We're screening applicants for a new position at our firm and I'll tell you first hand, there are a lot of bright folks out there out of work - and we're only hiring one of them. In Santa Cruz County alone the unemployment rate is over 10%, the state of California is over 12% and the nation is over 10%.
And now our county is unsure how the $100 million in federal stimulus money has helped in job creation. 64 jobs maybe?
Jobless recovery, schmobless recovery. It's frickin' crappy out here, there and everywhere. Over 200K jobs were cut in October. Venture capital stinks. There's failure everywhere.
Regardless of where you fall on the political and economic spectrum, no one is going to dance on the ceiling this holiday season and beyond until people get back to work.
Anecdotally, 1 in 3 people I spoke with at the past three events we've been to - HR Tech,HR Southwest, Onrec Expo - were "in transition" - i.e., out of work.
This included many HR, recruitment and marketing/sales people. This doesn't bode well for the HR marketplace and most of those positions probably aren't coming back.
It's like we need a Marshall Plan for the global economy. Really.
While the global mind-meld attempts on willing things back into shape, I just want to give a nod to those of you in the HR space giving back and helping in any way you can.
JobAngels helping folks one job at a time. HireVetsFirst helping the men and women who serve our country find work. The No Worker Left Behind program in Michigan. Knowledge Infusion with their KI Volunteers Toys for Tots fundraiser. The HRmarketer clan and all the volunteering they do in their local communities including our own Santa Cruz County.
I'm sure there are more of you out there and I'd love to hear from you and what your "joy stimulus" package is this holiday season and the new year.
We're making it job net 1 for November.
Post by Kevin W. Grossman (join me on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn - and now join HRmarketer on Twitter!)
Labels: human resources, jobless recovery, layoffs, marketing, recruitment, screening applicants, stimulus
We're screening applicants for a new position at our firm and I'll tell you first hand, there are a lot of bright folks out there out of work - and we're only hiring one of them. In Santa Cruz County alone the unemployment rate is over 10%, the state of California is over 12% and the nation is over 10%.