Revive My Career

Payrolls Fall as Census Layoffs Continue

By Toni Vranjes

The economy lost 54,000 jobs last month as the federal government continued to lay off Census workers, according to the latest employment report.

The number of Census workers reached a peak of 564,000 in May, but in August it dropped to 82,000 workers, the Labor Department reported today.

The jobless rate rose slightly, from 9.5 percent to 9.6 percent. Even though August payrolls declined, the loss wasn’t as severe as economists had expected. And private-sector payrolls increased by 67,000 jobs, a number that beat expectations.

Last month employment jumped in health care, mining, temporary help, and construction, according to the Labor Department.

U.S. Economy Sheds More Jobs in July

By Toni Vranjes

The latest employment report shows that the job market continues to struggle.

The Census Bureau laid off more temporary workers last month, and the economy overall lost 131,000 jobs. While the federal government shrank, the private sector created only 71,000 jobs. Gains occurred in manufacturing, health care, and mining. But employment in temporary-help services — considered a leading indicator for hiring trends — declined in July.

Meanwhile, the jobless rate held at 9.5 percent, the Labor Department reported today.

Private-sector hiring fell short of expectations, notes Sophia Koropeckyj, managing director for Moody’s Economy.com. Business confidence is low, and several factors are at work.

“A lot of large companies are sitting on mountains of cash and are profitable, but they’re still not comfortable enough with the economy to hire workers,” she says.

“And small companies still have poor access to credit, and lot of these companies rely on credit for their payrolls. So a lot of companies that want to hire workers aren’t able to do so.”

June Payrolls Drop as Census Workers Let Go

By Toni Vranjes

After months of employment gains, payrolls fell last month — reflecting the loss of temporary Census jobs.

The federal government laid off 225,000 Census workers in June, the Labor Department reported today. Overall, the economy shed 125,000 jobs last month. But the labor force shrank, and the jobless rate fell from 9.7 percent to 9.5 percent.

Meanwhile, employment in the private sector jumped by 83,000. Gains occurred in several industries, including “amusements, gambling, and recreation,” which added 28,000 jobs. Another expanding industry was temporary-help services, which grew by 21,000.

Despite the gains, the private-sector numbers fell short of expectations. But the Obama Administration tried to highlight the positive. Christina Romer, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, noted that private-sector employment has increased for six months in a row.

“These continued signs of healing are important, particularly given the recent volatility in world markets and the mixed behavior of other recent economic indicators,” Romer said in a blog post.

“However, much stronger job gains are needed to repair the damage caused by the financial crisis and put the millions of unemployed Americans back to work,” she added.

Temporary Census Jobs Boost Payrolls

By Toni Vranjes

The U.S. economy added 431,000 new jobs last month, but much of the growth was in the public sector, the Labor Department reported today.

In May, the federal government hired 411,000 temporary workers for the Census. Unemployment was 9.7 percent, down from 9.9 percent in April.

Last month, employment in temporary-help services jumped by 31,000. Manufacturing gained 29,000 jobs, and mining added 10,000. The construction industry shed 35,000 jobs.

Although the private-sector employment numbers were disappointing, President Obama tried to portray the report in a positive light. During a speech today, he said the nation has created jobs for five months in a row, and that the economy is moving in the right direction.

Economy Adds Jobs, but Unemployment Rises

By Toni Vranjes

Employers added 290,000 workers to their payrolls in April — the largest monthly increase in four years.

The new jobs were spread across many industries: manufacturing, mining, construction, professional and business services, health care, leisure and hospitality, and the federal government. Over the past four months, the U.S. economy has added 573,000 jobs.

However, people who had dropped out of the workforce are returning, pushing up the jobless rate. Unemployment jumped from 9.7 percent to 9.9 percent, according to the Labor Department.

Despite the strong job growth, the number of long-term unemployed rose to 6.7 million in April, compared to 6.5 million the previous month.

“So this week’s job numbers come as a relief to Americans who found a job,” President Obama said today. “But it offers obviously little comfort to those who are still out of work. So, to those who are out there still looking, I give you my word that I’m going to keep fighting every single day to create jobs and opportunities for people.”

New Report Shows Employment Growth

By Toni Vranjes

The Labor Department released an encouraging jobs report today, showing that employers added 162,000 workers to their payrolls in March.

However, the labor force also increased, and the unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent.

Some of the employment growth resulted from federal hiring. In March, the government added 48,000 temporary workers to help with the 2010 Census.

The government also revised its numbers for February, when major snowstorms hit the mid-Atlantic region. The new report shows that the economy shed 14,000 jobs that month, instead of 36,000.

“Even after adjusting for the 48,000 temporary Census workers hired and a rebound effect from the February snowstorms, this number suggests an increase in underlying payroll employment,” said Christina Romer, chair of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, in a statement.

Job creation occurred in a number of sectors, including temporary-help services, health care, manufacturing, construction and mining. Meanwhile, employment declined in the financial and information industries.

During the first quarter of 2010, the economy added 54,000 jobs per month on average, according to Romer. In the first quarter of 2009, by contrast, the economy lost an average of 753,000 jobs per month.

“While this is the most positive jobs report we have had in three years, there will likely be bumps in the road ahead,” Romer added.

Employers Share Advice at Career Forum

By Toni Vranjes

From right: Roya Cole, Jane Caddell, Evelyn Nazario, and moderator Judy B. Rosener at the iRelaunch career forum.

If you’re trying to relaunch your career after a long time away from the workforce, you want to get the attention of employers.

But not for the wrong reasons.

Last week, a panel of employers discussed strategies for job seekers to pursue — and steps to avoid. They spoke during an iRelaunch conference held at the University of California, Irvine. About 100 job seekers attended the Career Relaunch Forum, which offered tips and networking opportunities for people returning to the workforce after a career break.

One member of the panel, Evelyn Nazario of California State University, advised job seekers to include specific dates on their resumes. If a resume lacks this information, an employer may think the job candidate has something to hide and assume the worst, said Nazario, who serves as assistant vice chancellor for human resources management at the state-university system.

“It’s a red flag if you see no dates,” she said.

Job seekers can explain their employment gaps in their cover letter, Nazario added. In that way, they’re being upfront, while also providing a reason for their career break.

Panelist Jane Caddell, vice president of human resources at The Capital Group Companies, said that employers are seeking candidates with a wide range of strengths. They include strong communication and leadership skills, as well as creativity, critical-thinking abilities, and self-management skills.

So be sure to demonstrate these talents to employers.

To make a good impression, it’s also vital to do your homework before a job interview, said panelist Roya Cole, first vice president at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Job seekers can research a company on the Internet, and the knowledge they gain will show hiring managers that they’re well-prepared.

At the conference, iRelaunch co-founder Carol Fishman Cohen said that “relaunchers” have many valuable assets, including experience, a mature perspective, and enthusiasm. These qualities can give them an edge during their job search.

One of the job seekers at the forum was Dawn Breaux, a mother of two boys who has been out of the workforce for seven years. Before her career break, she had worked as a litigation paralegal for 16 years. Breaux, who lives in Huntington Beach, Calif., is considering a new career as an advocate for special-needs children.

A key lesson from the conference, she said, is “not to be intimidated — and to be excited about yourself.”

Payrolls Decline Again in February

By Toni Vranjes

The unemployment rate stayed at 9.7 percent in February, while payrolls continued to drop, the Labor Department reported today.

Employment fell by 36,000 last month, according to the report. The department’s revised figures show that the economy lost 26,000 jobs in January.

Bad weather may have affected the February numbers.

“Payroll employment declined by 36,000, slightly more than last month,” Christina Romer, chair of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, wrote in a blog post.

“However, as many analysts have discussed in recent weeks, the large snowstorms in the Mid-Atlantic region in mid-February likely had a substantial negative impact on this number,” she added. “Someone who has a job but missed the entire pay period that included the 12th of the month because of the weather, and so did not receive a paycheck, is not counted as being on the payroll.”

In February, payrolls in the construction industry fell by 64,000, and employment in the information industry dropped by 18,000.

Meanwhile, some sectors grew. The economy created 48,000 temporary jobs, and health-care employment increased by 12,000. Manufacturing added 1,000 jobs.

UC Irvine to Hold iRelaunch Career Forum

By Toni Vranjes

The first iRelaunch career forum of 2010 will soon get under way.

The Career Relaunch Forum will be held March 11 at the University of California, Irvine. The forums are produced by iRelaunch, a company that helps people return to work after a career break. Participants receive career tips and advice, and they get to network with employers.

The sponsors of the Irvine event include Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, The Capital Group, Staples Inc., MIT Professional Education, Harvard Business School Executive Education, and Mom Corps.

Revive My Career readers get a $30 discount off the registration fee. Type “Revive” in the “How did you hear about us?” field on the online registration form, and you will receive a $30 credit within 48 hours.

Visit iRelaunch for more information.

Forecast: Double-Digit Unemployment in 2010

By Toni Vranjes

Payrolls will grow in 2010, but unemployment will remain high for a while, according to a forecast from President Obama’s economic advisers.

This year, employers will create about 95,000 jobs each month on average, according to the Economic Report of the President, which was released this week. However, the report forecasts that the jobless rate will hover at about 10 percent in 2010. In January, unemployment was at 9.7 percent.

“Indeed, it is possible that the rate will rise for a while as some discouraged workers return to the labor force, before starting to generally decline,” the report states.

Unemployment will drop to 9.2 percent in 2011, according to the report. The following year, the jobless rate is forecast to be around 8.2 percent.