The Herman Trend Alert (sorry, no link) today highlights areas of the economy that are growing, even thriving, during the slowdown. Some you may not have considered: Logistics alternatives to diesel-consuming trucks that are more efficient at moving goods, like railroads, are also doing well. Plus, fed up with increasing delays and cancellations of flights, passengers are choosing rail travel over air. Expect this trend to increase; the US rail lines will borrow experts from Canadian Pacific and Virgin to learn how to deliver extraordinary passenger experiences. Domestic food producers, especially domestic cheese producers are reaping the benefits of the falling dollar. Rapidly rising prices for imported products are prompting… Read More
Continue ReadingAmerica’s Top Growing Job
Roustabout, according to Forbes.com. I didn’t know what a roustabout was/did either. Roustabouts are the workers who assemble and repair oil and gas field equipment. They do other unskilled work around rigs like cleaning up spilled oil, moving pipes to and from trucks and guiding cranes that move loads around decks. It’s hard and dirty work, and in the labor hierarchy of oil rigs, roustabouts are a notch below roughnecks. Don’t you just love the American economy? Never ceases to amaze me. Of course, there is always the other side of the coin. The disappearing jobs: The disappearing jobs list also reflects the continuing long-term decline of no- and low-skilled… Read More
Continue ReadingCountercyclical Market Segments Are Hiring
The Career News (sorry, no link) references an article regarding job market growth in 3 specific sectors (my bold): While hiring in the financial and consumer discretionary sectors has clearly been impacted by the continued fall-out from the mortgage market collapse, the technology, healthcare and defense sectors are all adding to their executive-level ranks nationwide. There were 12,000 more $100,000+ jobs posted on TheLadders in the first quarter of 2008 than there were in the first quarter of 2007. The recession is grabbing the headlines, but there are always countercyclical segments of the market that thrive in a down economy. The reports are showing a lot of reliance in this… Read More
Continue ReadingOutside Managers Running HR
Here is a trend I have not heard of – managers without human resources backgrounds being moved into HR Manager roles. From the Wall Street Journal online: Of the 15 large-company chief HR officer changes that consultant Brian Wilkerson has tracked in the past five years, about one-third have been filled by non-HR executives, he says. That compares with maybe 10% of such appointments before… The driver behind this increasing approach is fairly simple: The shift reflects the increased importance that chief executives and boards place on recruiting, retaining and grooming employees. It also reflects a perception that some traditional HR professionals lack the deep understanding of business and financial… Read More
Continue ReadingOnline Ads Down Again
I’m not sure the implications of this information, but Inc.com reported that the sheer number of online ads has decreased from last month and last year. The number of new jobs posted online in June was unchanged from May, marking the fourth straight month of year-over-year declines, the Conference Board reported this week. Some 3.8 million job openings were advertised online last month, or about 2.5 vacancies for every 100 persons in the labor force, according to data compiled from 1,200 Web-based job boards. That’s down from 2.9 vacancies per 100 persons in May, and 11.2 percent below a year ago, the report said. I’m not certain what data is… Read More
Continue ReadingGas Prices Leading To A Sea Change
According to a Workforce Management article the buzz at the SHRM conference inolved rising gas prices and the wide-ranging effects it is having. In fact, the conference’s opening press event highlighted its recent poll showing how companies are trying to assist their workers. The two most noted solutions were flexible schedules and telecommuting. Some of the other ways they are helping are four-day weeks, gas cards and car-pooling. John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas made a great comment (my bold): These are more than short-term fixes, Challenger says. They are the beginning of a revolution in the office that will result in productivity being the central value of work, rather the… Read More
Continue ReadingWhen To Post Job Listings
The Washington Post has a short article that references job hunting trends from Monster.com. Here is the data if you want to play the averages: In a trend that has held true for three years, job hunting takes off on Monday, peaks on Tuesday and is still very busy on Wednesday, according to Monster.com. Job hunt traffic on Tuesday is 28 percent higher than on Friday, said Steve Sylven, a spokesman for Monster. EQuest, which manages job boards for companies, used to see Tuesdays and Wednesdays as tops for tapping new career possibilities. But in 2007, Americans broadened their search days, and eQuest indicates any weekday from noon to 4… Read More
Continue ReadingFourth Quarter Comeback
We have been talking to many of our customers and have seen a consistent trend among our small sample size – Q4 is going to be a good quarter. Of course, that doesn’t do much for the last few days of this quarter and Q3, but it is a good sign. Now CNNMoney.com has an article that may have a significantly larger sample size: The Business Roundtable is an association of CEOs of major corporations, representing a combined work force of more than 10 million employees and $4.5 trillion in annual revenues. Here is the takeaway from this group (my bold): At the same time, a survey by the Business… Read More
Continue ReadingHiring On The Rebound
The hiring outlook from the Manpower survey looks far better than a year ago which is a good sign. Although there is weakness in areas, the hiring trend is still positive: “While overall softness continues in the third quarter, employers are generally not reacting with large-scale payroll reductions,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc. “The gradual slowdown suggests that employers have become sophisticated at anticipating their hiring needs.” Of the 14,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 26% expect to increase their workforces during the July – September period, while 10% expect to scale back their payrolls for a net employment outlook of 16% (seasonally adjusted 12%). Fifty-eight percent… Read More
Continue ReadingCreative Employer Gas Programs
This article from abcnews.com discusses different corporate plans to help employees deal with the rapidly increasing gas price. Of all the creative approaches I have read of late, I think this one takes the cake (my bold): The career search Web site Jobing.com’s program really helps employees’ wallets. Those who meet certain requirements (such as length of time at the company, a good driving record and completion of a safe driving course) can get their car completely wrapped with the company’s logo. The reward: 100% of the employee’s gas is paid for along with a monthly $500 stipend. The company has an approved list of cars that employees can choose… Read More
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