MEMPHIS, TN— Employers are hiring and people are going back to work in Memphis. In fact, it's going so well the Bluff City ranks as one of the best in the country when it comes to hiring. According to the “Gallup Job Creation Index” employers increased hiring nearly 40 percent last year in the greater Memphis area which includes Arkansas and Mississippi.
Electrolux, Mitsubishi, and the Great American Steamboat Company are all big businesses hiring hundreds of Memphians. That has landed the city at number three when it comes to the best job growth in 2011. According to the report, more than one in three workers in Memphis said their employer was hiring or expanding its workforce. It ranked Memphis in the top 3 U.S. metro areas when it comes to hiring and so far, so good.
“We need about 280 people. We've already hired 30 people here for the headquarter office,” said the president of the Great American Steamboat Company Christopher Kyte in February.
"Our first year of operations we'll be hiring 75 to 100 employees and when we're in full production we'll be close to 300,” said the human resources manager for the Mitsubishi power plant in Memphis Lisa Terry.
"Come on down! We're open for business and we're hiring,” said a store manager for a new clothing store called “Revive” Cheshepe James.
The Greater Memphis Chamber says its economic development team helped increase employment by securing over a billion dollars in new capital investment along with the promise of 3,700 new jobs.
"We knew it all along. When good things happen it takes a while for it to click but the world is beginning to take note of what's going on here and there's much more to come,” Mayor A C Wharton told abc24 news.
You might call it the "revive-al" of Memphis business.
"Business has been pretty good. I think word got around in the last 2 weeks of who we are and the weekends have been really good,” said James.
Revie’s name is fitting since the owner previously closed the same type of store 9 months ago in a different downtown location. Employees noticed happier shoppers too.
"Things have been on the downturn and to find out that more jobs will be available, that gives a lot of people hope,” James told abc24 news.
As the summer comes rolling in, Mayor Wharton says the city isn't slowing down when it comes to getting people back to work.
"More of the same, we're going to put it on steroids that's the next step. You ain't seen nothing yet," Wharton said.
San Antonio and Houston ranked in the top two spots for the most hiring in 2011. The cities doing the most "firing" are Riverside, California, Virginia Beach, and Las Vegas.
