Career and job-search news, trends, and scoops for job-seekers,
compiled by the staff of Quintessential Careers.
January 26, 2008
Jobless claims fall for the fourth straight week in the U.S., even as more companies
announce layoffs.
The Department of Labor announced that the number of workers filling claims for
unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell by 1,000 last week, leading some experts
to predict that the labor market is holding up fairly well in the midst of
a turbulent stock market and weakening economy.
While the unemployment numbers offered at least some hope, the announcement
came while both Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers were stating that they
were cutting 1,000 and 1,300 jobs, respectively.
January 21, 2008
You can help empower a student by acquainting them with the world of work through job shadowing.
Kicking off next Friday, February 1, 2008, and continuing throughout the school year,
is Job Shadowing 2008. Starting on that day, countless working professionals will see
their "student shadows" as part of Job Shadowing 2008 -- now in its 11th year.
But you don't have to officially participate to invite students to shadow you and observe a day in your work-life.
The U.S. economy struggles and more employers announce major job cuts in a trend that
started last year.
Here is the latest news of job cuts:
IndyMac Bancorp is cutting its workforce by 24 percent -- laying off more than 2,400 employees
Citigroup plans to eliminate about 4,200 jobs
Sprint Nextel announced plans to layoff "several thousand" employees (after eliminating
5,000 jobs last year)
Bank of America is cutting 650 corporate and investment banking jobs
Applied Materials, Inc., is reducing its workforce by 7 percent and cutting 1,000 jobs
January 5, 2008
More bad news on the job front, as job growth slows to the lowest level in almost five
years and unemployment hits a two-year high.
The U.S. Labor Department reported yesterday that employers added just 18,000 jobs in December, the worst
performance since a decline of 42,000 in August 2003. December's small gains were down from November's
115,000 gain, which was revised up from an initial estimate of a 94,000 increase.
Furthermore, the unemployment rate jumped from 4.7 percent in November to 5 percent
in December -- the highest level since November 2005.
Economists had been predicting that employers would add about 70,000 jobs and that
unemployment would rise only to 4.8 percent.
Factories, retailers, construction companies, and financial service providers all cut
jobs in December, with the government and service sectors doing the bulk of the hiring.
In terms of the full year, employers added 1.3 million jobs and the unemployment
rate averaged 4.6 percent in 2007. Employment growth averaged 111,000 a month in 2007, down
from 189,000 a month in 2006 (when the economy added some 2.3 million jobs).
January 3, 2008
The job outlook for 2008 -- at least the early part of it -- continues to get gloomier
as employers become more cautious about expanding their workforce.
With all the bad economic news continuing -- the poor real estate market, rising
energy costs, and a major drop in factory production -- employers are quickly
scaling back plans on what typically is a strong hiring season.
Further solidifying the gloomy job-hunting news is a report from the U.S. Department of
Labor showing the number of people continuing to collect unemployment insurance rose for a
fourth straight week -- to the highest level since October 2005.
Are any employers still hiring? Of course, but the current economic situation
will make your job-hunt much harder -- and possibly much longer.
January 1, 2008
As the new year begins, the QuintCareers.com
team is still on the road, ready to assist you in your quest for a better job or career.
Happy New Year! May you be happy and healthy in the new year -- achieving
the kind of college, career, and job success you desire and deserve!
The QuintCareers team is on the road again this year, having upgraded to a larger QC RV.
We'll be announcing sometime over the next few months the plans for the 2008 Quintessential Careers tour.
If you are a college career counselor or a member of a professional or
trade organization -- and you're interested in having us present a
free series of workshops to your constituents, send QuintCareers.com
Publisher Dr. Randall Hansen
an email and we'll see what we can do to accommodate your needs.
Again, our best wishes for a successful and empowered new year!
If we have a new year's resolution or two, it's that the job market gets stronger
and that everyone who is struggling to find a career that fits finds one. (We
can't do anything about the first resolution, but we can suggest our free
Career Passion
Tutorial for the second!)
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.
