Where are all the Jobs?: Jul 8, 2011

Friday, July 8, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: 47 percent of employers plan to add workers by year’s end

47 percent of employers plan to add workers by year’s end

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 09:55 AM PDT

We’re halfway through 2011 and many job seekers are wondering what the state of the job market is. Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases employment figures each month, the data can be informative but still doesn’t answer the questions a lot of people have: Who’s hiring? What are my chances of finding a job? Where should I be looking?

One way to get answers is to just ask employers. Since you probably won’t get a response if you call an HR department ask, “So, what are your hiring plans for the rest of the year? More than last year? In what fields?” Instead, we did the asking for you, and some of the results are promising.

For a reminder of what employers expected 2011 to be like, you can look at the 2011 Job Forecast and the 2nd Quarter Forecast. What we found then was that employers expected this year to be better than the last few, and this latest survey indicates they were right.

As we pointed out in June, job cuts are down this year, online postings are up, and manufacturing grew for 22 consecutive quarters. Plus, more states have improving job market than worsening ones. In other words, despite some occasional setbacks and slow growth, the overall job situation is better than it has been and seems to be heading for more improvement. The latest results from the 2011 Mid-year Job Forecast echo those sentiments.

Here’s some of the good news we found:

47 percent of employers plan to hire new employees between now and year’s end
Actual hiring exceeded expectations for eight quarters in a row.
50 percent of employers say there is a shortage of skills within their organization, which is good because it means they need qualified job seekers to apply for their positions

Here’s a glimpse of employers’ hiring plans:

26 percent of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in the third quarter
35 percent of employers are hiring full-time, permanent employees (up from 28 percent in 2010)
15 percent of employers are hiring part-time employees (the same as 2010)
12 percent of employers are hiring contract or temporary employees (up from 9 percent in 2010)

Where should you look for a job?

The biggest shortages of skilled workers are in information technology, customer service and communications.
The South expects the most hiring in the 3rd quarter, with 38 percent hiring full-time, permanent employees, but the other regions aren’t far behind
The areas where hiring managers expect to focus on hiring are customer service, information technology, and sales.

Ultimately what the survey tells us is that we can expect a promising second half to 2011, especially compared to last year. And if history is any indicator, employers are being cautious about broadcasting their hiring plans. They’ve consistently hired in greater numbers than they anticipated, so we could be in for two quarters of strong hiring and happy job seekers.
Check out this (delightfully colorful) infographic to see what else the mid-year survey found and read the full survey results here.

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Creating a Red Rubber Ball Moment in the Workplace

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:17 AM PDT

workplace culture, engaged employees, employee productivity, red rubber ball moment, workplace productivity, best places to work

Have you ever had a red rubber ball moment? Kevin Carroll, author of the Red Rubber Ball Book Series describes these as when play transform even tense, high-stakes moments into pure fun and result in deep connections formed that can last a lifetime.

My first experience in a post-college and professional environment was while working for Target Corporation as part of the company's store management team in an HR capacity. My official title was Executive Team Leader of Team Relations or ETL-TR for short. While I worked exhausting hours and two to three weekends a month, I regularly visited the store on my day's off to spend time with my co-workers over breakfast, dinner, or just checking in. Even over ten years later, many of my fellow managers remain my friends, and our secret store handshake remains a secret to this day. We have a red rubber ball moment nearly every single day.

For animals, play often ends when animals become adults. Humans however are different. They are designed to play throughout their lifespan. It's what drives our dreams, productivity, and our desires.
Imagine a world without vacations, sports cars., college football and tailgating or even creative hobbies like painting and photography. Bottom line is that you can't. Life would be empty and bleak because e without creativity as humans, we aren't truly whole.
And that's the exact problem with most workplaces today.
Forty years worth of research by Stewart Brown, a medical doctor, psychiatrist, and founder of the Carmel Valley National Institute of Play found that some of the highest achievers in business, science, and arts have incorporated the concept of play into an important part of their lives including business.
Play is such an integral part in the success of adults that he believes the opposite of play is not work. It's depression.
And I tend to agree.
Imagine just for a moment the worst job you ever had. I'm positive you counted the minutes, possibly seconds until your shift ended. You made a b-line for the door, and when you left you felt no remorse when you tunred in your resignation. And that's if you even gave notice. And maybe you told your friends and family the job sucked your soul. And quite possibly you were right. It lacked fun. Maybe no one gave a damn. There was no play.
The difference between an engaged and disengaged workforce in most situations should be based on a company culture's level of play within the workplace. Disengagement should be seen as a level of interest, a feeling, much like being in love. For your workforce you're either in love with your employer or you're not. Adding the concept of play and encouraging this environment within your company culture or department aids in fostering employee engagement. For your company, play is a leading cause and result of falling in love. It's the foundation of what Tony Hsieh talks about when he describes the culture at Zappos. Employees are free to be themselves and are encouraged to play at work. Making for an environment that has a lasting impact on not only their employees but the customers in which they delight. Because if playing was easy, Delivering Happiness wouldn't be a best selling book.
How are you encouraging red rubber ball moments in your office? And how do you measure play's benefits?
Photo Credit Flickr.

conversation culture, employee engagement, employee enchantment, HR leadership, human capital management

Should You Fly Your Freak Flag Online?

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 05:17 AM PDT

work life balance, employee engagement, fly your freak flag, candidate engagement, eccentric candidates, workplace passion, employee disengagement, employee productivity,

We all have a creative side. Some embrace it more than others, but hopefully you have found at least a few passions in your life. I speak about those who tinker with an old car, enjoy knitting, photography, or pottery in their spare time. These folks have learned to negotiate the mythical work / life balance that most do not attain.
In short, they aren’t afraid to fly their freak flag.
Creative types also have detractors; namely corporate culture. Recruiters and HR practitioners are the guardians of their business culture and Talent Management. Under a magnifying glass an eccentric train collection could be viewed as an unhealthy obsession, pet lovers become crazy cat ladies, and video game fans morph into 40 year old virgins. It is safe to say that many choose to keep their passion under wraps for fear of emotional reprisal.
So, in this era of social media you may be surprised to hear I encourage everyone to share part of their passion with the world (especially job seeker's). I have found that the line between passion and unhealthy obsession is wide for the vast majority of adults. I also find that passionate people do supremely high quality work, with an analytical mindset matched with the focus to complete what they start. These are the people I want to be working with and so should you.
What do you think? Do you or should fly your freak flag using online tools like social media?
Aaron Lintz is a guest blogger at Blogging4Jobs. He has worked in human resources, recruiting, and consultative services for over 10 years. His refreshing opinions are his alone. Follow his twitter @aaronlintz and visit Aaron's latest passion Dadsplaylist.com – Fostering conversations for parents and kids to enjoy music together.
**A message from Jessica. . . I love Aaron’s article and I wanted to share with you an Ignite video that further supports this subject from Joe Gerstandt called “Fly It. The What the Why, and the How of Freak Flag Flying.”

Photo Credit One Rare Bird.

Mindful Minutes: A Simple, Effective Way to Manage Stress at Work (or Anywhere)

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 11:00 PM PDT

I know how hard it is to manage stress, whether at work, at home or on the road. But, try making Mindful Minutes a priority during work.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

Embrace Career Change with a Spirit of Adventure!

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:30 PM PDT

I knew life as I had known it was going to change and it was time for a new career chapter and adventure. I took the leap and have never looked back.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

New Boss Pushed Me Out – What Should I Do?

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:00 PM PDT

The last six months have been under a new administration and my new immediate supervisor has been very difficult to please and hard to get along with.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

‘Stay-at-Home’ Mom Status Killing Job Prospects?

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 09:30 PM PDT

Why are recruiters burning up the phones to talk to this woman but blow her off once they find out she's a stay-at-home mom? Is the market that bad?

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.