Is the Economy Getting Better?

Reno, Nev. (April 30, 2010) -- Is our economy getting better? It depends on what day of the week it is and who you listen to. Going by the official definition, it seems the “Great Recession” ended in 2009, but the signs are conflicting.

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its March jobs report, showing that the economy added 162,000 jobs last month ~ the most jobs added in any month during the past 3 years.

• A quarter of U.S. employers plan to hire contract workers in the second quarter to fill productivity gaps, according to a March survey by CareerBuilder and USA Today.

• U.S. housing starts rose more than expected in March to their highest level since November 2008, and permits to build new homes scaled a 17-month peak, offering hope the housing market recovery remained on course.

• Thomson Reuters reports that last month the retailing industry collectively reported a 9.1 percent sales increase at stores open at least a year. It was the industry’s seventh consecutive month of growth, and the strongest result since Thomson Reuters began tracking same-store sales in 2000.

• The Commerce Department indicated that factory orders rose in February for the 10th time in 11 months.

• Manufacturing continued growing at its fastest pace since 2004, according to the index of industrial activity from the Institute of Supply Management (ISM). Economic activity in the U.S. service sector increased in March at a faster rate than in February, according to the ISM nonmanufacturing index released in early April.

• In the week ending April 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 456,000, a decrease of 24,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 480,000.

At the same time:

• A total of 24 states suffered jobless rate increases in March, according to the Labor Department's monthly report.

• The construction unemployment rate jumped to 27.1 percent and construction employment dropped to a 14-year low as another 64,000 construction workers lost jobs in February, according to federal employment figures released in March.

• The number of U.S. households caught in the foreclosure process during the first quarter jumped 7% from the prior quarter.

So the definitive answer to whether the economy is getting better is: maybe.

When economic uncertainty collides with keeping a construction business going, what’s an employer to do? Do you hire full-time tradespeople and hope you’ll have enough work to keep them busy? Do you try and do everything with a skeleton crew, wearing out your people (and yourself) in the process? Or do you bid on everything you come across and figure out how you’ll handle the work if it comes your way? None of these is a savvy business choice. There is another option. Partner with a specialty staffing company who will recruit and employ the tradespeople you need, precisely ~ and only ~ when you need them.

That’s where CLP can help. We partner with commercial and industrial contractors to take on the burden and expense of recruiting, hiring and employing skilled tradespeople, allowing them to meet deadlines or take on additional projects without the administrative time, risks or costs involved in hiring tradespeople directly.

• Employers pay only for the hours CLP employees work.

• One inclusive rate covers everything ~ including unemployment insurance, workers' comp and an employee benefit program.

• Every CLP tradesperson completes an extensive screening process before they're sent to an employer’s jobsite, and comes with CLP’s 100% Service Guarantee.

About CLP
Headquartered in Reno, CLP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE: TBI). To learn more about CLP, visit www.clp.com or call 800-CALL-CLP.