The unemployment rate fell recently to its lowest point since 2008! That’s great news — but still not great overall. It’s like being on “Dancing With the Stars”, and saying that you danced better than D.L. Hughley or Andy Dick.
Getting a job is still difficult. So what can you do in this economy if you need a job? Many are going back to school to specialize in a skill.
It makes sense because the way employers hire today is different. They’re looking for candidates that proved that they’re able to do something specific, either in a past job or with a certification.
That way, an employer can hire knowing that their candidate will be productive from day 1 without training. Also, certain types of jobs have disappeared and have been replaced by technology (e.g., automation). So you really need a skill now in order to find a job.
How do you pay for college or continuing education? Most importantly, how do you know what to study so that you’ll get a job?
I talk about this plus give an opinion on the stock market in this week’s podcast.
The Wall Street Geek is hosted by Michelle Price, Managing Principal of Price Capital LLC in NYC and author of “How to Buy Stocks Online” (available at Amazon).
This episode, I’m discussing nuggets of advice I picked up during a government jobs council meeting this week. These nuggets came from highly successful businesses that are succeeding despite lack of access to capital and despite some of the ridiculousness in Washington.
I’m also talking about how anxiety — which many have felt during the election season — may make you a more rational trader able to pinpoint alpha opportunities and outperform the market.
Don’t miss a thing! Friday’s at 12:30 pm EST at blogtalkradio.com/wallstreetgeek
But are job seekers actually as discontent as reports like this would lead us believe they could be?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics regularly documents the level of discouraged workers — e.g., the number of individuals not in the labor force who want and are available for work, and who have looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. According to their statistics, the number of discouraged workers dropped this year in comparison to last (numbers are in the thousands):
There could be one of two reasons for this: either jobseekers have given up searching and made themselves unavailable for work, or they’re finding jobs.
Looking at another set of statistics, certain types of occupations are continuing to trend upwards — namely Management/Professional and Service occupations:
Production/Material Moving occupations are also seeing a reversal in its almost decade-long trend downward. Sales occupations are not surprisingly taking a hit — often a commission-based field, it’s not easy to sustain a living when consumers are primarily sticking to buying core staples.
With this in mind, choose wisely the path you take as a jobseeker. And avoid a return of the rage that Howard Beale released over a similar jobs situation a generation ago.
Confidence data is used as an indicator to predict future commerce. For example, if you’re confident that your personal financial situation will improve tomorrow you may feel encouraged to spend today. In the confidence game, who is coming out on top: Consumers or Businesses? Contrary to popular belief, business and consumer confidence levels are at [...]
After turning $1100 into $7015 in the stock market right out of college, the author of "The Wall Street Geek" worked for 15 years on Wall Street. In this investment blog, she gives investment tips and insights to help everyday investors be successful. Read More >>
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"Knowledge is power, and nothing is more powerful than knowing the ideas written about here."— Michelle Price, CEO of Price Capital
