The official August to September U.S. Unemployment Rate stayed steady at 6.1%. Not bad news (although we hope for better, of course).
On the other hand, the “long term” number has climbed to over 20% of those currently counted as unemployed. The “seasonally adjusted” rate for September is 21.1%, a 1.5% increase over August’s seasonally adjusted rate of 19.5%.
[Note: when the U.S. Department of Labor talks about "long-term unemployment" in the October report on unemployment, they are referring to the people who have been unemployed for more than 6 months ("27 weeks and over" in DOL jargon).]
In addition, the seasonally-adjusted number of people taking part-time jobs because they couldn’t find full-time employment also increased, by nearly 6%.
So, while some indicators are clearly not headed in the best direction for job seekers, all the news isn’t bad.
While that is definitely an increase in the average length a typical person is unemployed, the good news is that, STILL, nearly 80% of the unemployed find new jobs in FEWER than 6 months. Wise job hunters will take that information into account, and while expecting that their job search will last fewer than 6 months, they will plan and allocate their spending as though it will take much longer.
Best Job Search Strategies:
Check Indeed’s database of jobs posted to find promising smaller employers in your area who are hiring.
Check the online business news for press releases or press coverage of these employers.
Set up Google Alerts on the organization’s name.
Use the Internet to research those employers -
What do they do, and how well do they do it?
Are they growing? New contracts, new big customers, new locations, or new divisions announced on their Website or in the business news?
Reputation?
Financial standing?
Contact members of your network (family and friends, former colleagues, other alumni/ae of your college, etc.) for points of entry into the target employers’ organizations.
If at all possible, find that job BEFORE you become unemployed. Waiting for the proverbial “ax to fall” (or waiting to collect a nice severance package) before you begin your job search is a gamble that may or may not pay off for you long-term.
Email This Post
Loading ...