It looks like the fourth quarter of 2011 will be an interesting one from a hiring prospective.  A flood of statistics have come out recently which paint contrasting views of where the job market stands. Historically hiring is lower in the fourth quarter.  Add on a still sluggish economy and one would expect nothing but negative comments.  But not so fast. 

CareerBuilder in its fourth-quarter hiring survey indicated that when looking for talent, companies are still having a difficult time filling certain positions despite the stiff competition for most jobs.  Two thirds of employers (67%) expressed concern over the education and skills gap in the US and corresponding deficit in talent for specialized positions.  The top areas employers are seeing the most significant skills gap are engineering (37%) and information technology (33%).

According to the U.S. Department of Labor the unemployment rate for those with a four-year college degree is only 4.2%. This is in sharp contrast to the overall unemployment rate of 9.1% for the U.S. population at large.

The Alder Group, an executive search firm and LinkedIn then weighted in with the results of a yet-to-be-published employee job-seeking survey indicating that only 17% of the fully-employed members on LinkedIn are “actively looking”  for another job.   28% of the balance of the 4,550 who participated in the survey indicated that they’re “super passive”.  Only 40% indicated they’d be open to talk to a recruiter about a possible career move if called.  Some 15% said they were starting to tiptoe into the market by connecting with former close co-workers.

Compare that with a similar survey conducted last year that indicated only 22% were super passive, with those open to talk with a recruiter shrinking the most (from 44% to 40%) and the other categories each declining slightly.

US Government data paints a different picture.  For each U.S. job opening in August, there were 4.6 unemployed workers, according to the Labor Department. Using their data, if every available job was filled immediately, that would still mean 11 million people are jobless.

Reuters then reported that weak earnings reports from U.S. businesses, a continuing European debt crisis and spending cutbacks may be setting the stage for more layoffs.  Experts say things like. “I think people are in the process of dialing back 2012 expectations and that will bleed into whatever they were planning,” (Michael Neal of General Electric. About a quarter of CEOs at large companies say they’re planning to cut jobs in the next six months, according to a Business Roundtable survey.

Add all this open and it confirms my belief that the 9.1% national unemployment number is deceiving.   Opportunties are out there if you know where to look for them:

  • Location matters:   The highest unemployment rates in August were registered in Las Vegas-Paradise, NV, and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. (14.2 and 14.1%).  Fourteen additional large areas had rates of 10.0% or more. The lowest jobless rate among the large areas was recorded in Oklahoma City, Okla., 5.0%.
  • White collar positions are not suffering as badly as blue collar positions
  • Those with hi-tech or specialized skills are still in demand
  • If people have a job, even as miserable as they may be, most are not ready to venture forth into unknown waters seeking a different one.
  • Small businesses will have to work even harder to retain their star employees and lure top talent away from larger companies.

 

Speaking of hiring, Names & Numbers does have openings for sales Account executives.  If you are an experienced B2B sales professional looking for a stable company which sells products that truly help our customers grow their businesses, provides you with an unlimited earning potential, and advancement opportunities, we want to talk with you.

This is an outside sales position in which you will help a wide variety of businesses to develop and implement marketing programs which bring customers to their doors.  Our products are heavily utilized resources in the local community and come in a range of formats – print, online, and mobile.

We offer:

  • Typical first year earnings (at plan) are in the $70k+ range, but commissions are only limited by your desire to make money.
  • Career advancement opportunities (we prefer to promote from within)
  • Health, dental, vision, life and 401K benefits
  • Professional sales training

We currently have openings in:

  • Aspen, Breckenridge, Vail, or Montrose, CO
  • Midland, TX
  • Springfield, MO

If interested, get me a resume ASAP so we can schedule some time to talk…