Friday morning headlines

Droopy market: No big reaction to the not-so-hot job news, though there was plenty of selling in advance of the report. Dow is down about 60 points.

Help wanted: Some companies are having a hard time filling positions because of a skills mismatch. From the NYT:

During the recession, domestic manufacturers appear to have accelerated the long-term move toward greater automation, laying off more of their lowest-skilled workers and replacing them with cheaper labor abroad. Now they are looking to hire people who can operate sophisticated computerized machinery, follow complex blueprints and demonstrate higher math proficiency than was previously required of the typical assembly line worker.

Port workers to restart talks: The union that represents striking clerical workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach could resume negotiations with shippers and terminal operators as early as Friday afternoon. The strike has not shut down the port complex. (AP)

California workers on minimum wage: The governor is taking the budget impasse out on 200,000 state employees. He wants their pay to be $7.25 an hour until there's a budget deal. Controller John Chiang says he won't follow the order unless a court tells him to. From the Sacramento Bee:

Chiang, who has appealed the lawsuit he lost for refusing to comply two years ago with similar instructions, called the minimum wage order "political tricks" that he will resist. "Again, absent a final court ruling, I will continue to protect the state's finances and pay full wages earned by state employees," Chiang said in a statement Thursday evening.

Farmworker overtime bill: The state assembly sent to the governor legislation that would give California farmworkers the right to overtime pay. From the LAT:

In a lengthy debate that covered human rights and economics, opponents countered that increasing pay would hurt the state's $36 billion-a-year agriculture industry, whose farmers sometimes operate on slim profit margins, and their employees, who probably would wind up with a pay cut. [Sen. Dean] Florez's bill passed on a 46-26 vote but faces an uncertain fate with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former movie action hero from Austria and onetime bricklayer has a mixed record on agricultural labor issues.

Gas prices flatten out: Average gallon in the L.A. area is $3.127, just a touch higher than last week. A typical 14-gallon fill-up is a couple of bucks higher than last year, and about $20 less than in 2008. (Auto Club)

Paul Allen's in Malibu: The Microsoft co-founder has purchased a 5,800 square foot oceanfront home on Carbon Beach for more than $25 million. The place has five bedrooms, a deck with a pool, a gym and a screening room. (WSJ)