Career and job-search news, trends, and scoops for job-seekers,
compiled by the staff of Quintessential Careers.
September 26, 2007
Here's one list of the best employers for job-seekers aged 50 or older.
For the seventh year in a row, AARP has conducted its annual recognition program honoring
companies and organizations who value the 50+ workforce, with many of the top organizations returning to the
list from previous years.
Some of the top companies identified by AARP include: SC Johnson, Mercy Health System,
First Horizon, Scripps Health, George Mason University, Principal Financial Group, Volkswagen of America, Inc.,
and Michelin USA.
For a list of all the winners -- with a direct link to the organization's career center,
go to this section of the Quintessential Careers Directory of Career Centers:
Top Companies for Older Workers.
An interesting side note to AARP's work is that 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.
Go to the AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50
Honorees for 2007.
September 9, 2007
Amidst the worst employment news in the U.S. in years, yet more companies announce planned layoffs.
After last week's employment report from the Labor Department confirmed the obvious -- that more
companies are laying off workers than hiring them -- several more companies have announced layoffs,
including National City Corp., Countrywide Financial Corp., and IndyMac Bancorp Inc.
In what should be not be a surprise, U.S. employers cut payrolls in August -- the first
drop in jobs in four years.
The Labor Department announced today that 4,000 jobs were lost -- in construction,
manufacturing, transportation, and government.
There were some job gains -- in education, healthcare, hospitality, and retail.
Yet, once again the news was somewhat of a shock to the "experts" who had predicted
payrolls would grow by 110,000. Given all the announcements of layoffs in August --
as noted in an earlier blog entry -- it's unbelievable to think anyone would
forecast job gains in an economy that is struggling, especially in manufacturing, construction,
real estate, and financial services.
The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.6 percent.
September 3, 2007
A new report shows U.S. workers lead the world in productivity.
In a report released today by an agency of the United Nations, American workers are credited with staying
longer at work (whether in the office, at the factory, or on the farm) than their counterparts
in Europe and most other wealthy nations -- and they produce more per person over the year.
Only Norwegian workers get more done per hour than American workers, according to the report.
Furthermore, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) report, the average U.S. worker
produces $63,835 of wealth per year, more than any others. Ireland, Luxembourg,
Belgium, and France round out the top five.
The ILO report also states that while productivity levels have increased worldwide over the past decade,
gaps remain wide between the industrialized region and most others, although some regions have begun to
catch up, adding that major cause of world poverty is waste of workers' productive potential.
September 1, 2007
A higher number of newly laid off workers in the U.S. filed for unemployment benefits last week -- which should not
have come as such a surprise given the growing number of announcements of job cuts from employers.
According to a report from the Labor Department, applications for unemployment benefits totaled 334,000 last week,
an increase of 9,000 from the previous week. Experts forecast that jobless claims would fall by around 2,000.
But why was the increase such a surprise to these so-called experts? Just about everyday
some company is announcing a new round of layoffs.
Just last month, more than 25,000 workers nationwide lost jobs in the financial services industry -- including
cutbacks (or complete closures) at HSBC, Countrywide Financial Corp., Wachovia Corp., Capital One Financial Corp., Fifth Third Bancorp,
First Magnus Financial Corp., SunTrust Banks, Inc., Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., 1st National Bank Holding Co., and Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co.
Similar cutbacks have been seen in the construction industry and real estate market as the housing market's drop triggers related job losses.
But job losses are not limited to the financial services and construction industries. Other companies that have announced
layoffs in recent weeks include: General Mills, Inc., Amgen, Inc., Sun Microsystems, Merck & Co., TRW, EarthLink, Johnson & Johnson, Inc.,
Motorola, Hershey, Xerox, IBM, and Schering-Plough Corp
And there are concerns that the job market will continue to deteriorate throughout the rest of 2007.
All this bad job news is not the greatest way to enter the Labor Day weekend!
Job Stuff, A Blog for Your Career, from Stephen Harris.
Stephen's blog is a great resource for those job-seekers who find yourselves in transition, searching for guidance
and reassurance.
The Occupational Adventure Blog, from
Curt Rosengren, a Passion Catalyst. Curt's blog is great for finding encouraging ideas (and resources) for moving forward with your career... a career
that lights your fire.
Blue Sky Resumes Blog, from career
expert Louise Fletcher, a general career and job-search blog that covers all aspects of the job-hunt.
