July, 2004
The US jobs report showed the US economy created 112000 jobs in June. President Bush reports that growth is slow and steady. Senator Kerry reports that these are "second rate jobs. They are both right.
As an IT recruiter focused on the New York area, this region has been hit harder than any other in the US. Companies are back to hiring staff and consultants again at salaries and rates lower than before. If you have been out of work for a while, do you expect to get an increase over what you made before? Of course, not. You're thankful to have a job and stop going to networking meetings.
On the other hand, you have a job and show up in the jobs report . . . unless, of course, you incorporated yourself and became a consultant in which case you don't show up in the statistics.
Long term unemployed people are getting interviews again. The risk of "losing your career having been out of work for 12 months seems gone. People who are chronic unemployed are getting jobs.
What's hot? Companies are hiring junior staff and seniors. Project managers and business analysts. Java and C++ developers and COBOL progrmmers.
Yes, work is going offshore but opportunities are appearing for people with strong skills and liaison abilities to manage the project in the US and periodically travel overseas. The offshore firms are doing extremely well.
When an economic recovery starts, wages tend to be lower than at the end of the previous boom. That is occurimng now and, I expect will occur into next year. The engine is in place for strong job growth in IT. Two things could damage it--terrorism and a sharp[ change in US economic policy. Electing Kerry doesn't mean that policy will change sharply (see first Clinton Administration).
Although New York will go into the Kerry column in the election, my hope is that nothing stupid happens to spoi this recovery.
As an IT recruiter focused on the New York area, this region has been hit harder than any other in the US. Companies are back to hiring staff and consultants again at salaries and rates lower than before. If you have been out of work for a while, do you expect to get an increase over what you made before? Of course, not. You're thankful to have a job and stop going to networking meetings.
On the other hand, you have a job and show up in the jobs report . . . unless, of course, you incorporated yourself and became a consultant in which case you don't show up in the statistics.
Long term unemployed people are getting interviews again. The risk of "losing your career having been out of work for 12 months seems gone. People who are chronic unemployed are getting jobs.
What's hot? Companies are hiring junior staff and seniors. Project managers and business analysts. Java and C++ developers and COBOL progrmmers.
Yes, work is going offshore but opportunities are appearing for people with strong skills and liaison abilities to manage the project in the US and periodically travel overseas. The offshore firms are doing extremely well.
When an economic recovery starts, wages tend to be lower than at the end of the previous boom. That is occurimng now and, I expect will occur into next year. The engine is in place for strong job growth in IT. Two things could damage it--terrorism and a sharp[ change in US economic policy. Electing Kerry doesn't mean that policy will change sharply (see first Clinton Administration).
Although New York will go into the Kerry column in the election, my hope is that nothing stupid happens to spoi this recovery.
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