To warn consumers about potential scams, the BBB of Connecticut is providing advice about hiring for construction jobs in Connecticut, especially when it comes to hiring a contractor.

In 2011, BBB received more than 6,000 complaints against general contractors, an 11% increase over the previous year.

“Be especially wary of doing business with a contractor who solicits business door-to-door,” warns Connecticut Better Business Bureau President, Paulette Scarpetti.

“This could mean that the contractor is not from a local, established business and is instead just passing through and trying to scam innocent consumers.”

BBB advises consumers to follow this checklist before choosing a home contractor:

Be picky and have lots of options – Seek at least three bids from prospective contractors based on the same specifications, materials and labor needed to complete the project. Homeowners should discuss bids in detail with each contractor and ask questions about variations in pricing. The lowest-priced contractor may not be the best.

Make sure they are certified and insured – Consumers should ask whether the company is insured against claims covering workers’ compensation, property damage and personal liability in case of accidents. Obtain the name of the insurance carrier and call to verify coverage. Ask whether the contractor meets licensing and bonding requirements set by the state, county or city. Check with local authorities to find out whether permits are needed before proceeding with the work. The contractor also should be aware of any required permits.

Get everything in writing – Ask whether the contractor will provide a lien waiver upon completion of the job. A lien waiver is a statement by the contractor that all suppliers and subcontractors have been paid for their work. Read and make sure you understand the contract before signing. Get all verbal promises in writing, in addition to start and completion dates.

Follow the “Rule of Thirds” – A reasonable payment schedule would stipulate paying one third as a deposit, one third when work is half finished and one third after completion.

According to labor market information, Connecticut jobs have been added.

Year-over-year job growth is accelerating to 0.7% in January 2012 from 0.5% in December 2011. The recently revised seasonally adjusted employment estimates confirm that Connecticut is making its way beyond this generational downturn.

Recently revised seasonally adjusted nonfarm job numbers
show that Connecticut has gained back 35,900 (30.6%) of the now 117,500 jobs (was 119,200) lost in the somewhat newly defined downturn. This recessionary job loss was 6.9% of total nonfarm employment for the state (6.4% for the U.S.). The revised data for Connecticut now point to February 2010 as the new end to 23 months of
job loss that began in March of 2008 when nonfarm employment peaked at 1,712,200. The previous bottom was designated as January 2010. Since that time the Nutmeg state has been on a slow and sometimes unsteady
path to job recovery, lagging modestly behind the national employment recovery (36.1% vs. 30.6% of lost jobs recovered).

The newly revised jobs data show that the new high-water mark in this recovery was April 2011 at 1,631,100 jobs for Connecticut. Connecticut was outpacing the national recovery, but due to relatively large declines in the government sector.

State government retirements, local government layoffs and declines in tribal employment all contributed. Two major storms hit the state last fall, resulting in significant though temporary workforce impacts.

TD Bank recently announced it is hiring for customer service jobs in Connecticut.

They are looking for at least 90 people.

The bank wants to recruit people for customer service, financial service, sales and teller roles, which are considered to be both entry-level and mid-senior level positions depending on each individual opening. The new jobs offer benefit packages that are competitive within the banking customer service industry.

The bank said it looks to hire people who will keep the customer experience in mind, and possess skill sets that include exceptional customer service and/or previous sales experience. Indicative of the bank’s recruitment strategy, TD wants to attract talented individuals who are looking for careers – not just jobs – with a growing institution, and who will leverage the company’s employee training programs to become versatile team members capable of serving in various roles throughout their careers with TD Bank.

Despite the economy, one company is doing great and reportedly hiring for marketing jobs in Connecticut and other locations where its offices are located.

Vanguard Direct, a provider of communications solutions, announced that it is bringing in four new mobile- and tablet-oriented associates.

The new team includes Dana Farbo, Thomas Miller, Nomi Kaplan, and Ken Palen — all formerly of Imano Inc.

In his new role as Director of New Media, Dana Farbo, a leader and innovator in web campaigns, dynamic content delivery, and digital publishing, brings his expertise in mobile and a strong marketing background to the company’s proven client service model.

Thomas Miller, as Creative Director, New Media, will combine his background in magazine design and publishing with in-depth knowledge of custom mobile development solutions for smartphones and tablets, helping the company’s design team bridge the gap between conventional print and the age of the iPad.

As a Creative Project Manager, Nomi Kaplan will bring freshness and new insights to day-to-day client communication, and will help to bring mobile and web solutions to the table alongside traditional technologies. And Ken Palen, coming in as Senior Account Executive, New Media, is engaged in the cutting edge world of iPhone, iPad, and Android app design and development, helping customers enhance their communications, training and customer engagement efforts.

“This talent set clearly supports our new brand positioning,” said Robert O’Connell, Vanguard Direct President, “and not only helps Vanguard grow in the digital and mobile space, but will allow us to introduce state-of-the-art digital and mobile projects in order to grow and support current and prospective clients.”

Adds Director of Technology Services Preeti Sharma, “Bringing this team into the fold will further strengthen our ability to make powerful and compelling advances with mobile/tablet and creative services.”

TD Bank, which calls itself America’s Most Convenient Bank, today announced it is hiring to fill financial jobs in Connecticut as a result of the bank’s continued growth in the market.

The bank said it is committed to hiring locally and from the state’s talented workforce. It will host two job fairs in Connecticut that are free and open to the public, and will be held:

Wednesday, April 4, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell Hotel located at 100 Berlin Road in Cromwell, and
Tuesday, April 10, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Courtyard by Marriott Waterbury Downtown Hotel located at 63 Grand Street in Waterbury.

“At TD Bank, we have an organic growth engine, a strong and growing deposit base, and financial products that meet the individual needs of Connecticut residents,” said Joe Culos, Senior Vice President of Retail Banking, TD Bank. “Our growth has presented us with the unique and exciting opportunity to create more than 90 new jobs in Connecticut and ramp up our hiring within the state’s talented workforce.”

The new full- and part-time positions will include customer service, financial service, sales and teller roles, which are considered to be both entry-level and mid-senior level positions depending on each individual opening. The new jobs offer benefit packages that are competitive within the banking customer service industry.

A new survey from Manpower posits that the level of confidence about Connecticut jobs is growing.

According to the seasonally adjusted survey results, the Net Employment Outlook for Quarter 2 2012 is +10%, up from +8% during the same period last year and from the +9% Outlook during Quarter 1 2012.

Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed, 18 percent anticipate an increase in staff levels in their Quarter 2 2012 hiring plans, while 6 percent expect a decrease in payrolls, resulting in a Net Employment Outlook of +12%. When seasonally adjusted, the Net Employment Outlook becomes +10%. Seventy-two percent of employers expect no change in their hiring plans. The final 4 percent of employers are undecided about their hiring intentions.

For Quarter 2 2012, employers have a positive Outlook in all of the 13 industry sectors included in the survey: Leisure & Hospitality (+26%), Mining (+20%), Professional & Business Services (+17%), Durable Goods Manufacturing (+15%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+14%), Nondurable Goods Manufacturing (+13%), Transportation & Utilities (+13%), Financial Activities (+11%), Information (+10%), Construction (+9%), Other Services (+8%), Education & Health Services (+7%), and Government (+5%). When the industry sector data is compared quarter over quarter, employers in the Construction, Nondurable Goods Manufacturing, Transportation & Utilities, and Leisure & Hospitality sectors anticipate a considerable hiring increase, while employers in the Durable Goods Manufacturing, Wholesale & Retail Trade, and Professional & Business Services sectors anticipate a moderate hiring increase.

The state of Connecticut jobs looks bright, according to recent stats.

The job market got off to a good start in January, growing 7,100 total nonfarm jobs over a revised decline in December 2011 of 1,000. As a result of the benchmark revisions, yearly job growth in December 2011 declined slightly from 9,000 to 7,800, but as of January 2012, Connecticut’s year-over-year job growth climbed to 11,900. The state’s unemployment rate continued recent declines to 8.0%, down 0.1 points from the revised December 2011 figure.

“The region’s mild winter appears to be helping job growth in Connecticut across many industries, including construction, manufacturing, and trade,” noted Andy Condon, Director of the Office of Research. “Unemployment continues to decline, though unlike in recent months, our labor force also shrank slightly. Although we still have fewer people in Connecticut’s labor force than we did a year ago, we appear to be on a trend to close that gap.”

Nonfarm Jobs: The Connecticut January 2012 total nonfarm job estimate expanded significantly by 7,100 positions or 0.4%. Since January 2011, the state has added 11,900 jobs (0.7%) for a current employment level of 1,630,600. Following the annual benchmarking process, the preliminary December jobs estimate for Connecticut of a 600 increase was revised to a decline of 1,000 (-0.1%, 1,623,500).

The annual benchmark revises job estimates based on a more complete count of jobs than is available when the sample estimates were originally made. Traditionally, the benchmark revision process is done annually, prior to estimating January data and this pushes back the release of state January data to mid-March.

Many more real estate jobs in Connecticut are expected to be added, according to a new survey.

The survey of real estate companies conducted by Ferguson Partners Ltd., a global executive recruitment consultancy, finds that 61% of all respondents anticipate adding to their workforce in 2012 – a jump of nearly 70% from two years ago, when only 36% planned to increase hiring.

“The hiring demand is much stronger than most people in the real estate industry anticipated. It looks like most of the growth will be in middle management and entry level positions, which is a reflection of firms rebuilding infrastructure after the 2008 meltdown,” said William J. Ferguson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ferguson Partners Ltd. “From a global perspective, the U.S. is showing some momentum, Europe is unsteady and the impact of China’s economic slowdown on Asia is an unknown. Yet, despite ongoing challenges around the globe, an abundance of capital flow is helping to increase demand for investment and other talent.”

The 2012 Global Hiring Forecast is based on the responses of over 120 professionals, including CEOs and other senior-level executives from companies active in commercial property investment and commercial mortgage lending, along with a sampling of respondents from investment banks, REIT securities, law firms, corporate real estate groups, and pension funds. Ferguson Partners Ltd. conducted the annual international survey from November 1, 2011 through December 15, 2011 with executives representing real estate firms across North America, Europe and Asia.

Productivity from those working at Connecticut jobs has enhanced, according to recent stats from the BLS.

Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased at a 0.7 percent
annual rate during the fourth quarter of 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported today. The gain in productivity reflects increases of
3.6 percent in output and 2.9 percent in hours worked. (All quarterly
percent changes in this release are seasonally adjusted annual rates.)
From the fourth quarter of 2010 to the fourth quarter of 2011,
productivity grew 0.5 percent, as output rose 2.3 percent and hours rose
1.8 percent. Annual average productivity increased 0.7
percent from 2010 to 2011.

Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index
of real output by an index of hours worked of all persons, including
employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers.

Unit labor costs in nonfarm businesses increased 1.2 percent in the fourth
quarter of 2011, as productivity grew at a slower rate (0.7 percent) than
hourly compensation (1.9 percent). Unit labor costs rose 1.3 percent over
the last four quarters. Annual average unit labor costs
increased 1.2 percent from 2010 to 2011.

BLS defines unit labor costs as the ratio of hourly compensation to labor
productivity; increases in hourly compensation tend to increase unit labor
costs and increases in output per hour tend to reduce them.

Manufacturing sector productivity declined 0.4 percent in the fourth
quarter of 2011, as output rose 3.8 percent and hours worked increased 4.2
percent; this is the largest quarterly gain in hours worked since the
fourth quarter of 2005 (4.8 percent). Over the last four quarters,
manufacturing productivity increased 1.7 percent. Annual average
productivity grew 2.8 percent from 2010 to 2011. Unit labor costs in
manufacturing increased 1.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 but
decreased 1.1 percent from the same quarter a year ago.

GE recently announced its intent to open manufacturing centers all over the US and to create more Connecticut jobs.

As part of its focus on what works, GE will launch several new programs throughout the year, including:

· New pilot programs with partners to improve healthcare delivery in Louisville, KY, and Erie, PA, to achieve better health at lower costs in each community. This follows a successful program in Cincinnati that has resulted in significantly lower costs for both local employers and providers while improving access and maintaining quality care.

· Hiring 5,000 U.S. veterans over the next five years and sponsoring a “Hire our Heroes” partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help veterans integrate into the civilian workforce and match them to jobs.

· Opening several manufacturing skill-building centers called “GE Garages” to spark interest in skills for jobs and partnering with GOOD/Corps on the What Works Project, a new interactive platform to highlight what works by inviting the public to submit stories, images or video depictions of what is currently driving American competitiveness. The project will award up to $10,000 each week through November to selected non-profit organizations that support American jobs and skills training.

· Doubling the number of GE engineering interns to more than 5,000 as part of an initiative proposed by the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to add 10,000 more engineering graduates a year in the U.S.

The program is program aimed at strengthening America’s global competitiveness by building a more highly skilled workforce, lowering healthcare costs and supporting the integration of the nation’s veterans into the workforce.