216,000 workers added last month

WASHINGTON » U.S. companies will have to keep hiring steadily to meet rising demand from customers.

That’s the message that emerged from a report by ADP on Wednesday that employers are finding it harder to squeeze more output from their existing staff.

It also helps explain why the payroll provider estimated Wednesday that companies added 216,000 workers last month.

Those findings reinforced confidence that 2012 will mark a turning point for the long-suffering job market and the economy. Applications for unemployment benefits have tumbled, consumer confidence is at its highest point in a year and the stock market has been on a tear since the year began.

Chrysler, GM to offer natural-gas trucks

DETROIT » More vehicles powered by natural gas will hit the market soon, as rising gasoline prices, booming natural gas production and proposed tax credits make them a more attractive option. But they’re a long way from being a common sight in U.S. driveways.

Starting in July, Chrysler will sell a Ram 2500 Heavy Duty pickup that runs on compressed natural gas. The truck has both gasoline and natural gas storage tanks, and the engine shifts automatically between the two, without the driver needing to push a switch. The truck can run for 255 miles on natural gas and the range is extended to 367 miles using gasoline. Once the CNG tanks are empty, the vehicle shifts to gasoline. The dashboard has fuel gauges for both.

Chrysler will have competition. Late this year, General Motors Co. will sell natural-gas versions of two pickups: the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 HD. The GM trucks will run on gasoline and natural gas for 650 miles. Ford Motor Co. has offered natural-gas-ready pickups and vans since 2009.

Consumer borrowing grew in January

WASHINGTON » Americans stepped up borrowing in January to buy more cars and attend school.

Consumer borrowing rose by $17.8 billion in January, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday. That followed similar gains in December and November.

The gains for those three months were the largest in a decade and helped consumer borrowing climb to a seasonally adjusted $2.5 trillion. That nearly matches the pre-recession borrowing level.

American Airlines will freeze pensions

DALLAS » American Airlines told employees Wednesday that it will freeze pensions for most workers instead of terminating them, as the company reorganizes under bankruptcy protection.

The freeze will apply to flight attendants and ground workers but not to pilots. The pilots’ pension plan includes a lump-sum payment upon retirement, and the company fears a surge in retirements would leave it without enough pilots to operate.

The decision to freeze instead of terminate pensions was a surprise. American hopes that the gesture will push labor unions to go along with other cost-cutting steps.

Tax preparer shrinks quarterly loss

LOS ANGELES » H&R Block Inc. says its loss narrowed in its fiscal third quarter as the company set aside a smaller provision for loan losses.

The nation’s largest tax preparer said Wednesday that it lost $3.3 million, or a penny per share, for the three months ended Jan. 31.

That compares with a loss of $12.7 million, or 4 cents a share, a year earlier.

Revenue fell 2.5 percent to $663.3 million from $680.3 million.

Greek bond swap gains momentum

BRUSSELS » Greece saw investors’ participation in a massive debt relief deal rise Wednesday, bringing the country closer to avoiding a default that would plunge it into financial chaos and reignite the European debt crisis.

About 24 hours before the deadline for acceptances, investors owning about half of Greece’s privately held debt had committed publicly to the bond swap, in which they will accept losses to avoid facing even bigger ones in the event of an outright default by Athens.

For the deal to work — and for Greece to secure a related $171 billion bailout — Greece needs 90 percent of investors to sign up.

However, a voluntary participation rate of around 70 percent could be enough to force most holdouts to go along.

ON THE MOVE

Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel has named Carole M. Spivey as chief operating officer. She has 25 years of experience in the legal service business, including as a faculty member in various educational settings and teaching courses in law office management for attorneys and legal managers, and has held positions at the national, regional and local levels of the Association of Legal Administrators.

Y. Hata & Co. has announced the following: 

» Jim Cremins has been named vice president of sales and marketing. He has more than 40 years of food service experience.

» Leighton Hatanaka has joined as a seafood specialist. He was previously a sales manager at Seafood Connection.

The Hawaii Council of Engineering Societies has honored Timothy Lum Yee with the 2012 Young Engineer of the Year award, nominated by the American Society of Civil Engineers Hawaii section. He is currently the project engineer for the Ho­no­lulu office of HDR, a global firm specializing in architecture, engineering, consultation and construction.

Cowabunga! Computers has announced the following hires: 

» Noah Guy as the primary on-site technician for commercial maintenance accounts.

» Isimeeli Hikila as the company’s in-house PC technician.

» Kim Ly will be responsible for receivables and payables.