San Diego led the top 20 U.S. metro areas in hourly earnings growth at small businesses in September, according to the latest Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch.
Hourly pay growth among small businesses in San Diego shot up nearly 5%, just ahead of those in Seattle and Riverside, during the month.
Overall, the report found that the national hourly earnings growth slowed to 3.8% in September. Translated, that means the nation’s small businesses are adding workers at a sustained, modest rate.
“As the post-pandemic surge has cooled, the rate of small business job growth has slowed in 16 of the last 19 months,” according to a news release. “The current rate remains above the level seen just before the start of the pandemic.”
The West led regional hourly earnings growth for the fourth straight month and remains the only region in the nation above 4%.
“Wage inflation continues to cool,” said James Diffley, an economist at the company. “These indicators are not precursors of a recession but instead indicate a tighter supply of available workers.”
Paychex says it reaches one in 12 U.S. private-sector employees, making the monthly report an industry benchmark.
Drawing from the payroll data of 350,000 clients with fewer than 50 employees, the report offers analysis of national employment and wage trends.
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National retailer Macy’s says it plans to open 30 new small-format stores nationwide, including one in the San Diego area, as part of an accelerated expansion plan announced recently.
According to a news release, the company will open a downsized store at the Santee Trolly Square in November.
Macy’s said the new stores will be sited at both on- and off-mall locations and offer a selection of the company’s best-selling products.
The expansion is part of the retailer’s strategy “to provide a seamless shopping experience across channels,” according to the release.
The company’s Bloomingdale’s unit also announced plans for small-format stores but did not include San Diego at this time.
Macy’s small-format stores will be one-fifth the size of its full-line department stores with a “highly curated and localized selection of merchandise.
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Oceanside’s MiraCosta College, which counts 19,000 credit students systemwide, says it has launched a new online certificate program that presents a comprehensive curriculum over one semester.
According to a news release, the program focuses on four key courses: workplace, social and diversity awareness, time management and goal setting, and teamwork.
The news release said the effort is designed to help students develop “the soft skills essential for long-term success in the workforce.”
Students will pick from an added course in English, English as a second language, or skills needed to get a job.
“Local employers have spoken, and we’ve listened,” Erica Duran, who chairs the noncredit and career preparation classes at the school, in a prepared statement.
“We consistently heard from employers that they struggle to find employees with the soft skills essential for long-term success,” she said. So, we’ve developed a curriculum that fills this critical gap, elevating our students above the competition.”
For more information, click on this link.
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The 400-room, waterfront InterContinental San Diego has a new general manager: Vietnamese karate black-belt holder Bertrand Mangeot.
Mangeot, a native of France, will oversee all operations at the property. He’s held various senior titles throughout his career and led successful multi-million-dollar projects, according to a publicist.
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Los Angeles-based 1st Century Bank, a unit of MidFirst Bank, which claims to be the largest privately owned bank in the nation, has hired 22 bankers from the now-defunct First Republic Bank.
According to a news release, the bankers will perform an instrumental role in 1st Century’s growth in southern California, including San Diego.
This new local office is led by industry veteran Jason Shidler, who joins the bank from First Republic and brings “a proven track record of success in the San Diego market,” according to a news release from the bank.
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National Print shop and business center franchisor AlphaGraphics says Min Egidio has joined the nationwide family as the new owner of the San Marcos location.
She is taking over from previous owner Gary Treiber, who operated the North County franchise for more than two decades.
Egidio is also the owner of All Time Awards in San Diego. The franchise has close to 260 stores operating across the country.
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Swiss tech company Enclustra says it has launched U.S. operations with the opening of a site in San Diego.
In a news announcement, the company says plans to hire more than 30 employees to staff the site.
Enclustra provides design services for FPGA modules, which are used in a variety of industries including aerospace & defense, medical, and vision systems.
Enclustra says its embedded chip technology is used for such tasks as simplifying complex navigation and communication for aircraft carriers, satellites, lunar modules and helicopters, as well as providing fast reaction times in critical operations such as Lasik eye surgery.
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Akeso Occupational Health announced the opening of a new clinic on 5th Avenue in downtown San Diego.
According to a news announcement, the site will offer a range of services, including treatment of injuries, on-site x-rays, blood draws, physical therapy, drug screens, audiometric testing, HazMat testing, breath alcohol testing, pulmonary function testing, and drug screens. The clinic administers TB tests and vaccines.
Akeso says it is California’s largest independent company focusing on occupational health. The company, which currently operates 21 clinics in California, says it has been providing health services for more than 30 years.
“We are pleased to announce the expansion into downtown San Diego,” said the company’s top executive Chuck Kruger, “For years we have heard from local employers and public agencies about the lack of occupational health options downtown, and we are excited to add a state-of-the-art clinic in the heart of downtown San Diego.”
He said the clinic is the sixth clinic added in 2023, bringing the total to 21, including six here in the county.
Tom York is a Carlsbad-based independent journalist who specializes in writing about business and the economy. If you have news tips you’d like to share, send them to tom.york@gmail.com.
