My Recruiting Blog

According to most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, finding jobs in Chicago (click here for more information) didn't become any easier during the month of June. The city's unemployment rate rose 0.6 percent from May's 10.7 percent to 11.3 percent. This is significantly higher than the city's jobless rate from the previous year. In June of 2008 only 6.9 percent of Chicago residents were unable to find work.

During the month the state's unemployment rate and the national jobless average also rose. According to the Bureau, Illinois' rate climbed 0.2 percent from May's 10.1 percent to 10.3 percent. The countrywide unemployment rate rose 0.1 percent to 9.5 percent. Since then this statistic has fallen back to 9.4 percent, making July the first month that nation has seen a decline in joblessness in over a year.

According to the Bureau, there are now approximately 474,200 people in the Chicago collecting unemployment benefits. Despite the rise in the number of jobless residents, the number of people employed in the state rose by 37,400 individuals to 3,725,100.

During the last 12 months the largest Chicago job declines have occurred in the construction industry. As of June, there were now 14 percent fewer positions in this sector than there were in 2008. The economic recession has been particularly hard on the housing market. Since fewer people can afford to purchase new homes, there has been less of a need for new construction projects. This has, of course, hurt the job market for this sector.

Another area of employment that has taken a hit in the city over the course of the last year is the manufacturing sector. In the last 12 months this industry lost 11.7 percent of its jobs. Thankfully, these are the only two sectors that have experienced a loss of jobs greater than 10 percent.

The only industry to report an increase in jobs over the course of the last year was educational and health services. Employment in this sector grew by 0.6 percent.

Labels: Chicago jobs

If you're one of the many Americans on a job search right now, you probably know how discouraging the current employment market can be. However, there are some industries that are planning to hire, including accounting, information technology and leisure and hospitality.

The Department of Labor's most June Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey found there were 2.6 million jobs available during June, the same as during May, but a decrease of 3.9 million from last year.

As about 14.7 million people were unemployed that same month, there were almost six people for each open position, compared with fewer than two people per opening during December 2007.

The report found the leisure and hospitality industry had 304,000 job openings during June, up from 265,000 openings during May.

There also was good news for the IT industry, as the Department of Labor found that 7,900 jobs in computer systems design were added during July.

The United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the accounting industry added 4,000 jobs during July, and was one of the few industries to increase employment, along with healthcare, government and computer services.

According to a survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, about one-third of manufacturing companies plan to add employees during August, the highest proportion since October. However, the percentage of manufacturing and other service-sector companies planning to hire has decreased from last year.

Despite the optimism, the Conference Board's most recent employment trends index remained flat for the third straight month in a row during July, and declined by 20 percent from last year. On top of that, some experts predict the national unemployment rate will increase to 10 percent by the end of the year as more people begin looking for jobs and the economy recovers.

Labels: Job Search

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Massachusetts' job situation continued to worsen during the month of June.

The state's unemployment rate rose 0.4 percent from May's 8.2 percent to 8.6 percent, which is the highest it has been in almost 17 years. Although this is still below the national rate of 9.5 percent, it is significantly higher than the Massachusetts' jobless rate during the same time last year. In June of 2008 only 5.1 percent of the state's population was unemployed.

According to the state Office of Labor and Workforce Development, employers in Massachusetts did away with approximately 2,300 jobs during June. This is particularly interesting considering that the state saw the creation of almost 5,000 jobs last month.

Since June of last year around 106,400 jobs in Massachusetts have been lost. This means that the current number of jobs is 3.2 percent lower than it was in 2008.

During the month the largest job losses occurred in the government sector. Federal, state and city governments did away with 2,300 jobs. The construction industry, which has been experiencing problems throughout the country, followed. Employers in this industry cut 2,200 positions. The manufacturing sector saw a loss of another 1,900 jobs.

There also were job declines in the professional and business services sector and the financial industry. The first lost 1,300 positions, while employers in the latter cut 1,100 jobs.

The damage done by these job losses would have been much worse if two sectors hadn't experienced significant job gains during the month. Jobs in the education and healthcare sector rose, with 4,700 positions being created in June. Leisure and hospitality followed, creating 3,100 jobs.

Over the course of the last year the construction industry has experienced the largest rate of decline in the state. Currently payrolls in this sector are 16 percent smaller than they were in June of 2008. Mining and logging came in second, losing 13.3 percent of the number of jobs it provided during the previous year.

Only one industry reported experiencing year-over-year job gains; educational and healthcare services. Since June of 2008 employers in this sector have increased their payrolls by 2.1 percent. This comes as little surprise since many experts have said that this industry is relatively safe from the economic issues plaguing other areas of employment across the nation.

Labels: Jobs

The rising unemployment rate shows that fewer employers are hiring workers for jobs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9.5 percent of Americans were unable to find jobs in June. Those that do have positions opened aren't recruiting online as aggressively as they were before the recession began. Because of this, one new job search site has decided to offer employers the ability to list their available employment opportunities free of charge.

According to a recent press release, the career search site On the Way Resume is currently offering a summer promotion to encourage employers to use their website for advertising job listings.

Since many companies are downsizing their HR departments and budgets are tight, many employers can't justify paying large sums of money to announce a staff vacancy. On the Way Resume hopes that offering businesses the ability to get the news out about their jobs without charging will draw attention to their site.

Through the Summer Promotion job seekers will be able to sign up for the service at a reduced rate and employers will receive a lifetime membership to post unlimited jobs for free.

"Why should employers continue to pay exorbitant fees for posting these jobs?" asked Ken Nielsen of On the Way Resume. "And why should serious job seekers get lost among the millions of people who posted their resumes on a site for free without any commitment who may not be actively seeking employment?"

Nielsen and the rest of On The Way Resume feels that their format will work better for both employers and job seekers. Those who post their resumes on the site do have to pay, but this limits the white noise from inactive job seekers. Employers who use On the Way Resume then don’t have to worry about trying to contact individuals who aren’t actually on the market for a new job.

"Employers have the opportunity to post job openings for free and job seekers gain visibility and credibility by being part of a much smaller candidate pool," Nielsen said.

According to release, On the Way Resume feels that one of their more unique features is what they call the "Resume Snapshot." Job seekers who use the site list what they consider to be their key job qualifications on On the Way Resume, which then turns these qualities into a sticker or magnet. The job seekers then put this on their vehicle so that employers can contact them through a secure website portal.

"Companies have been using vehicle graphics for years to promote their businesses with what is basically a moving billboard," Nielson said. "We use the same concept to help job seekers stand out form the crowd. How else would a potential employer know that the person in the car next to them is not only looking for a job, but is serious enough about that search to invest in our service and innovative enough not to just wait around hoping the right job will come their way."

Labels: Jobs