Career Opportunities

Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep you out the dock
Career opportunity, the ones that never knock

Maybe that song seems more appropriate now than it did thirty years ago. Here is a batch of articles about the economy and jobs.

College Degree No Shield As More Jobs Are Slashed comes from The Washington Post:

"In ordinary times, a college degree goes a long way toward securing employment, even during a recession. It also offers some measure of job security: Workers with at least a college diploma are less likely to lose their jobs in down times. But college grads such as Razmara are now finding that a postsecondary education isn't necessarily enough.

In fact, labor economists say the unemployment rate for workers with a bachelor's degree or higher is poised to hit a record high. This recession is so far-reaching, they contend, few are immune from the consequences.

'In a flood everyone gets swept away,' said Lawrence Mishel, an economist with the liberal Economic Policy Institute in Washington."

From workforce.com: Federal Study Concludes Health Insurance Reform Could Create Workforce Instability

"Making health insurance less dependent on employment could induce workers to retire earlier or change jobs more often, says a new report analyzing the implications of various health care reforms.

In its 196-page study published this month, the Congressional Budget Office analyzed the possible effects that health policy proposals might have on the federal budget, the economy, spending on health care and the number of people with health insurance. The report also attempted to predict how employers might respond to certain changes in health care policy."

Then comes 2009 Employment Outlook: Gut Check for Job Seekers from Monster Career Advice:

"Indiana University economist Bill Witte sees a similarly grim picture. “An unemployment peak of around 8 percent is likely,” he says. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see a number over 9 percent.”

Against this backdrop, one statistic might seem like good news: There were 3.05 million job openings in October 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But that’s down nearly 1 million openings from the 4.04 million reported a year earlier. And many of the jobs counted as open won’t be filled in the foreseeable future.

Some staffing firms are keeping a stiff upper lip. Manpower’s Employment Outlook survey says that employers in eight of 13 industry sectors plan to increase staffing levels in the first quarter of 2009, whereas 67 percent plan to hold the line."

I heard yesterday that one of our local employment agencies is down 80-90 percent for job orders. Not good.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has a solution for Indiana, though. So reported the IBJ in Chamber suggests ways to fix work force crisis:

"So the chamber hired the Colorado-based National Center for Higher Education Management Systems to prepare the policy proposals released today. A Lilly Endowment grant covered the undisclosed expense.

The recommendations are more general than prescriptive. The 24-page report called for creating a statewide coordinating body, developing common goals and an accountability system, aligning services among providers to improve collaboration, making training more affordable and increasing awareness of the opportunities.

Improving state workers' skill sets has long been one of the chamber's top priorities, Lawrance said.

'The connection between work force development and economic development is very clear,' he said.

It's also clear that Indiana has a lot of work ahead. But Lawrence said after last year's report - the first of its kind in the country - the state has gained momentum as stakeholders began working together to address the problem.

'We hope this document serves as a blueprint for what can happen,' he said."

No link showing this report is online and not had time to look for it. I suspect it is a lot too late and what everyone knows - Indiana promoted a culture where education's position was diminished. After all, the under-educated are easier governed.

Once more from workforce.com, Federal Study Concludes Health Insurance Reform Could Create Workforce Instability:

"Making health insurance less dependent on employment could induce workers to retire earlier or change jobs more often, says a new report analyzing the implications of various health care reforms.

In its 196-page study published this month, the Congressional Budget Office analyzed the possible effects that health policy proposals might have on the federal budget, the economy, spending on health care and the number of people with health insurance. The report also attempted to predict how employers might respond to certain changes in health care policy."