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The U.S. economy has suddenly shifted into a higher gear, and "help wanted" signs are popping up at many more companies. That's great news for the whole staffing industry, but these four firms could benefit more than most.
Employers went on a hiring spree in January and drove down the unemployment rate for a fifth straight month to 8.3 percent, its lowest point in nearly three years. The result pointed to a resurgent job market, and it sent stock futures surging. The Dow Jones industrial average futures, which were flat before the report, jumped 95 points.
Detroit's Big Three are in hiring mode again, and Japanese automakers are building cars in the U.S. to export to Asia. And they aren't the only ones ramping up U.S. production. Is America at the beginning of a new industrial age? The answer lies in China.
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plummeted last week to 352,000, the fewest since April 2008. The decline added to evidence that the job market is strengthening. Applications fell 50,000, the biggest drop in the seasonally adjusted figure in more than six years, the Labor Department said Thursday.
The economic turmoil that has left many Americans without work is having a disproportionate effect on teenage job-seekers, whose quest for entry-level positions often pits them against experienced older workers willing to take any job for a paycheck.
A burst of hiring in December pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in nearly three years, giving the economy a boost at the end of 2011. The Labor Department said Friday that employers added a net 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest since February 2009. The rate has dropped for four straight months.
Stocks are opening slightly lower despite a government report that the unemployment rate dropped in December to the lowest level in nearly three years. The Labor Department said early Friday that the unemployment rate fell last month to 8.5%, while U.S. employers added a net 200,000 jobs.
By most indications, the U.S. economy is recovering fairly well for the time being. But across the Pond in Europe, another story is unfolding that has the stock market worried -- and it should have your attention, too.
Far fewer people are seeking unemployment benefits than just three months ago %u2014 a sign that layoffs are falling sharply. The number of people applying for benefits fell last week to 366,000, the fewest since May 2008. If the number stayed that low consistently, it would likely signal that hiring is strong enough to lower unemployment.
Two-thirds of chief executives of the largest U.S. companies don't plan to hire in the next six months, mainly because of sluggish growth in the United States and financial turmoil in Europe. The Business Roundtable says that about one-third of its member CEOs expect to add employees and spend more on large equipment in the next six months.

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BAC
Bank of America Corp
8.10-0.09
-1.04%
158.19M
ALU
Alcatel-Lucent (ADR)
2.20+0.26
+13.14%
95.52M
GE
General Electric Company
18.90-0.24
-1.23%
26.45M
F
Ford
12.41-0.28
-2.21%
25.99M

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CIE
Cobalt International Energy
32.62 +8.72
+36.49%
14.25M
LNKD
LinkedIn Corp.
89.53 +13.14
+17.20%
9.05M
ALU
Alcatel-Lucent (ADR)
2.20 +0.26
+13.14%
95.52M
WNS
WNS (Holdings) Limited (ADR)
10.52 +1.12
+11.91%
2.68M

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KV-A
K V Pharmaceutical Co. Class A
2.10-0.51
-19.54%
1.45M
KV-B
K-V Pharmaceutical Co. Class B
2.16-0.47
-17.87%
4,779
NBG-A
National Bank of Greece SA (ADR)
5.74-1.01
-14.96%
125,314
OSG
Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc.
10.43-1.40
-11.83%
1.35M
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