Bethlehem Inn gets

workplace ranking

Bethlehem Inn, an emergency homeless shelter in Bend, ranked No. 6 out of 100 best medium organizations to work for in the 2024 100 Best Nonprofits to Work for in Oregon list. The annual ranking is done by Oregon Business and is based on employee satisfaction ratings focusing on work environment, management, communications, mission and goals, career development, compensation and benefits. The organization serves residents in Bend and Redmond with shelter, safety and case management for 1,100 individuals annually. It serves about 108,000 meals a year. The nonprofit Bethlehem Inn was started in 1999 and has been in its current location in a renovated hotel on Mervin Sampels Road in Bend since 2007.

Job openings fell

in September

U.S. job openings tumbled last month to their lowest level since January 2021, a sign that the labor market is losing some momentum. Still, openings remain well above pre-pandemic levels. The Labor Department reported that the number of job openings dropped to 7.4 million in September from 7.9 million in August. Economists had expected the level of openings to be virtually unchanged. The number of layoffs also rose. And the number of Americans who quit their jobs fell below 3.1 million, the lowest level since August 2020.

U.S. consumers

feel more confident

American consumers are feeling quite a bit more confident this month as Election Day approaches, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index jumped to 108.7 in October from 99.2 in September. It was the biggest monthly gain since March of 2021. Analysts forecast a more modest reading of 99.3. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market jumped to 89.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future.

Google ad changes

may hit businesses 

Google is changing the way its Google Local Services ads work, which could affect millions of small businesses. Google Local Services ads run locally and are a big way that small businesses market their goods and services. Ads appear on the top of Google search results. Starting Nov. 21, only businesses with a verified Google Business Profile will be able to run the ads. The change affects businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and “select” businesses in the U.S. and Canada, Google said in an online post. Getting verified on Google isn’t difficult but could take up to seven business days.

— Bulletin wire reports