My Recruiting Blog

Anyone in the midst of a job search received some good news today.

The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the national unemployment rate declined from 10 percent to 9.7 percent during January. However, another 20,000 jobs were lost during the month.

The total number of unemployed people decreased to 14.8 million during January. Teenagers saw the biggest unemployment rate, at 26.4 percent, followed by blacks at 16.5 percent, Hispanics at 12.6 percent, adult men at 10 percent, Whites at 8.7 percent, Asians at 8.4 percent and adult women at 7.9 percent.

Gulf War era II veterans had an unemployment rate of 12.6 percent, while non-veterans had a rate of 10.4 percent. People with a disability had a 15.2 percent unemployment rate, compared with 10.4 percent for those with no disability. Foreign-born people had an unemployment rate of 11.8 percent, while native-born people had a 10.3 percent rate.

The construction industry lost 75,000 jobs during January, with nonresidential specialty trade contractors losing 48,000 workers, accounting for the majority of the decline. Construction industry employment has declined by 1.9 million workers since December 2007.

Employment in transportation and warehousing decreased by 19,000 workers, mainly due to a 23,000 job loss among couriers and messengers.

After several months of severe declines, employment in the manufacturing industry only dropped by 11,000 workers, mainly because of 23,000 job gains in motor vehicles and parts, and 6,000 job gains in plastics and rubber products.

Temporary help services increased by 52,000 jobs, and has added 247,000 jobs since reaching a low point during September 2009. Retail trade employment increased by 42,000 jobs, mainly due to a 14,000 job gain among food stores, a 13,000 job gain among clothing stores and a 10,000 job gain among general merchandise retailers.

Employment in the federal government increased by 33,000 jobs, including 9,000 temporary positions for the 2010 Census. However, more jobs were lost in state and local governments. Healthcare employment also continued to increase, with ambulatory healthcare services adding 15,000 job over the month.

Labels: Job Search

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

In today’s competitive job market, finding a job can be time consuming and frustrating. The advancement of technology and the ability to access websites and job boards via the internet gives job seekers a huge advantage. It also offers the ability to search for jobs by particular profession and specific geographic locations.

But did you realize it also offers the opportunity to search for jobs specifically for baby-boomers?

A quick search using your search engine of choice will reveal many sites dedicated to retaining or recruiting “experienced employees” or those over the age of 50. By 2014, nearly one-third of the total U.S. workforce (32 percent) will be age 50 or older, up from 27 percent in 2005.1 With the threat of massive numbers of baby-boomers exiting the job market over the next decade, companies are looking for ways to retain, attract and recruit them more aggressively.

AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) actually has a listing on their website of the top 50 places to work for people over 50. Taking advantage of this opportunity can enhance your ability to find a job via the internet when you target these companies and contact them directly. Capitalizing on your skills and experience is a great way to get your foot in the door and your resume is that door-opener, so make sure it’s comprehensive.

The “brain drain” with the loss of baby-boomers in the job market creates a promising future for those over the age of 50. Staying in touch with the job market, and browsing the list of companies seeking more experienced employees, will result in new opportunities for your career advancement or continuation.

Finding a job via the internet has never been so good for the ‘older worker’.

Labels: Job Search

With the housing market floundering and other economic indicators pointing towards a recession, many are beginning to be concerned about the immediate future of US employment. If circumstances continue then the number of jobs available in the country will likely drastically decrease as businesses try to maintain profits through cutting back on how many employees are on the payroll.

Current job listings on the internet may already be showing the beginning of this. Monster Worldwide Inc.'s dropped 4.8 percent in January to $27>25 a share. According to BusinessWeek, this happened shortly "after an analyst downgraded the job Web site operator and the company's January employment index showed a decline in online recruitment among employers."

According to Monster, it's index declined nine points in January, ending up at 160. Deutsche Bank analyst Jeetil Patel says that this decline in job listings, increase recession concerns, and execution risks from new management prompted the decrease in share pricing. He went on to say that "while one month does not make a trend, the data suggests a meaningful slowdown on growth and could represent an issue on profitability given the higher margins in the North America market."

The index, which measures posted jobs online and availability, showed significant decreases in the number of positions listed with the site in 20 of the 23 industries it monitors. Posted jobs online available to those in the finance and insurance industries dropped 21 points in the month of January, which Monster representatives says reflects the subprime mortgage crisis. When compared to the previous year the decrease in job listings was 5 percent from 2007s 168 points. The index is said to have a error margin of plus or minus 1.05 percent.

This decrease in the number of positions posted on the internet could make finding a job online more difficult. Employers who do continue to recruit through the web will have a larger pile of resumes to sort through, meaning higher competition for positions for jobseekers. Since approximately only 20 percent of available positions make it to online job listings it is best for those looking for new employers to pair their web search with more traditional methods in order to find less publicly advertised opportunities.

Labels: Job Search

If you haven't already heard about Notch Up, then you need to learn about it now. Notchup is one of the newest sites on the internet to support individuals in their job search. And they're making it easier and faster than ever!

Notchup.com is partnering with companies and corporations who are seeking to identify the most talented people in the workforce. And they're willing to put their money where their mouth is, because if they select you as a potential interview candidate, then they will pay you to interview!

The process is simple. You just apply to join NotchUp, sign up, upload your profile, and set your price for an interview. Then you sit back and wait - and the interview opportunities flow into your inbox. You choose which ones you want to accept and decline those that don’t interest you.

What could be easier? Check out Notchup.com today for a new career tomorrow!

Labels: Job Search