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Be inspired. It's your career. It's your life.
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03/03/14
Uptick in Confidence: Executive Search
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 11:36 am

According to an AESC survey for 2014 (conducted by BlueSteps.com with excerpts published in the March 2014 issue of “Career Thought Leaders E-Bridge Newsletter”), executives are displaying greater confidence with respect to job search in 2014.

Here are some interesting stats gleaned from the 500+ executives surveyed (my editorial comments annotate several of the more interesting revelations parenthetically):

* 51% of senior executives worldwide hold a positive outlook for the global executive job market for 2014, an increase of 15% compared to last year.

* 74% of executives are more willing to make a career move this year as compared with 2013.

* 87% of executives plan to look for a new role this year. (I found this statistic quite surprising!)

* 92% of executives in Canada feel positive about the executive job market this year, followed by executives in China (78% positive outlook) and Germany (70% positive outlook).

* 64% of retained search consultants feel positive about the industry for the first 6 months of 2014, compared to 29% at the same time last year and only 35% in July 2013. (That’s a big jump with only positive implications!)

The full Global Executive Outlook report can be reviewed at: http://bit.ly/1cdxrsm

Happy reading - it’s inspiring!

Jan Melnik, M.A., MRW, CCM, CPRW - President, Absolute Advantage
Be inspired. It’s your career. It’s your life.

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02/12/14
Over 50? *Thinking* of Retirement?
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 10:02 am

Then you might find this of particular interest: According to Nationwide Insurance from a recent survey of 800+ working Americans over the age of 50, 26 percent do not expect to ever retire… up from 22 percent in 2012.

Reported in Human Resource Executive (Jan./Feb. 2014 issue), baby boomers are not retiring. They are defining acts two, three, and more–reshaping what “work looks like” in those golden years. What are you planning to do? How can your story be recrafted to tell your *next* story?

– Jan Melnik, M.A., MRW, CCM, CPRW; President, Absolute Advantage
Be inspired. It’s your career. It’s your life.
 

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08/31/13
Happy “Labor Day” Weekend!
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 6:48 pm

Summer is in its waning moments - technically about three weeks left. As September arrives tomorrow, I thought I’d share a few little data points from Human Resource Executive: The average American worker left 9.2 unused vacation days in 2012 - up from an average of 6.2 days in 2011*. Consider, also, that 4 out of 5 Americans over the age of 55 are still working - the highest proportion of 55-plus people in the workforce in more than half a century**.

So the simple solution? Those of us over 55 who are in the 80% group of folks “still working” (and happily doing so, by the way!) must simply vacation more - now that’s the way to achieve balance! What do you think?

– Jan Melnik, M.A., MRW, CCM, CPRW — President, Absolute Advantage

* Hotwire.com
** Bureau of Labor Statistics

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08/01/13
Going Anywhere Anytime Soon? Latest Stats on Executive Mobility
Filed under: Job Search, Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 8:24 am

Nearly 33% of executives see more opportunities for senior-level roles than they did 5 years ago. This according to a May 2013 survey by BlueSteps and the Association of Executive Search Consultants. The number of respondents participating was fairly robust: more than 900, with 48% of respondents in the Americas, 37% EMEA, and 15% Asia Pacific.

Some of the more interesting details:

* One-third of senior execs worldwide anticipate transitioning to new industries in the next 3 years
* 67% of those senior execs are willing to change jobs immediately for the right new opportunity
* 44% report that they expect to be at their current career level for 5+ years
* 55% report that they have worked for 2-3 organizations at the executive management level; 34% have worked for 4 or more organizations at the executive level
* 39% report that they have been at their current organization for 2 to 5 years

A bit sobering: 44% report that they have *fewer* opportunities for senior-level positions than they had 5 years ago, while 19% report about the same number of opportunities as they had 5 years ago. Where are you presently? What steps are you taking to demonstrate thought leadership, continue to build your brand and visibility, and ensure optimal positioning if it’s your desire to make a move?

Data extracted from Career Thought Leaders E-bridge Newsletter (#29, Aug. 1, 2013), www.careerthoughtleaders.com, of which I’m an advisory board member.

– Jan Melnik, M.A., MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

Be inspired. It’s your career. It’s your life.

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12/15/11
IM & Txting v. Email & Vmail
Filed under: Employment, Networking
Posted by: site admin @ 4:52 pm

It was bound to happen. Those of us with kids of a certain age (teens, young adults, Gen-Yers/Millennials, and even tweens) already know that if we want them to hear us and receive our message, we need to IM or text it. Send them an email? It might join hundreds or thousands of unread emails in their overflowing digital in-boxes… Leave them a voicemail? Forget it. It will sit unheard for days on end… For effective communications other than face-to-face, it’s down to the immediacy of an IM or text message via our smartphones.

Of no surprise, then, is the carryover to the corporate world. According to the December 2011 issue of Human Resource Executive, in a survey conducted of 1,400 Chief Information Officers of nationwide companies, “extinction may soon be the calling for the once-revolutionary mode of communication” (email). Wow! I remember some 25 years ago (no laughing allowed) sitting in my office at Digital Equipment Corporation and using DEC’s internal email system to communicate with my colleagues. That was the same era in which there were real secretaries that answered the telephone–and recorded my messages on pink slips of carbonless paper.

Real-time technologies in the form of IMing tools and text messaging certainly allow for immediacy. But they’re less than ideal — by far — for communicating detail. Time will tell how technology adapts to the needs of the workplace, being influenced by the newest generation of workers, while still enabling productivity and clarity.

– Jan Melnik, M.A., MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

Be inspired. It’s your career. It’s your life.
 

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10/13/11
What’s in Store for Gen-Yers?
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 7:47 am

Employment trends among the Millennials (Gen-Yers) include increased likelihood to pursue relocation than other age groups as well as a likelihood to view free agency and a portable portfolio of skills and abilities as a very acceptable form of career-building (this according to the October 2, 2011, issue of Human Resource Executive). In other words, 20- and early 30-somethings aren’t as enamored of the 30-year career in the ivory tower as their parents and grandparents may have been. Watch for these upstart movers and shakers to pave new paths to career management success in the decade ahead. This demographic will have exponential career opportunity a decade or two from now–when the Baby Boomers *finally* decide to retire from the workforce! In fact, there will be huge shortages in many disciplines as the numbers of workers entering or in the workforce will be significantly fewer than the number of those exiting.

– Jan Melnik, M.A., MRW, CCM, CPRW, President Absolute Advantage
Be inspired. It’s your career. It’s your life.

 

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Free Agency? You Might Be Surprised at the Numbers!
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 7:44 am

The October 2, 2011, issue of Human Resource Executive includes an Outlook 2012 section with projected trends in human capital and staffing challenges. Teresa Carroll, Senior VP and Global Practice Lead for Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group, stated that “62% of global executives report that they expect to see a growing proportion of free agents in their workforces over the next 10 years (five times as many as those who expect to see a growing proportion of traditional full-time staff). Forty-four percent of U.S. workers currently fit the free-agent category, with only 11 percent due to economic necessity. Even after employment conditions stabilize, it is expected that roughly one-third of the U.S. workforce–and 20% to 30% of the global workforce–will be free agents.

“These free agents tend to be highly skilled and well educated–with more than one-third holding master’s degrees or higher. Compared to traditional employees, more free agents have technical or professional skill sets–reflected in the fact that the fastest global growth in free agency is now in knowledge-worker roles, where skill shortages are most acute.” Interestingly, Carroll notes that the “average American free agent is 50 years old and satisfied with his or her work/life balance, annual earnings, and opportunities to acquire new skills. Seventy-five percent of them choose the free-agent work style because they value the freedom and flexibility it provides. These free agents will play a critical role in the talent supply chain of the future.”

Does this trend cause you to consider your own value (and portfolio of skills) in a slightly more portable way?

– Jan Melnik, M.A., MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage
Be inspired, It’s your career. It’s your life.

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01/24/11
Executive Job Creation on Rise
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 9:52 am

According to ExecuNet, their benchmark Executive Job Creation Index (EJCI) held positive for an eleventh consecutive month in November as executive recruiters reported employers are encouraged by improving economic indicators and plan to create more management jobs over the next six months.

The number of employers expected to add executive jobs during that time topped those planning to eliminate or postpone filling top roles by 21 points, a 12-point gain from October 2010 and a signal that more companies will recruit executive talent to rebuild their management teams and realize their 2011 strategic growth objectives.”

“ExecuNet has seen a 30 percent gain in private executive job postings…and they continue to see high-tech and healthcare companies doing some of the most aggressive executive hiring.”

“In November 2010, 61 percent of executive recruiters were confident or very confidence that the prospects for new management hiring activity will be positive” and continue upward over the next six months. That’s good news for C-suite executives — and those aspiring for opportunities within the top tiers of organizations!

Full link to article: http://bit.ly/f25Y9W

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW; President, Absolute Advantage

Be inspired. It’s your career. It’s your life.

Credit: Career Management Alliance E-Bridge, Kathy Bitschenauer


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11/17/10
Made in America
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 1:50 pm

I work with a number of senior-level executives, mid-tier managers, and rank-and-file folks at manufacturers around the country, so this article in the November issue of CFO magazine caught my eye… see what you think of the following stats:

* Between 2000 and 2008, the U.S. global market share of manufactured goods fell from 19% to 14%, while China’s increased from 7% to 17%. During that same period, the value of U.S. manufactured exports increased by 60%.

* The percentage of Americans who said they would encourage their children to pursue a career in manufacturing was 30%.

* U.S. exports exceed U.S. imports in textiles/fabrics (and - not surprisingly - *not* in computers/electronics, chemicals, or paper).

* When asked to evaluate U.S. manufacturing competitiveness on 21 attributes, a majority of Americans said the U.S. is at a disadvantage in 7, all of which had these in common:
  - pay scales/union influence
  - government/tax policies
  - reliability/durability/reputation
  - high commodity/shipping/logistics costs

* When asked whether they were more likely to buy a product labeled “Made in America,” 61% of Americans said yes; this is up 2% in 2010 over 2009.

* In 2009, the median weekly earnings for a manufacturing-sector union member were $800. The median for nonunion workers was $762.

Many economists as well as on-the-street folks alike believe that one of the key ways back from the economic abyss is for Americans to “make something.” Most baby boomers today can cite at least one family member in their parents’ generation who worked for a company that “made something.” Whether its in alternative energy, healthcare, education, or some yet-undiscovered field, we must put our brain trust to work in this country finding short- and long-term solutions to economic independence and viable entrepreneurialism. And our government must simultaneously support such initiatives and ‘get out of the way’ where its intervention is clearly not needed. And, likewise, government must not put mandates that will break the backs of the typical entrepreneur or start-up company. Carpe diem!

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW - President, Absolute Advantage

Be inspired. It’s your career. It’s your life. 

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08/05/10
Salary Survey Projects Modest U.S. Increases for 2011
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 5:09 am

U.S. salary increase budgets are remaining historically low, but projections for 2011 show a modest increase, according to The Conference Board annual salary increase budgets survey report, released July 13, 2010. For the second straight year, the median salary increase budget in 2010 is 2.5 percent. Projections for 2011 show a modest increase to 3 percent.

The largest year-over-year projected increases are in the diversified services industry-with a projected 2011 median salary increase budget is 0.5 to 3 percentage points higher than the actual 2010 budget-and in the diversified financial services industry-with a projected 2011 median salary increase budget is 0.5 or 0.63 percentage point higher than the actual 2010 budget. Among other sectors:

* The transportation industry is expected to have the lowest median salary increase budget for 2011-2.25 percent for exempt employees and executives.

* The insurance industry also is below the 3 percent median overall forecast increase for non-exempt salaried, exempt, and executives.

* The banking sector reported the lowest projected 2011 increase for non-exempt, hourly employees.

Pay for performance continues to be the common approach for the allocation of salary increase budgets as companies remain focused on high-performing employees and growth businesses.

Source: http://bit.ly/cn1V6a - as appeared in Career Management Alliance newsletter.

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

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04/19/10
The State of Manufacturing: Not as Bad as You May Think
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 7:12 am

Good news for those interested in the ’state of manufacturing’ in the United States (that ought to be about everyone because of the trickle-up, trickle-down, and sideways effects on nearly all of us): According to David Huether, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers, “there is a misconception that the United States no longer makes anything.” Yet the U.S. remains the largest manufacturing economy in the world by a healthy margin. As recently as 2008, the U.S. accounted for more than a fifth (21%) of global manufacturing output, far ahead of the next two leading manufacturing economies (Japan, 13%, and China, 12%).

Another misconception is that the decline in manufacturing jobs has only taken place in the United States, when, in fact, is has been a global phenomenon, as increases in productivity have reduced employment needs in many nations (think: Best Practices, Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen). Over the past 15 years, manufacturing jobs in China, South Korea, the UK, Japan, Germany, France, and Italy have also declined.

Finally, there is a belief that most of the job losses have been due to rising imports and a deteriorating trade deficit. That is not the case. Over the past 20 years, manufacturing employment has fallen by 6.1 million. Two-thirds of this decline took place in two recessionary periods (2001-02 and 2008-09), when there were deep declines in manufacturing production and imports generally fell due to the U.S. recession.

Okay, so that’s looking back. What about the forecast for the future? In terms of production employment, it is expected that employment gains in coming years will be specifically supported by exports (between 2003 and 2008, manufacturing employment supported by export grew by 446,000 jobs).

The most promising sectors of growth in the U.S. manufacturing industry:

The global economy, led by the developing economies, appears to be rebounding at a faster pace. As a result, manufacturers with a global portfolio are seeing activity pick up now. In general, this would include sectors such as:
* textiles
* primary metals
* machinery
* computer and electronics
* transportation products

In these areas, over a third of domestic production is supported by exports of manufactured products abroad. More details at: http://bit.ly/aGaYax.

Article extracted from the eBridge, newsletter of Career Management Alliance.

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

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09/09/09
Entrepreneurial Stirrings? You’re Not Alone
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 10:02 am

It’s no surprise that when unemployment is high, small business start-ups increase. While not necessarily the best time to think of starting a business, necessity breeds innovation and resourcefulness. The largest increase in business-creation levels was found in those between the ages of 55 and 64, according to the Kauffman Foundation in an April 30, 2009, report by Reuters (full link below). Kauffman is a private nonpartisan foundation that focuses on entrepreneurship.

Just yesterday I was interviewed by the daughter of a very close friend who is taking an entrepreneurial class at college. Her mission? To talk with someone who had started a business and learn the “hows, whens, and whys” behind it.

Food for thought in case you’d been thinking about exploring what it might be like to start a business… The last part of our interview was an open-ended question: “What advice would you give someone who wanted to start a small business?” In classic Letterman style, I came up with 10 things I consider key:

1) Select a business in which you have a great deal of expertise and knowledge and for which you have incredible passion.

2) Be prepared to work harder than you ever have for anyone—and expect to love it more.

3) Engage expert advice/assistance where you need it. Ensure you are well-capitalized (one of the biggest mistakes for many entrepreneurs is not having sufficient reserves/capital).

4) Don’t underestimate the importance of outstanding customer service and keen interpersonal skills… remember, you are your business and customers/clients like to do business with people they respect, like, and trust.

5) Master marketing and self-promotion—essential when building a business, retaining business, and perpetuating growth. Press release on a regular basis—be visible in your community, build a strong network and referral-generation process, and have professional business cards and website. Be very prominent on Linkedin.com, Twitter, and Facebook. Blog regularly. Explore other social media for applicable networking sites. Learn to speak well publicly and get before a variety of audiences to promote your business, cultivate referrals, and ‘spread the word.’

6) Understand the financials—and if you don’t, have a bookkeeper and/or accountant who does (this includes not only accurate and timely recordkeeping, but the all-important matter of establishing a pricepoint, knowing your breakeven, and assessing profitable segments of your product or service mix).

7) Write a thorough business plan—and monitor performance very regularly and frequently.

8) Fine-tune and update your business model on a consistent basis—no complacency allowed! Build a succession plan—and a backup strategy in the event of a serious illness/emergency.

9) Continue your education and professional development; read constantly and stay on top of trends. Join professional associations in your industry/field and be active.

10) Have fun! Enjoy being an entrepreneur. There’s nothing quite like loving the work you do, being expert at it, and making money.

Think you might like to make the plunge? Here are a few resources to explore:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizstartups/index.html - Entrepreneur.com (good tips)
http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html - Small Business Administration (free resources)
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS226068+30-Apr-2009+MW20090430

- Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage
-
follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook

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08/17/09
Recession’s Hold Easing on Employment Opportunities?
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 8:20 am

At least in New England, things may be starting to loosen up a bit. According to Jason Blais, director of business development at the JobsInTheUS.com (JiUS) network, “New England’s recruiting experts are beginning to see some very positive signs.”

Here are the stats:

• Local (New England) employers posted nearly 8,000 open positions on the JiUS network in March.
• That’s a 10% increase over February *and* marks the second consecutive month of growth in an important statistic

At the same time, recruiters saw one of the largest applicant pools in years — with JiUS recording about 1.8 million visits in March (a 13% jump over February). Blais said, “We only allow job postings from legitimate, in-state employers, so the increase in postings is truly reflective of the increase in actual employment opportunities.” He adds, “What this tells us is that the confidence among employers is growing. For the past few months, many businesses were holding their breath. Two consecutive months of growth in online postings indicates that employers are beginning to collectively exhale and get back to the business of doing business.”

Blais’s recommendations (and I fully concur, but from a different perspective): He tells businesses to “stay out in front of jobseekers.” I tell jobseekers to be professionally persistent and relentless in their networking efforts and to stay highly visible among everyone in their spheres of influence. (I also advise *not* to spend more than an hour or two out of every eight hours of targeted job search at the computer… get on the phone, get out there and meet-and-greet, do coffee, breakfast, *talk* to people.)

Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage and Career Management Expert, Career Thought Leaders Consortium

Source: Career Management Alliance E-Bridge and http://xrl.us/bfah4t

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11/16/08
You Are Invited to Job-Search Workshop
Filed under: Job Search, Employment, Resume
Posted by: site admin @ 11:40 am


If you are in the Connecticut area and actively job-seeking, join me as I facilitate a job-search workshop on
Thursday, November 20, at 10:00 a.m. at the Russell Library in Middletown, Connecticut. There’s no registration necessary and the workshop is free of charge, open to the public. We’ll cover the hot buttons: effective networking, strategies for a great resume, and key search techniques for the holiday season.

Here’s the link to the article about the workshop in the Hartford Courant:

http://tiny.cc/qDjbE

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

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10/27/08
So What Are Doing with the Rest of Your Life?
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 8:00 am

(For many of us, the answer might be "working"! People living longer, improved healthcare, inadequate savings, eroding stock market portfolios, and disappearing pensions are only part of the reason why, I suspect.)

For those of you approaching your 60s, you might find this to be of interest … According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in a July 2008 report, "Between 1977 and 2007, employment of workers 65 and over increased 101 percent, compared to a much smaller increase of 59 percent for total employment (16 and over). The number of employed men 65 and over rose 75 percent, but employment of women 65 and older increased by nearly twice as much, climbing 147 percent. While the number of employed people age 75 and over is relatively small (0.8 percent of the employed in 2007), this group had the most dramatic gain, increasing 172 percent between 1977 and 2007.

(From Kathy Hansen writing for Oct. 27, 2008, Career Management Alliance E-Bridge)

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

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09/04/08
Labor Day Employment Outlook
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 6:56 pm

In the Labor Day (September 1, 2008) issue of The Hartford Courant (the nation’s oldest, continuously published newspaper), staff writer Eric Gershon explored some of the dynamics of today’s volatile job market, shaky economy, and job satisfaction. I was delighted to be quoted in the cover story and share the article below (the article can also be accessed through courant.com at http://www.courant.com/business/hc-labor0901. artsep01,0,2355849.story).

Workers Happy To Have Jobs,
But Unhappy In Them


By Eric Gershon, Courant Staff Writer

For 25 years, Jan Melnik, a career coach in Durham, has been helping people look for work, from salesmen to real estate brokers to fed-up physicians looking for different avenues of employment.

Some clients come to Melnik jobless. But most, 85 or 90 percent, she says, are fully employed — unhappily.

As employers have reacted to more than a year of economic turmoil by cutting staff, slashing budgets and expecting more from fewer workers, she finds an even larger number of people getting less pleasure from work.

"People just aren’t getting a sense of reward and personal accomplishment," said Melnik, founder of Absolute Advantage. "They’re being thwarted by circumstances totally outside of their control."

To the unemployed desperate for a paycheck, seeking personal fulfillment from a job may seem a luxury. In Connecticut and the United States as a whole, unemployment is rising — although it’s still below 6 percent — even as mass layoffs remain relatively rare.

The U.S. economy has shed more than 400,000 jobs since the start of 2008, and Connecticut job creation is flat, meaning the opportunities for workers to move around are limited.

But however plentiful or scarce, employment doesn’t necessarily bring satisfaction. And as the 114th Labor Day passes, there is evidence that Americans are feeling fretful and frustrated at work because of changing labor conditions and broad economic stress.

Surveys show a stable, and in some cases growing, level of overall job satisfaction. But that masks deeper problems, many experts say.

"A lot of people like their job because they like having a job," said Carl Van Horn of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, which on Thursday released a report called "The Anxious American Worker." "They don’t necessarily like the aspects of the job."

At some companies, layoffs, even a small number of them, have generated a pervasive fear that others will follow. Disappearing colleagues and hiring freezes leave remaining workers with more to do, often without pay increases, and less time for each task, breeding resentment.

Management changes and reorganization in the wake of layoffs and mergers often leave workers with new or uncertain responsibilities.

"All of those things lead to dissatisfaction, not only with work, but with life," said James O’Toole, author of "The New American Workplace" and a business professor at the University of Denver.

Among other things, the Rutgers study, based on a May survey of 1,000 randomly selected U.S. residents, found that 13 percent of respondents said they had been laid off since 2005, nearly 60 percent of them in the 12 months before the survey.

Of respondents who had survived a round of layoffs, 60 percent reported feeling that morale had decreased as a result, and nearly 50 percent said they began to fear being laid off, according to the study.

At the same time, salaried workers reported working longer hours, and hourly workers fewer and feeling hostage to employers’ demands. And pay has lagged inflation for many workers.

The result: The economic expansion of 2001 to 2007 was the first one ever in which median family income did not rise, according to "The State of Working America 2008-09," released this weekend by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

In Connecticut, the median hourly wage — the level at which half of all workers earn less and half earn more — stood at $18.51 in 2007, according to a new report, "The State of Working Connecticut," by Connecticut Voices for Children. That was down from $18.88 in 2001, adjusted for inflation. The decline happened even as worker output climbed steadily.

In those same years, the percentage of workers provided health insurance by their employers fell from 65 to 60, the report shows.

In a heady economy, unhappy workers might simply quit for a better job. That’s not easy now. Unable to find positions they like better, most workers keep the jobs they have, minimizing turnover.

Economic pressures combine with workplace conditions, contributing to workers’ stress. For example, falling home prices and inflation that’s outpacing wage growth serve to heighten anxiety about financial security.

Melnik, the Durham career counselor, says she’s working with salesmen who have found their territories expanded and requirements to travel more on weekends, and computer technicians who are being asked to take nine service calls in a day when six used to be the norm.

She’s also seeing doctors, not for her health, but their peace of mind. Fed up with the demands of insurance companies, she said, more private practice physicians seem to be thinking of other careers, such as working with medical device manufacturers.

"There are a lot of MDs that are miserable," she said. "It is something I never saw before the last two years."

Contact Eric Gershon at egershon@courant.com.

Copyright © 2008, The Hartford Courant 

 

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03/10/08
Salaries to Increase–1.8 to 5.6%
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 5:32 am

According to information released by Career Journal, a recent Towers Perrin survey indicates that salary budgets in the United States are set to "increase an average of 3.9% in 2008 — the same increase employers reported in 2007. The survey of 4,000 companies in 60 countries highlights a growing shift in the way companies pay employees. Rather than awarding increases in fixed pay, they are increasingly tying pay raises to employee performance, human resources consultants say."

As expected, the gap is widening between the raises awarded to top and bottom performers. Top-rated employees received an average raise of 5.6% in 2007, while the lowest-rated performers received only 1.8%, according to human-resources consultant Mercer.

Many countries in the Towers Perrin survey are expecting larger-percentage increases in salaries than in the U.S. Not surprising, in India, salaries are expected to rise 15% next year, compared with 14% in 2007. In China, employers are projected to award raises of 9%, up from 8% this year.

Source: Career Journal, http://careerpath.org/salaryhiring/hotissues/20071214-athavaley.html

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

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10/29/07
Interesting Stats for Women in the Workforce
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 9:05 am

Consider the following — extracted from a recent newsletter of the Career Masters Alliance:

* In 2006, about 59% of women were in the labor force.

* Since the early 1980s, women’s and men’s unemployment rates have continued to be similar (in 2006, they were identical).

* From 1975 to 2000, the rate of working mothers with children under age 18 rose from 47% to 73%, where it remained in 2006.

* One-third of women in the labor force had college degrees as of 2006.

* In 2006, women accounted for 50.6% of those employed in management, professional, and related occupations.

* Employed Asian women were more likely to work in higher-paying management, professional, and related occupations than Caucasian, African-American, or Latino women in the labor force.

* By industry, more than 50% of women were employed in financial activities, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality.

* Women working full time in 2006 had median weekly earnings of $600, compared to median income of men at $743 weekly.

* Women with college degrees earned 81% more than women with only a high school diploma.

Interesting food for thought!

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

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03/17/07
Don\’t Derail Your Career
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 7:31 am

There are any number of reasons a career ascent can be derailed. David Dotlich and Peter Cairo have authored "Why CEO’s Fail: The 11 Behaviors That Can Derail Your Climb to the Top–and How to Manage Them." Their findings could apply to nearly anyone. Drawing heavily from research by psychologist Dr. Robert Hogan, they also tap their own knowledge as executive coaches.

Take a look at the list of the "11 derailers most common among executives" … and see if you can avoid checking off any of them:

1. Arrogance—they think that they are right, and everyone else is wrong.
2. Melodrama—they need to be the center of attention.
3. Volatility—they are subject to mood swings.
4. Excessive Caution—they are afraid to make decisions.
5. Habitual Distrust—they focus on the negatives.
6. Aloofness—they are disengaged and disconnected.
7. Mischievousness—they believe the rules are made to be broken.
8. Eccentricity—they try to be different just for the sake of it.
9. Passive Resistance—what they say is not what they really believe.
10. Perfectionism—they get the little things right and the big things wrong.
11. Eagerness to Please—they try to win the popularity of others.

(from Career Masters Institute newsletter, courtesy of Jerry Haynesworth)

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

1 comment
02/26/07
Interesting Stats
Filed under: Employment
Posted by: site admin @ 1:37 pm

A recent hiring survey by CareerXroads showed some changing statistics among the 1.2 million employees responding (along with nearly 2,000 recruiters/sourcers filling some 188K positions during 2006). Most notable:

* 33.9% of all open positions were filled by internal transfers and promotions

* Referrals (25.6%) are arguably the number one external source with employee referrals making up some 95% of all hires in this category

* The Internet is increasingly the major means to apply and communicate no matter what the original source

* 20.7% of all external hires attributed to "company website"

* Hires attributed to specific job boards and generic niche boards represent 12.3% of external hires (this is a significant jump over the 5-7% often reported in recent years)

* Importantly, the largest trends were the growth of re-hires as a source of hire and the emergence of search engine advertising; direct sourcing also remains strong. Anyone thinking of coming back out of retirement?

(Source: Zoom Info: http://digbig.com/4rpgs as reported via weekly newsletter of Career Masters Institute: www.cminstitute.com)

– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage

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