Bureau of Labor Statistics

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At some point over the last year, the news replaced regular reports on the current escapades of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears with frequent stories on the latest unemployment statistics. The news seems to think we want less celebrity drama and more excitement from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In the midst of this recession, Bud’s Warehouse has assisted in the process by which the government determines unemployment statistics. Over a year ago, we were randomly selected to provide employment data on a monthly basis. I found our selection ironic because our hiring priorities are so opposite that of more traditional businesses.

As a faith venture business, we intentionally seek to hire individuals who are unable to get jobs anywhere else because of addictions, homelessness or felony convictions. These are individuals who find it difficult to find a job in any type of economy. Yet, even in the midst of this recession, we’ve been blessed with the ability to continue to employ at similar levels as in the past. We are even looking at opportunities to expand our job-training hiring with the initiation of a cabinet manufacturing operation.

I suspect that our hiring data often puts us into the realm of a statistical outlier. While many companies have had to make tough decisions to downsize, God continues to enable us to make a difference for individuals rebuilding lives from extreme challenges in a difficult economy.

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