This week in BiS:
• Adaptability has served as an invaluable tool for Andy Holmes, owner of the popular slice of Great Britain known as Churchill’s Pub and Restaurant.
• When you stop by a local Redbox kiosk to pick up a DVD, think of Jennifer Deuster. The Connecticut native’s job is to make sure you can get the movie you want.
• Seth Musler and Patrick Zimmerman operate two Savannah restaurants, Betty Bombers and Butterhead Greens Cafe. Different menus but both successful because “we focus on food and the community.”
• Tourism Leadership Council chief Michael Owens offers thanks to new and veteran Savannah-Chatham police officers for the work they do in trying to keep 12 million tourists safe along with local residents.
• Logistics and transportation attorney Brad Harmon points out that a bill that could give U.S. states the ability to collect sales tax from online purchases could negatively impact the logistics industry.
• If you’re going to be dealing with international clients on your home turf or in their countries, make sure you do your homework on their customs, traditions and business styles, advises Savannah-based trainer Lydia Ramsey.
McCurry headlines business lunch
The Savannah Downtown Business Association will welcome James McCurry of the Georgia Ports Authority to speak at its August Luncheon.
The luncheon will take place at The Charles H. Morris Center, 10 E. Broad St., on Aug. 14, and will be catered by Magnolia Grill Catering. Networking will begin at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch at noon.
The price is $25 for members and $35 for non-members. Reservations required by Monday for discounted rates. All reservations must be made via the website at www.SavannahDBA.com.
U.S. job openings rise in June, but hiring falls
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers in June advertised the most jobs in five years but hired fewer workers, a mixed sign for the recovering job market.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that job openings rose 29,000 in June from May to 3.94 million. That’s the most since May 2008.
Total hiring, however, declined 289,000 to 4.2 million. That’s down from a year earlier and the biggest one-month drop in hiring since June 2010.
The job market is improving, largely because layoffs have fallen to pre-recession levels. But while employers are no longer cutting jobs, many remain reluctant to hire in the face of tax increases, federal spending cuts and slower global growth.
The report on Job Openings and Labor Turnover comes after the government said on Friday that employers added 162,000 jobs in July, the fewest in four months. Last week’s report showed all jobs added, minus the number of people who were laid off, quit or retired.
The unemployment rate fell to a four-year low 7.4 percent in July from 7.6 percent in June.
Competition for jobs still remains tight. In June, there were three unemployed people for every job opening. That’s down from a peak four years ago of nearly 7 to 1. In a healthy economy, the ratio is typically 2 to 1.