The latest jobless claims report, which continues to vividly display the weak job
market, barely mentioned in many media outlets.
Perhaps like many other subjects that get a lot of coverage over an extended period of time,
the media are tiring of reporting the bad labor news.
The news, from the U.S. Department of Labor, was that initial jobless claims last week
held steady from the previous week -- at 384,000. The more widely examined number,
the four-week average of first-time claims, was at 378,250 -- the highest level since
October 2005.
Most experts note that whenever the jobless claims number is above 350,000 that it is a sign
of a very weak job market -- something we all probably know.
We also seem to be back to the almost daily reports of companies announcing layoffs and job cuts.
More and more workers near or after retirement are working in encore careers.
A new study released this week found that some 8.4 million Americans have moved
onto encore careers -- careers that combine flexibility, income, personal
satisfaction, and social impact.
Of those surveyed in the 2008 MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures Encore Career Survey
who were not in encore careers, about half said they were interested
in a second career -- especially in education, healthcare, and non-profits.
Interestingly, the current Fortune Magazine (6/23/08) also has a story about
encore careers, profiling seven baby boomers who have moved from corporate 9-to-5 jobs
onto second careers.
Some employers try a four-day work week or telecommuting to help ease commuting costs of workers.
With gas prices now above $4 a gallon nationally, more employers are considering alternatives
to help ease the economic crunch facing workers -- at least the gas cost crunch (since they can't
really do anything about the housing crisis or rising food prices).
One option some employers are implementing is a switch to a four-day, 10-hour work week, making
each work day a bit longer, but allowing workers to save money at the pump -- with the added bonus
of gaining three-day weekends.
Another option employers are considering and/or implementing to help workers --
one that has been around for quite some time -- is telecommuting for at least one day
a week. With advances in broadband availability, videoconferencing, and instant messaging,
more employers are revisiting this tool for worker flexibility.
The Telework Coalition estimates that about one in five workers now telecommute at least
some days of the work week -- about 26 million workers.
The summer job season combined with sluggish economy should provide strong motivation
for job-seekers to update resume.
While job-seekers may resist crafting a new resume because they suspect employers aren't
hiring during the summer -- especially in a recession -- those are exactly the reasons
workers need to keep their resumes polished and up to date.
The summer is the perfect time to fine-tune your resumes and lay the groundwork
for future hiring. It is also an excellent time to seek a new job as competition is minimal
because many job-seekers assume that hiring decisions will be postponed until fall. Plus,
current economic conditions dictate that workers be ready with effective resumes in case of
unexpected layoffs.
To help you get your resume up to speed, Quintessential Careers has just added 100 new resume
and cover-letter samples covering a wide range of occupations and professions, for job-seekers
from new college grads to senior executives -- and all, as always on Quintessential Careers, are free.
The new resume and cover-letter additions include samples in these categories:
U.S. unemployment rate jumps much higher than expected as employers cut almost
50,000 jobs in May, exposing the weakness in the economy and job market.
The Labor Department announced today that the unemployment rate jumped from 5.0 percent
in April to 5.5 percent in May -- much higher than expected and the biggest one-month rise
in 22 years... since 1986. At 5.5 percent, unemployment is highest it has been since October 2004. A
year ago, the unemployment rate was a full percentage lower at 4.5 percent.
Put into human terms, the number of unemployed people grew by 861,000 in May -- rising to 8.5 million
unemployed adults.
There was a net loss of 49,000 jobs in the economy in May.
With May's job losses, employers have now cut jobs for five straight months.
While airlines have been in the news this week for announcing cutbacks and layoffs,
the biggest losses in May have been the same as in the past few months... 34,000 construction
jobs were lost, 26,000 jobs were cut in manufacturing, and 39,000 jobs were lost in
business and professional services.
In good job news, there were job gains in education and healthcare, government, and leisure and hospitality.
While the media and economists continue to debate whether we are in a recession and whether
recession-proofing your job is a cliche, more and more Americans are feeling the economic
crunch -- either in job losses or in higher food and energy prices and concerns about living
the American Dream.
More workers keep in touch with their employer while on vacation.
A quarter of all respondents to an online survey said that they will keep in
touch with their employer while on vacation this year -- up from 20 percent
last year.
Other interesting tidbits from the survey:
15 percent said they gave up vacation days last year because they did not
have time to use them.
12 percent reported feeling guilty when they are on vacation
6 percent stated that they worried that taking a vacation could result in losing their jobs.
The annual CareerBuilder.com survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, polled nearly
7,000 workers.
Quintessential Resume & Cover Letter Tips Blog,
a blog from another part of the QuintCareers Network, with new resume and cover letter tips daily. A must-see for any active job-seeker.
The Career Doctor Blog,
a blog from another part of the QuintCareers Network, where each day our own Career Doctor Randall Hansen answers one career, job, college, or workplace question.
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.
