When Laurie Ruettimann (Punk Rock HR) posted on Facebook yesterday that:
The good news is that SHRM is hiring. That's more than most companies can say. (This in reference to SHRM CEO Lon O’Neil departing.)
I couldn't help but think about the NPR Planet Money podcast I had just listened to (you can find it below) that reiterated what most economists have been analyzing for the past few years.
The fact that in this recession, as parts of the U.S. and global economy struggle to regain life, job creation just ain't happening like it has historically. Even the spike from earlier this year that's now dove-tailed primarily had more to do with temporary jobs from the Census 2010 work than anything more substantial.
Even compared to the dot.com bust recovery -- it no where near compares.
It's like the economic ebbs and flows from the past completely pulled away from shore, and for every fish that's born and thrives in the shallows, another bakes bleach-boned in the hot summer sun.
I'm oversimplifying for sure -- but it's true that job growth is dead and unemployment remains high.
And now more than ever before fewer people in the workforce can afford to retire, even taking on second jobs in retail and other service industries, leaving the job market at the other end of the age spectrum (teenagers) fewer and fewer jobs.
It's unprecedented.
More disheartening economic research that came out of the podcast is the fact that each younger generation that's entered the workforce post a recession earns less than other generations. In fact, the economic disparity in pay can last upwards of 10 to 15 years post a recession.
And you liberal arts majors, English majors in particular, forget about it.
Movements like JobAngels and HR Margo's HireFriday efforts are commendable, but without job creation we're just moving folks around on the game board.
Which is better than a stick in the eye according to my dad.
You'd think (and hope) that organizations in the HR marketplace like SHRM would increase their legislative efforts for more job creation than membership drives, but we'll have to see what happens.
I'm Keynesian; we didn't do enough to stimulate and we keep shouting half-baked polarizing entitlement chants.
Hey, there's always casting call around the corner for gratuitously degrading reality shows.
But I digress. One of my daughters favorite books is Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? and in it there's a passage that goes:
And poor Mr. Potter,
T-crosser,
I-dotter.
He has to cross t’s
and he has to dot i’s
in an I-and-T factory
out in Van Nuys!
That factory closed two years ago. All the T-crosser and I-dotter jobs were either outsourced or automated.
Well Duckie, we're only as lucky as the next net job.
Post by Kevin W. Grossman (join me on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn - and now join HRmarketer on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn!)
Labels: HR marketplace, job creation, job growth, recession, SHRM
The fact that in this recession, as parts of the U.S. and global economy struggle to regain life, job creation just ain't happening like it has historically. Even the spike from earlier this year that's now dove-tailed primarily had more to do with temporary jobs from the Census 2010 work than anything more substantial.