John Zappe on ERE.Net wrote an interesting article, entitled Consumer Confidence Improves But Job Numbers are Hard to Predict. Are they ever? Depending on who you talk to, where they live,the prognosis for the job market various widely. It may stink in California and Nevada but show signs of life in the Houston and Atlanta. Some of the Mid-West and Plains States have companies are hiring, but some of the more traditional industrial areas are having their troubles.
As Zappe writes, indicators are that for August 110,000 jobs were lost, but most of them through the continued layoff of Census Workers. I July, some 71,000 private sector jobs were created. I think this is the job sector that counts the most. Zappe points to the ADP National Employment Report. The Report is usually more conservative than the government’s and usually reports lower job figures.
Here is the synopsis of the ADP National Employment Report for August–The ADP National Employment Report
August 2010 Report
“Private sector employment decreased by 10,000 from July to August on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report® released today. The estimated change of employment from June to July was revised down slightly, from the previously reported increase of 42,000 to an increase of 37,000. The decline in private employment in August confirms a pause in the recovery already evident in other economic data. The deceleration in employment was evident in the major sectors and by size of business. This month’s decline in employment followed six monthly increases from February through July. Over those six months the average monthly gain in employment was 37,000 with no evidence of acceleration.”
In the shorthand, the report indicates that the economic recovery may be slowing down. Maybe. But again there are sections of the country where factories are up and recruiting if not brisk is steady. As for small businesses who are having trouble borrowing money to hire new workers and to upgrade equipment and such, it would be nice if someone could make available some funding. It would be nice to see the small businesses of America hiring people again. That more than anything would go a long way toward an economic recovery.
Here are Corra Group, as we conduct background checks for various businesses throughout the United States, we see companies are hiring. While some of our clients are still pretty quiet, there are others who are moving forward and have intensive recruiting campaigns in operation. In some cases there are companies who have been making do with skeleton staffs in order to survive, and now with their employees exhausted the employers see it as necessary to bring in additional staff.
Zappe points out that the job sites are posting more jobs that are available. That should signify something. But for now it is tough to say what is really going on. If there is any conclusion that borders on the absolute…it is that there is at this time no real accurate way to predict which way the job market is going. Everyday is a new adventure.e Employers hope to survive, and employees hope to keep their jobs. Or find one.
