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| Labor Day a bittersweet holiday for many |
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| Written by Ron Kaye |
| Tuesday, 07 September 2010 13:15 |
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Atlanta employment outlook has a few bright spots Here it is, Labor Day: time to fire up the grill, fill the cooler, kick back and celebrate the workers who have made this country great. Only problem is, what with millions of those workers unemployed as a result of this economic mess we're in, the celebratory spirit is somewhat dampened. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Atlanta lost 103,200 jobs in 2009 and 86,900 in 2008. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Metro Atlanta has added approximately 12,700 jobs through June, we obviously have a long way to go before we can hang a "Mission Accomplished" sign on City Hall. Some companies have been actively considering or actually taken steps to relocate their headquarters to Atlanta, and data center projects, back office operations, and digital media companies have recently been eyeing the metro Atlanta area, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. But the greatest portion of unemployed Atlantians are living with the hard truth that about 16% of companies in the area are projecting the addition of new hires in the next quarter, as opposed to 8% that expect to initiate further personnel cuts, making Atlanta's employment outlook - although improved since the last quarter's report - still one of the nation's weakest (figures courtesy of Manpower, Inc.'s 3rd quarter 2010 Employment Outlook Survey). In short, things are looking a little better than they did last quarter, last month, and last year, but the outlook is slightly short of being rosy. On the brighter side, however, an article in the Atlanta Business Journal states that, according to data from Research Advisors, if you're an unmarried, childless female with a college education, Atlanta is the best place in the country to be if you're hoping to be hired for one of the higher-paying knowledge-based jobs. As any employment expert worth his or her salt will tell you, you have to be creative in your job search if you hope to beat out the throngs of other job-seekers. The newspaper classifieds and the listings at the Georgia Department of Labor website (http://www.dol.state.ga.us/js/find_a_job.htm ) are good starting points, but most jobs never find their way to such listings. You'll also want to actively network with friends, former employers, and other groups that might hear some of the "scuttlebutt" about who is looking for talent. And there are innumerable resources available online, from government, trade, and corporate websites, to blogs such as http://www.atlantajobs.com/blog/ that announce available positions which never make it to the more official listings. It takes creativity, perseverance, patience, and sometimes a thick skin, but if you keep at it and don't turn away from opportunities that might be outside the scope of positions you might consider ideal, you just might surprise yourself and find yourself in a position you've dreamt about but never thought you could land. Who knows? You might even find yourself ready to kick up your heels on your own Labor Day. And so what if it's a few weeks later than what the folks in the post office and banks celebrate? Get going, and good luck! Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites |
