Although the area has a relatively high unemployment rate and has continued to lose workers along with the rest of the nation, there are several places to look for jobs in Phoenix.

Phoenix, which is home to 1,567,924 residents, is the capital and largest city in the State of Arizona. During the last two decades, the economy of the city and surrounding area has greatly evolved from its original stake in cotton and citrus farming to one that is much more diverse.

Phoenix itself is home to seven Fortune 500 companies, including:

• Avnet
• Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold
• PetSmart
• Republic Services
• Pinnacle West Capital
• Apollo Group
• ON Semiconductor

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One criminal background check company recently announced its plan to give away millions of dollars in free background checks.

IntegraScan, one of the largest online background check companies, will give away $7.5 million in free background checks to nonprofits and youth organizations during 2010. The downturn in the economy has left many organizations unable to afford in-depth background checks.

In July, the company kicked off what has been called the Kids Safe Program, which offered $500,000 per month in free background checks to youth organizations throughout the country. Thanks to the success of the program, IntegraScan has given away background checks to almost 1,000 organizations.

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Students in one England county are getting some help securing paid internships.

Graduates Yorkshire, a recruitment Web site, recently received £400,000 from the Yorkshire Forward regional development agency for a paid internship program. That program will give 60 recent graduates practical work experience in the Yorkshire area.

The money will help graduates receive coaching, mentoring and paid work experience to boost their employment prospects. Although the Yorkshire region has a £3 billion higher education sector, it also has one of the lowest percentages of graduates employed in the United Kingdom.

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While the effectiveness of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is being debated throughout the country, it seems the federal stimulus bill has helped saved thousands of Florida teaching jobs.

Arne Duncan, U.S. secretary of education, said on a recent visit to Orlando that the stimulus bill has not only helped “stave off an education catastrophe,” but also helped save nearly 26,000 Florida education jobs.

According to the White House, Florida has received $3.1 billion in education stimulus to date, including about $2 billion in “state stabilization” money that retained jobs in varying school districts. Overall, the funding has helped save 16 teaching jobs at Jackson Middle; 1,655 teaching and other jobs in the Orange County Public Schools system and about 26,000 jobs throughout the state.

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While the majority of the economy continues to struggle amidst the current economic recession, one industry has continued to consistently add jobs.

An American City Business Journal analysis of employment data from the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics found the education and health services industry has added almost a quarter-million jobs in the country’s 100 biggest labor markets since last year.

Not surprisingly, the New York City area has seen the biggest gains. The area, which includes parts of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, added 34,000 education and health jobs from June 2008 to June of this year. The Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston and Los Angeles area each added at least 12,000 jobs in the industry.

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Finding jobs in Rhode Island has been becoming progressively more difficult for some time now.

According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state’s jobless rate rose again in June for the 26th consecutive month. Unemployment increased 0.3 percent from May’s 12.1 percent to 12.4 percent. Not only is the significantly higher than the national jobless rate of 9.5 percent, it is also the highest rate the state has seen in over 30 years.

For the most part, high taxes and small size have kept Rhode Island’s economy limited. This caused the state’s employment problems to begin before the rest of the nation started to take note of the possibility of a full-scale economic recession. Despite this, Rhode Island’s jobless rate was still manageable during the same month last year. In June of 2008 only 7.7 percent of the state’s population was receiving unemployment benefits.

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According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, finding jobs in New Jersey became more difficult in June.  The state’s unemployment rate jumped from 0.4 percent from May’s 8.8 percent to 9.2 percent during the month. Information from the state Department of Labor and Work Development shows that this is the highest jobless rate New Jersey has seen sine 1977.

Despite this, the state’s unemployment rate remains somewhat lower than the national average of 9.5 percent. Nevertheless, the figure is significantly higher than that of the previous June. During the same month last year only 5.2 percent of New Jersey residents were unable to find work.

Employers in New Jersey did away with a total of 2,100 jobs in June. Although this is still a large number of positions to lose in one month, the state Department of Labor says it is the smallest decline the area has seen in 16 months.

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Looking for employment in a down economy can feel like a full-time job. With unemployment on the rise, competition for available jobs is high. This means that employers can be pickier than before the nation’s financial situation took a turn for the worse and that job seekers have to take a more aggressive approach.

Before you even begin looking for work, sit down and ask yourself a few questions. Is there a particular industry you are experienced in? If so, do you possess skills that can are transferable to other sectors? Are you willing to take a part-time job if you can’t find a full-time position? Is it worth it to you to take a position that is below the pay and responsibility level you are used if it is necessary to find work?

After you have your answers, it’s time to begin your job search. Many people prefer to start off by using the abundance of Internet sites with job listings. Just remember, either choose a job search site that pulls positions from various Web sites or be prepared to use multiple sites. This may include looking into industry specific job boards or Web sites from your local area.

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Although the city has taken a hit as of late, one tourist destination is doing its part to help create more Las Vegas hospitality jobs.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is planning to hire a total of 1,200 workers by the end of the year to help fill a variety of positions that have become available because of the company’s expansion. The company has already hired 400 new workers and plans to hire 800 more before the end of the year.

Positions to be filled include call dealers, housekeeping staff, bellmen, front desk agents, room reservation agents and EVS attendants. According to an article by KVBC, the company also is planning to host a series of job fairs throughout the summer, but specific dates and times have not yet been released.

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Several Florida nursing jobs are now in danger.

The Obama administration recently proposed a cut to Medicare Part A nursing home benefits, which would greatly affect Florida’s seniors. The cuts would place care access and care giving jobs at risk. This regulation was originally proposed during the Bush administration.

According to an article by The Ledger, Obama’s central policy focus is job creation and healthcare, but this regulation would threaten key caregiver jobs that make a measurable difference in quality of care for Florida seniors. The American Health Care Association found that the regulation would cut Florida’s Medicare-financed nursing home care by $78.4 million.

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