Washington Post (03/17/13) Sarah Halzack

Recruiters in the Washington, DC, area have seen companies alter their hiring practices and workers seek backup employment plans in response to the federal sequester. Peter Metzger of the global placement firm CTPartners says three clients are cutting a contract by 15% in response to the sequester, and because they expect the same level of service, they are looking for workers who are multitaskers. Other firms are insisting that they hire candidates immediately before their budgets get tight. Meanwhile, workers are looking into other job opportunities as they prepare for furloughs and job cuts, with the Reston, VA-based staffing firm HireStrategy reporting that more government workers are seeking new positions. Paul Villella of HireStrategy notes that the firm is looking to expand its client base to replace some of the federal contractors it had been working with. However, some recruiters have not seen any changes in contracts as a result of sequestration, as many multiyear government contracts have already been funded.

Wall Street Journal (03/18/13) Brent Kendall

President Barack Obama is set to announce today that Justice Department official Thomas Perez is his nominee to be the next secretary of labor. Hilda Solis, Obama’s first labor secretary, resigned in January. The president, during his first term, selected Perez to lead the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, a position he has held since 2009.