Stacey Page Online (11/08/2012) Dani Molnar

Fort Worth, TX-based Trade Management Inc. has been acquired by South Bend, IN-based Peoplelink Staffing Solutions. “Trade Management is a strong player in the trades staffing niche and their operational model will complement the Peoplelink profit center operating model,” says W. “Jay” Wilkinson, president and chief executive of Peoplelink. “[The acquisition] will improve our footprint in the South Central region of the U.S., and will provide for additional growth in the trades specialty niche.”

Bloomberg (11/09/12) Anna-Louise Jackson; Anthony Feld

More companies are hiring permanent employees, and temporary employment is contributing less to job creation, an indication companies are more confident about the sustainability of the economic recovery. The monthly change in the number of employees on payrolls of temporary staffing firms averaged 2.2% of the monthly gains in aggregate nonfarm payrolls in the July-October period, down from nearly 19% in the first half of the year, according to seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Recent gains in hiring suggest company cautiousness was exaggerated, says Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group. If companies become more confident about the economic outlook, they could worry that the hiring environment may become more competitive, so would be more likely to add workers on a full-time basis, says Challenger Gray & Christmas chief executive officer John Challenger.

NJ.com (11/08/12) Anthony G. Attrino

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has provided funding to hire temporary workers in Middlesex County to help with Hurricane Sandy cleanup efforts. Eligible workers include people who have lost their job due to the hurricane and people who are unemployed and not receiving any government assistance.