Job Action Day takes place on Monday, November 3rd, a day to empower job-seekers and workers.
Quintessential Careers has declared Nov. 3 Job Action Day 2008 worldwide -- a day for
job-seekers and workers to confront the current economic crisis head-on and take action
steps to improve their careers.
A special issue of our free newsletter, QuintZine, will be filled with new
articles and tools to assist both job-seekers and workers facing tough times at
work and in finding employment.
And we've also enlisted the help of more than 10 of the best career and job-search
bloggers to participate in Job Action Day by providing helpful entries on November 3rd.
And, of course, this blog will also have a special entry.
Read more in our special Job Action Day
section of Quintessential Careers.
October 22, 2008
Two government reports document massive increase in company layoffs while
workers in more than 90 percent of the states lose jobs.
In the first report, the U.S Department of Labor reported that there were 2,269 mass layoff actions
(involving at least 50 workers) in September, up 497 from August, and the highest monthly number
since the 2,407 reported in September 2001.
The second report shows that workers in 46 out of the 50 states suffered job losses. States
with both the highest unemployment rates -- and the biggest jumps in unemployment from
September 2007 -- include:
California (7.7 percent unemployment, from 5.6 percent a year ago)
Kentucky (7.1 percent unemployment, from 5.4 percent a year ago)
Michigan (8.7 percent unemployment, from 7.3 percent a year ago)
Mississippi (7.8 percent unemployment, from 6.3 percent a year ago)
Nevada (7.3 percent unemployment, from 5.0 percent a year ago)
Ohio (7.2 percent unemployment, from 5.7 percent a year ago)
Rhode Island (8.8 percent unemployment, from 5.1 percent a year ago)
South Carolina (7.3 percent unemployment, from 5.9 percent a year ago)
Tennessee (7.2 percent unemployment, from 4.9 percent a year ago)
States with the lowest unemployment rates? They include:
Nebraska (3.5 percent unemployment, from 3.1 percent a year ago)
North Dakota (3.6 percent unemployment, from 3.3 percent a year ago)
Oklahoma (3.8 percent unemployment, from 4.3 percent a year ago)
South Dakota (3.2 percent unemployment, from 2.9 percent a year ago)
Utah (3.5 percent unemployment, from 2.8 percent a year ago)
Simply comparing net jobs between August and September 2008, 11 states and the
District of Columbia registered statistically significant negative changes in employment,
including Michigan, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, Washington,
Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho.
While some experts are predicting the job cuts to begin to slow as employers
reduce staffing to its lowest functional levels, more job losses will continue
until the economy begins to rebound.
For job-seekers, there are still employers hiring (even as they are firing others),
but finding those employers will take much more time and effort.
October 15, 2008
Low-wage and hourly workers continue to face economic and social challenges
while struggling to make ends meet.
The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that some 75 million workers --
more than half of all workers in the U.S. -- are paid on an hourly basis. In the
report reviewing 2007 statistics (the latest available), more than 1.7 million
workers reported receiving wages at or below the minimum wage -- with almost
1.5 million reporting wages below the minimum wage.
While the federal minimum wage was finally increased in 2007 -- from the long-stagnant
$5.15 an hour to $5.85 an hour -- many minimum wage workers struggle with basic
living expenses, including housing, food, child-care, transportation, and medical care.
Many hourly workers do not have access to employer-provided benefits -- and of those
lucky enough to worker for an employer that does provide those benefits, many
earning the minimum wage can simply not afford to participate because of the
co-payments and premiums.
In terms of education, almost 40 million hourly wage earners -- more than
half of the total of all hourly wage earners -- have a high school
diploma or less, while almost 65 million have completed up to an associate's
degree or less.
One solution -- besides the continued increase in minimum wages to cover
inflation and cost-of-living increases -- is the continued development of work-support
programs to assist working families. These work support programs include
government programs such as the earned income tax credit, food stamps,
children's health insurance programs, transportation assistance programs.
Jobs keep being cut in battered U.S. economy, with 159,000 lost in September --
the biggest drop in five years.
The Department of Labor reported that there was a net loss of 159,000 jobs in
September -- larger than experts expected -- marking the ninth straight month of
job losses and bringing the year-to-date total to more than three-quarters of a
million (760,000) lost jobs. Not counting the big increase in government jobs over
the last nine months, the private sector has lost about one million jobs.
September's job cuts were the largest monthly job loss total since March 2003,
when payrolls were shredded by 212,000.
Just about every sector of the economy experienced job losses, including:
Manufacturing cut 51,000 jobs
Construction cut 35,000 jobs
Retailers cut 40,000 jobs
Leisure and hospitality industries cut 17,000 jobs
Professional and business services cut 27,000 jobs
Only government -- which added 9,000 jobs -- and education and health services --
which added 25,000 jobs -- saw any job creation.
We definitely need a change in the White House to turn this economy around and put
us back on a healthier footing so that unemployed/displaced workers can find new
jobs and job-seekers can feel more confident in their abilities to find a new
job -- and so that we can all feel more confident in paying our bills. We need
new manufacturing jobs -- green jobs and more -- as well as simply a healthier
economy.
If you are currently struggling to keep your job or find a job, remember to stayed
focused and as upbeat as possible -- and really use your network of contacts to track
down job leads.
In a side note, the QuintCareers team is leaving Washington after a success stay here
and heading back east. Here's a picture of our QuintCareers.com sign at our newest
site, EmpoweringRetreat.com.
October 2, 2008
New claims for unemployment insurance in U.S. jump to 7-year high as economy, hurricanes
wreak havoc on people's jobs, lives.
The Department of Labor reported that initial filings for state jobless benefits increased
by 1,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 497,000 -- the highest since the 517,000 reported in
the almost identical week in September 2001, and more than 150,000 more than this time
last year when the jobless claims number stood at 324,000.
Furthermore, the number of people continuing to collect unemployment insurance increased by
48,000 to 3,591,000.
Finally, in the September employment report due out tomorrow, experts expect to see that
the U.S. economy will see net job losses of more than 100,000 jobs -- continuing the trend
started in January -- and that is expected to continue for perhaps the rest of the year.
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.
