Ciber News Release (04/30/13)

Ciber Inc. today reported net income from continuing operations of $1.7 million, or $2.1 million before restructuring charges, for the first quarter of 2013, a 14.9% increase from the $1.5 million reported for the same period in 2012. The company reported revenue of $225.0 million for the first quarter of 2013, a 1% increase. North American revenues totaled $107.2 million for the quarter, up 2% from the first quarter of 2012.

U.S. Department of Labor News Release (04/29/13)

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration on April 29 announced an initiative to further protect temporary employees from workplace hazards. OSHA sent a memorandum to the agency’s regional administrators directing field inspectors to assess whether employers who use temporary workers are complying with their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Inspectors will use a newly created code in their information system to denote when temporary workers are exposed to safety and health violations. Additionally, they will assess whether temporary workers received required training in a language and vocabulary they could understand.

In addition, OSHA has begun working with the American Staffing Association and employers that use staffing firms to promote best practices ensuring that temporary workers are protected from job hazards.

Marketplace (04/29/13) Jeff Tyler

American Public Media’s “Marketplace” has partnered with ProPublica, an investigative journalism center, in publishing a story about “raiteros” who provide transportation for immigrant temporary workers in Chicago to warehouse job sites in the city’s suburbs. The story alleges that raiteros charge fees for van rides, check distribution, and job applications. Many of the workers being transported by the raiteros are employed by staffing firms.

Wall Street Journal (04/30/13) Jeffrey Sparshott; Sarah Portlock

U.S. consumers increased their spending in March, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, but part of the spending was due to high heating bills. Personal spending—including such things as clothing, health care, and heating—ticked up 0.2% last month. Economists had expected spending levels to remain flat. However, slow income growth suggests consumer spending may not boost the economy much in the coming months.

“The weakness of spending on goods in recent months…is the underlying story. Fiscal tightening is hurting,” says Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomic Advisors.

“Given the expected softer pace of consumer spending, gross domestic product growth will likely be held around 1.0% in the second quarter,” says Eugenio Aleman, senior economist at Wells Fargo.