall in the former Mervyn’s space at County Fair Mall.