Companies expanding in westchester

Westchester County

Bayer HealthCare announced plans to transfer 50 support positions from Connecticut, to a company site in Greenburgh, in the next 12 to 18 months. The jobs coming to Westchester will include positions in the legal, information technology and human resources department.

HSBC plan to open a new office in downtown White Plains, catering to more affluent customers than those typically drawn to its branches. This office will offer enhanced service such as higher interest rates on money market accounts and discounts on some loan products and will also offer the services of a relationship manager. No job numbers were announced.

The Westchester, the upscale mall on the outskirts of White Plains has recently added the following retailers to its list of tenants. Barney's, MAC Cosmetics, Armani Exchange, Crewcuts, Lucky Kid, Juicy Couture, Michael Kors and Stuart Weitzman.

Acorda Therapeudics, a biotech company based in Hawthorne will more than double its existing sales workforce. The company employs 32 people and has been the top performing local stock this year. Acorda specializes in developing treatments for spinal injuries and related neurological conditions.

Citibank celebrated the grand opening of its newest branch in Yonkers on October 17, 2006. No job numbers were available.

Empire City at the Yonkers Raceway underwent a $225 million dollar renovation and expansion. The new facility officially opened on October 11, 2006 and it features 5,500 video lottery terminals (electronic version of traditional casino slot machines), restaurants and live entertainment, in addition to harness racing. The opening of the Yonkers Raceway created hundreds of jobs at all different levels and in all different areas; including casino management, finance, property operations, environmental services and food and beverage.

Trademark Cinemas, a discount theater operator based in Florida, plans to reopen a movie theater at the Jefferson Valley Mall in the fall. No job numbers were announced.

Putnam-Rockland-Westchester Unemployment Rates 2006

Putnam-Rockland-Westchester

(Data are not seasonally adjusted. Data are preliminary and subject to revision.)

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Ann Avg
2006	4.1%	4.2%	4.0%	3.9%	3.8%	3.8%	4.3%	3.9%	3.7%	3.3%	3.4%

Private sector employment in the Hudson Valley increased over the year by 5,900 or 0.8 percent, to 761,500 in November 2006. Employment gains were largest in natural resources, mining and construction (+2,500), professional and business services (+2,100), educational and health services (+1,600), financial activities (+1,100), other services (+700), and trade, transportation and utilities (+300). Manufacturing (-1,500) and leisure and hospitality (-900) declined over the year.

Westchester Library System offering career advice help

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Browse the index and discover what we offer – career programs, resources and links to WWW sites. We encourage you to utilize the assistance of experienced career counselors who will help you manage your career in a changing world of work.

IT jobs growing but there's not enough people to fill them

If you work in computers in the Westchester region, things are looking good for you my friends...

Businesses nationwide are expected to increase spending on information technology and hire more professionals in the new year. Yet many college students remain reluctant to pursue IT careers, convinced that the jobs they would hold will eventually be outsourced overseas.

Now, Pace University and a Manhattan tracker of IT employment data hope to show these students and others that employment prospects are brighter than they think. Pace and SkillPROOF Inc., formerly based in Yonkers, have created a new quarterly index intended to measure demand for IT specialists by major employers in Westchester as well as Manhattan.

In Westchester, the Pace SkillPROOF Information Technology Index for the third quarter of 2006 showed a 43 percent jump in IT jobs compared with the year-ago quarter -- reflected in a climb in the index score from 61 to 104. A fourth-quarter index will be released this month.

Source: Westchester Cty Business Journal