How is the job market where you live?

[Cyc]

Just wondering how things are going. We've been in a pretty tough slump here in most parts of Canada since 2008 and I believe a lot of the employment recovery data is masking a very real problem with regard to marginal employment, part-time employment and underemployment. Many of the long-term indigent aren't even being tallied in the statistics.

Because the official bodies are (in my view) being incomplete with job statistics, I'd like to get some anecdotal data. How is the job market in your community?

I'm looking for things like wages, part-time vs. full-time, education requirements, are some sectors starved of qualified candidates? If so, which ones. How you found work in the past vs. working now? That sort of thing.

For my part, I'm finding that a lot of what was considered entry level work has disappeared, or the goalposts have been moved. There seems to be a rather large gap between where the entry level used to be, and where it stands today and the only way to hurdle it is through a combination of networking, education, experience and a bit of luck. Unpaid internships are becoming quite vogue, but if you don't have a strong parental support system, this really isn't an option for most people. This is creating an uneven playing field with respect to bridging opportunities. Kids from rich families seem to have a positional advantage that is not at all merit-based.

Personally, I have absolutely no problem with people feeling entitled to being able to work and support themselves if they've taken reasonable steps to be competitive in a given field. I don't buy this "Gen Y, entitlement complex" crap. It's actually a pretty thoughtless sentiment, and seems to allow people to avoid seriously looking at the employment deficit in a socially responsible way.

For now, I'd just like to gather some anecdotal data. Please share your experiences.

 

[addictivepersona]

You might want to take a peak at http://careerinfonet.com/ for some of the U.S.'s career info. I found the site very informative for my prospective employment--Apparently there is currently one job for every two applicants for DTR jobs in WNY. However, many facilities in this area are slowly phasing out DTRs, or only working them part time. The same goes for RDs--Facilities rarely have an RD that works there 5 days a week. RDs seem to spend their work week at numerous facilities.

I currently don't have a job in dietetics and am not presently seeking employment in the field. I have a job through a temp agency and work in an unrelated field--I got the job on my own, but I feel my relative's status at the parent company has had an impact in keeping me where I am despite budget cuts getting rid of many temp employees.

 

[Belisarius]

Texas got through the recession in much better shape than most other states, due in part to a strong energy sector and a real estate market that never spiraled out of control; the unemployment rate in S.A. is about 7%, in-line with the state average. Still, this is twice the minimum unemployment rate before the recession (~3.5% ).

A great site for unemployment stats (stateside, anyway): Google Public Data Explorer ( http://www.google.com/publicdata/directory?hl=en&dl=en )

 

[llama112]

Ontario Canada. It kinda sucks. I have a diploma and I can still only get a part time job I really like my job, and it has the potential for full time. Unfortunately, I'm just going to be poor for a little while longer. It seems like even if you have a diploma or degree, you still have to start out doing minimum wage type stuff until you can move up (Okay my job pays a couple bucks more than minimum wage which is awesome for me but STILL!).
When I was a student, summer jobs were practically non-existent. Now my little sister is looking for summer jobs and they kind of suck too. Nothing that will get her good experience. My mom has an "in" with a factory so she might be able to do summer work there but that sucks when she's going to be a vet or something, it has nothing to do with anything

 

[addictivepersona]

Ontario Canada. It kinda sucks. I have a diploma and I can still only get a part time job I really like my job, and it has the potential for full time. Unfortunately, I'm just going to be poor for a little while longer. It seems like even if you have a diploma or degree, you still have to start out doing minimum wage type stuff until you can move up (Okay my job pays a couple bucks more than minimum wage which is awesome for me but STILL!).
When I was a student, summer jobs were practically non-existent. Now my little sister is looking for summer jobs and they kind of suck too. Nothing that will get her good experience. My mom has an "in" with a factory so she might be able to do summer work there but that sucks when she's going to be a vet or something, it has nothing to do with anything

You never know what doors it may open--She could meet someone there who knows someone who's hiring in the field she's looking. :) I mean, the company I work at started a new health program for their employees--So while I am only a temp working for an outside company, it's a potential lead.

 

[GOTCOOKIES?]

I live in Australia and the market for jobs is pretty LOW .. it's hard finding anything ..

 

[ChickenScratch]

Texas got through the recession in much better shape than most other states,

yes, yes you did. i'm currently doing most of my business in DFW and Houston.

here in Atlanta, we moved from 9.4% unemployment to 8.7% over the last month or so.

things seem to be getting better. but it still aint easy out there.

 

[RobotRipping]

i'm in Nova Scotia, been out of work for a few months now. I have a degree but it's not much use. There are enough jobs but they are mostly underpaid sales jobs. If i worked at McDonalds i would be making just a bit less. My previous jobs were call centre/sales jobs which really suck for someone with social anxiety.

I definitely get the feeling that people who have connections through their parents/family have an easier time getting into better jobs. I went to school with some absolute morons that hold decent jobs now.

Even if i do start out making minimum wage and work my way up, it will not offset my massive student loans. At some of my previous workplaces i knew people in management positions who were barely making any more than me yet had much more responsibility. They had also worked for years to get to that place. It's a little disheartening to know that the people at the top of the companies are making insane amounts of money while the people doing the real work are far underpaid.

 

[Foreigner]

I'm a self-employed professional in a medical field, but because I'm just starting out with building a client base I have to supplement with part time work. Job hunting during school, and after school, has been a bitch. The vast majority of the jobs available are service industry jobs paying minimum wage. The temp jobs I used to get for office work are almost non-existent now as most corporations are not hiring at the entry level, regardless if you have a degree or not; and the ones that are hiring are asking for education + experience, which is an awful catch-22 if you are a new graduate. Can't get experience if they don't hire you, and they won't hire you without experience. My friend did engineering in school and he now works in a coffee shop, despite doing some internship work during school. It's really sad.

In my locale, the market for undergrad degrees is completely saturated. No one cares if you have a degree anymore, they want experience on top of it. Sometimes you can get preference if you have a masters degree, and this has set the bar ever higher.

IMO unless you plan to start your own business, your education is specialized to some kind of niche market, or you have a diverse range of work experience, then I don't know how anyone can land a job right now that is above minimum wage. I tell young people to avoid university unless they are aiming for white-collar work or starting their own business. Liberal arts degrees and many science degrees are no longer bearing fruit. I think the trades are hurting too because businesses are protecting their bottom lines right now instead of taking on apprentices, but the situation is probably better.

I also agree with the above posts that say the government is lying to us. The situation is bad and the statistics are being skewed in order to alter market speculation. I think the ball is eventually going to drop though. Corporate capitalism simply cannot last in its current form because the corruption is widespread. Until government takes power back from the banks and major conglomerates like France and Greece are about to do, the situation will only continue to worsen. If Italy defaults, the EU is fucked, and by proxy the western world is fucked.

 

[Bardeaux]

I live in Australia and the market for jobs is pretty LOW .. it's hard finding anything ..

it's all about context

As for me, I live in Florida and our unemployment rates are among the highest in the country. We're not Nevada or California but our statewide unemployment is still above 9%. I quit looking for work last year when I decided to go back to school, and thankfully I'm in a position to do so without employment.

 

[llama112]

You never know what doors it may open--She could meet someone there who knows someone who's hiring in the field she's looking. :) I mean, the company I work at started a new health program for their employees--So while I am only a temp working for an outside company, it's a potential lead.

That's true, there are always those chances. But I feel the chances are a lot slimmer than if she was doing something related to her field, you know? But eh, she's only in first year uni. She has a gazillion more years to go so it's not a big deal for now. I just wish she could get something that she'd enjoy and that would get her experience related to her future. Plus, I've heard factory work sucks (luckily I've never had to do it! lol).

 

[Droppersneck]

Got to love how the unemployment level goes down yet the fact that the people dropping are like flies out of the labor market and becoming discouraged workers has no bearing. RP2012

 

[muvolution]

Its pretty bad here. I finally landed a job after 2 years of bouncing around/ unemployment/ etc...

I have a post-grad degree in an extremely specialized field, and it is rough. Of my graduating class of 25, maybe 10-12 are employed. Avg salary is probably around $28k a year, 2006 graduating class avg entry salary was $50k+.
In my field, the only people left standing either have outside support, or are only the most dedicated of the dedicated.

 

[Tommyboy]

The vast majority of the jobs available are service industry jobs paying minimum wage. The temp jobs I used to get for office work are almost non-existent now as most corporations are not hiring at the entry level, regardless if you have a degree or not; and the ones that are hiring are asking for education + experience, which is an awful catch-22 if you are a new graduate. Can't get experience if they don't hire you, and they won't hire you without experience. My friend did engineering in school and he now works in a coffee shop, despite doing some internship work during school. It's really sad.

I don't know when 'Entry Level' started to mean a degree in related field + 2 years experience, but I've been seeing the same thing as you with that and it's quite annoying. I gave up on applying to jobs online for the most part. My average resume isn't going to stand out much, so I'm going to go to the places with my resume and talk to them in person if possible. They may not like it, but it's not like they are going to hire me based on just my resume, so I need to do some convincing.

Outside of the field I have been looking in, the jobs that I have been seeing that are mostly sales (commission based), a few warehouse jobs, and then some media jobs in the city. The jobs that require degrees that actually have jobs available seem to be accounting and nursing. Out of all my friends that also have degrees, the only ones that still have jobs in their fields are the accounting and nursing majors. Some of the others were able to get jobs at first, but pretty much all of them lost them around 2009-2010, and are now underemployed. The rest of the job areas incluing what I went to school for seem to only be available for people with their masters, or who otherwise know the right people.

The pay at jobs that I used to work at have gone down around $3/hr less on average, which means I am making less now than I was before college.

 

[Busty St Clare]

I live in Australia and the market for jobs is pretty LOW .. it's hard finding anything ..

It depends what you are looking for. Nationally the umemployment rate is 5.1%, which any other country would kill for. The dollar is historically high, which means a lot of industries such as manufacturing and tourism, that compete with overseas markets are going to suffer, hence a number of factories closing. The housing market is flat at best but it hasn't dropped like the rest of the globe, people are just being extra cautious when it comes to spending. However the mining industry is booming. If you are willing to fly in, fly out you can command +$100,000 salaries with no skills. Double that if you have a trade. Add to that the infrastructure such as railways and ports that are being built and I can't see how you can argue that there are no jobs. Perhaps if you want to stay in inner city Melbourne or Sydney but if you are motivated to work there are jobs crying out for people.

 

[double ewe]

I don't know when 'Entry Level' started to mean a degree in related field + 2 years experience, but I've been seeing the same thing as you with that and it's quite annoying. I gave up on applying to jobs online for the most part. My average resume isn't going to stand out much, so I'm going to go to the places with my resume and talk to them in person if possible. They may not like it, but it's not like they are going to hire me based on just my resume, so I need to do some convincing.

very true. getting your resume read is one of the biggest hurdles in the job search. along with appearing in person, finding someone else in the company who will refer you is a great way to get an in. i applied "cold" to about 80 jobs and got two call backs and one final round interview. of the three jobs for which i had a referral (friends/family who worked there), i got two call backs, and eventually a final interview and offer.

it's not something i ever did, but i've heard of folks finding employees of the company of interest through LinkedIn and cold-calling. since a lot of companies give "referral bonuses" if someone you refer gets hired, some people are willing to spend a minute looking at a resume to see if you're worth sending along. nothing i ever felt comfortable doing, but sounds like it might work if you're willing to risk a few angry hang-ups.

The jobs that require degrees that actually have jobs available seem to be accounting and nursing. Out of all my friends that also have degrees, the only ones that still have jobs in their fields are the accounting and nursing majors. Some of the others were able to get jobs at first, but pretty much all of them lost them around 2009-2010, and are now underemployed. The rest of the job areas incluing what I went to school for seem to only be available for people with their masters, or who otherwise know the right people.

same experience here. i had a degree in social science, and it was very clear that the only way to move up past Research Assistant was with a Master's/PhD. and it's definitely true that accounting/healthcare are huge growth industries - i know engineering, statistics and applied math are other areas with strong outlooks. a strong command of the related computing/programming packages is a great resume booster in any field.

 

[Tude]

It's pretty good where I'm at. At least, as far as fast-food, restaurant, retail jobs go. As far as jobs that require degrees, I don't know. I can only speak for the company I work for, but there's a SEVERE lack of people for I/S and I/T jobs. My company h.as had these jobs posted online for MONTHS.

 

[Cyc]

Ontario Canada. It kinda sucks. I have a diploma and I can still only get a part time job I really like my job, and it has the potential for full time. Unfortunately, I'm just going to be poor for a little while longer. It seems like even if you have a diploma or degree, you still have to start out doing minimum wage type stuff until you can move up (Okay my job pays a couple bucks more than minimum wage which is awesome for me but STILL!).
When I was a student, summer jobs were practically non-existent. Now my little sister is looking for summer jobs and they kind of suck too. Nothing that will get her good experience. My mom has an "in" with a factory so she might be able to do summer work there but that sucks when she's going to be a vet or something, it has nothing to do with anything

This sounds like my part of Ontario as well.

 

[Tommyboy]

I'm just posting here again because right after my previous post I received an email to set up a phone interview for a job, and I am not awaiting to hear back to see if they want me in for another interview.

 

[RobotRipping]

^i received a random call for an interview the day of my post, i thought it was strange especially since i applied back in September.