Lois White

Lois White, the president of Carolina Placement Inc. in Winston-Salem, said that her temporary-employment company had its best January in terms of job placements since Sept. 11, 2001.

"We didn't see the normal post-holidays slowdown, and things already have started picking up again in March, including some new accounts," White said."We look for the second quarter to be really strong."

White said that part of her company's challenge is that there is a shortage of qualified workers who can fill immediate job needs.

"We've had to step up our recruiting efforts in the Triad because more people are turning to job-training initiatives in hopes of more job stability," White said.