Labor Day Wish/ All Working

Posted by boblarson on

Labor Day is only a few days away. Will the economy celebrate this important holiday by creating work for the millions who seek it? All the economic reports predict flat to slight growth during the remainder of 2012 with concerns continuing for the price of oil and European bailouts.

We at Berman Larson Kane (www.jobsbl.com) have fair amount of optimism for job creation in our small universe. Some signs that growth might not be as dismal as the economist are forecasting:

-Many of our long established clients are planning to add to staff after the Labor Day holiday.

-We are experiencing an increase in our temporary and contract employee’s conversions to direct hire status.

-Our new client’s numbers continue to grow during the summer months.

-New job orders increase during the last two weeks of August.

-We are finding many job candidates in select skill sets are being offered several positions.

-A recent staffing industry meeting that I attended the consensus seem to have a few hints of optimism for the remainder of the year and beyond.

-Our job-seeker webinar series (https://jobsbl.com/jobs/coaching/webinars.php) attendance has decrease in recent months.

So as the summer comes to a close and the vacation cycle spins down. We are looking forward to hiring resuming and job opportunities being more plentiful.

If you would like to help job-seekers take advantage of our FREE job-seeker webinar take a moment and like us on facebook by clicking on the facebook link below. Over 50,000 have attended our community service project over the past 2 years.

I thank our loyal clients and job seekers for their support and we at Berman Larson Kane will continue to offer the “Best Staffing Options”.

Stay well enjoy your holiday,

Bob Larson, CPC

President, Berman Larson Kane

larson@jobsbl.com or 201-556-2887

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Labor Day on Horizon / Is Job Creation on the Horizon ???

Posted by boblarson on

As the days of summer begin to wind down and the cool weather approaches what will happen to the job market?

We at Berman Larson Kane continue to see an increase of new clients and job orders as the month progresses. . The second half of the month is trending stronger then the first; however, this will probably make August a average month. This current increase is a very optimistic sign that things hopefully will accelerate beginning in September and continue through the remainder of 2012.

 
Job openings increased in HR support , top notch machine engineers and mechanics, IT developers, IT support and software sales.
We are concerned as we witness long term employment epidemic with recent unemployment numbers growing. And although numerous job openings exist, the skills needed to fill many jobs do not match those on extended unemployment.

 
So hardships and depressing conditions continue to overwhelm those in transition. We are cautiously optimistic for the future while remaining extremely concerned for the unemployed. I view this macro job scene one day at a time, one job at a time, one successful transition at a time. Looking forward to someday celebrating a prosperous Labor Day Holiday

Unemployment :-(

Posted by boblarson on

Today’s unemployment numbers showed a 10% rate in NYC and a 9.8% rate in NJ the highest in over 2 years.  This is not the direction we should be moving in at this stage of a slow moving recovery.

We at Berman Larson Kane (www.jobsbl.com) have been experiencing a slow down in job-orders over the past 5-7 weeks and new client orders have come almost to a standstill.  So the national report comes with little surprises.

The attendance at our community service FREE Job-Seeker Webinars continues to grow.  During this past month our total attendance surpassed 50,000 registrations over the past 24 months.  I am truly humbled by the volume of attendance and the many compliments and thanks received over the years.  We will continue with this service until attendance is diminished to zero, because all are working. https://jobsbl.com/jobs/coaching/webinars.php

Going forward I am predicting that this is a temporary bump in the road and that job creation will begin to accelerate in the not to distance future. 

On a personal note I have been involved in the employment field for over 35 years and have never witness such a long extended period of high unemployment.  In the past the return to hiring happened in the blink of a eye and I am optimistic that in the very near future we will see these UE numbers plummeting every month and job creation numbers increasing in all sectors.  As for now my compassion goes to the many long term unemployed who continue to seek work day after day month after month.

Job Creation #’s :-(

Posted by boblarson on

Job creation continues to crawl along and even lost momentum for the month of April with the economy only creating 115,000 jobs. Not good news for our job seekers who were hoping for a more aggressive number of new jobs materializing.

Well with the DOL report is unquestionably base on a large data sample; however, we here at Berman Larson Kane (www.jobsbl.com) continue to see positive results with job listings increasing during April. If our tiny sample is correct we are anticipating a very positive hiring pattern for May.
Bruce Steinberg’s blog www.brucesteinberg.net might explain why we at BLK number differ from the over all numbers because our service area includes the following that had positive momentum:

· The Professional and business services sector added 62,000 jobs in April, which is encouraging after adding only 37,000 in March but still less than the 89,000 it added in February. Computer systems design and related services added 7,400 jobs in April and Management and technical consulting services, which is smaller, added 6,400.

· The Education and health services sector added a total of 23,000 jobs in April with the highly seasonal Educational services sub-sector contributing 4,300 of those new jobs. This means that the Health care and social assistance portion was up about 18,400 jobs, with several major sub-sectors adding jobs including Home health care services that added 6,300. However, Nursing cares facilities as well as Child day care services eliminated a number of jobs.

 As we go forward I continue to remain optimistic for job growth and employment over the next 18-24 months. We continue to hear from clients looking to add back to staff because their current work force is stressed to its limits. New skill mixes continue to materialize in the technology sector and all are looking to increase their sale and brand presents.

As for this moment we at Berman Larson Kane thank our clients for their support and look forward to assisting all with their talent acquisition challenges.

Spring Training Hiring for Real

Posted by boblarson on

Baseball spring training always brings optimism to every team & fan with dreams of a playoff berth or at least a better season than last. As I talk to many corporate staffing departments the overall sentiment is one of optimism for spring hiring. And I am pretty sure this is not fan propaganda or false optimism.

What I am hearing repeatedly are phases like:

“Our firm is doing so much better and hiring new talent is in our immediate future”
“New budgets will be release shortly and I anticipate hiring to be increased for the next few quarters”
“ We are more profitable & our current staff is stretched to their limits so hiring should resume soon”
“We are in the process of organizing job specifications and will begin the hiring shortly”
“Good I.T. talent appears in short supply from our lack of ad responses”
“ As we determine our volume of hiring I will let you know if hiring a contract recruiter makes sense”
“I am attempting to see posting responses prior to bringing in BLK to assist”
“ We are looking to add additional staff via temp to hire programs”

Well from my perspective here at Berman Larson Kane this is music to our staffing businesses’ ears. The birds are chirping and opening day is just a month away. I don’t think this is wishful thinking but a real changing point in the market place. I have not heard HR departments this positive in several years.

I can’t wait for the umpire of yeah “Play Hiring” and let the competition for talent begin 🙂

Hope I am Right “2 Million New Jobs”

Posted by boblarson on
Unemployment claims decreased this week by over 50,000 with the more accurate moving averages bringing the weekly claims below 380,000.   Is this a sign that the economy is creating enough jobs to begin putting a dent in the unemployment rate? 

We at Berman Larson Kane continue to see an improvement in job orders and hiring,  although not at the robust rate we were anticipating after such a strong close to 2011.  I realize that we are just a little pass the mid-month mark for January but I am hoping that our slow start is not indicative of the larger economy. All the signs outside of our four walls predict we are wrong and just maybe experiencing a statistical fluke.

However, remember discourage workers, job-seeker dropouts and those that have not looked for work are not factored into the unemployment rate.  So the question remains:  what percentage of the unemployment rate reduction is caused by these workforce dropouts?  This remains the wild card of what is the real unemployment rate.

The good news going forward is that the job creation numbers will continue to increase at rates similar or larger than December 2011. If this happens will could add over 2 million additional new jobs over the next 12 months.

Our organization continues to hire additional recruiters and researchers to support the anticipated increased hiring needs of our clients.  I do believe that better times are on the horizon for business, job-seekers and our economy…..I really really hope I am right… stay well…Bob

2012 New Year Employment Wish & Predictions:

Posted by boblarson on

The CHASM between Employed and Unemployed

Well another year is coming to a close with the unemployment rate remaining high. Good hard-working educated folks continue to aggressively seek work, but are unable to land a new position. The news media remains flooded with heart-breaking stories of lost homes, families, egos, confidence, health and benefits. We at Berman Larson Kane have witness many a gut wrenching hardship story and remain deeply moved from innocent suffering caused by our sluggist economy.

As a disconnect; we have recently experienced a strong difference between hardship and prosperity. Q4 2011 was a good quarter here at BLK for job-orders, placements with the emerging of new clients adding to staff. How could our little microcosm begin to see growth while so many suffer? Firms are adding to headcount while the unemployment rate remains above 8.5% and job creation numbers are dismal? Could the government reports be incorrect? And even though our small company is experiencing growth , we still do not have one client that is in full steam ahead aggressive hiring mode. It seems the 99% majority are living in two worlds. Those who remained employed for the past three years and those “not” employed are living two very different experiences.

For those of us employed. We have not seen major salary increases but have not lost buying power. With such low inflation, along with our worries about the economy, we have increased our saving rates and decreased our discretionary purchasing habits. This seemingly logical good behavior has caused each of us to feel richer while assisting the anemic consumer economic growth. FEAR of job lost seems to override logic. This is not a complaint but a observation of those who have kept their employment status for the past 3 years. We are the lucky ones, the ones with uninterrupted pay checks. Struggling but not in desperate straights.

As for those that are unemployed. We all know the hardships, the lost and the feelings of desperation. Everyday, I must tell someone that I do not have even a interview within their skill set. Ouch OUCH!….and those employed fear that one day in the near future they will be joining the ranks of living without a paycheck. Or working as greeter “Welcome to _____ may I have your zip-code”

Well if our BLK barometer is correct hiring will return to a faster pace beginning Q1 2012. This expansion will restore confidence to those with jobs and hopefully accelerate spending. Jobs for the unemployed, spending for those with jobs will hopefully lead our economy into an expansion period and put this “Great Recession” behind us. Happy New Year! New job creation will make for a GREAT year for all.

Thanksgiving Job-Seekers Assistance

Posted by boblarson on

Although we at Berman Larson Kane continue to witness an increase in hiring by our clients. During this Thanksgiving Holiday let us remember the 15 million good folks who continue to be adversely affected by our high unemployment numbers.

Over the past several years the personal painful histories that I have witnessed, due to no job or meaningful work, continues to be heart wrenching for all of us in the employment profession.

As president of our organization I assure you that we will continue our free community out-reach programs to assist all “job-seekers” with their efforts to gain solid employment. Since beginning this program 30 months ago over 42,000 individuals have participated. My wish is by Thanksgiving 2012 our webinar attendance will decrease to zero. And this service will no longer be needed because all those who want to work can find work.

During this week of thanks, I encourage each of you as professionals to lend a hand, take a phone call, share a linked-In invitation, review a resume, coach an interview or pass on some advice to a challenged “job-seeker. It is the giving help to a job-seeker that will be remember for a life time.

We at Berman Larson Kane continue to thank each of you for your business support during our thirty-one year history. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and take a moment to please be thankful for your job and remember those who continue to seek employment.

Sincerely,,

Bob Larson, CPC

Snow Storm in October

Posted by boblarson on

Our Berman Larson Kane (www.jobsbl.com) office has been without power for the past 3 days. Public service estimates a power return in another 2-3 days. If these estimates are correct that would be the longest phone and internet outage in our 31 year history. The lesson, look out for snow storms while the trees still have their leaves and the weather makes for wet heavy snow flakes. Today is Halloween and mother nature has played her “trick” with no visible “treat” for our services.

As for the job market and creation of new jobs October was full of surprises. We at Berman Larson Kane witnessed a steady increase in both contract and direct hire assignments. From the “treat” side we were given several new assignments for new clients, a very welcomed surprise. The IT/Software sales requirements lead the pack in volume and should be a leading indicator for increase technical hiring in the succeeding months. A few HR spots materialized in the benefits and compensation area, also an indicator of the beginning of HR hiring across skill sets.

As we enter the final two months of the year and the holiday season we are hopeful that these early indicators are a sign that the real beginning of job creation is at our door steps. It has been a long long time since all those that wanted to work could find work. I know we are still years away from achieving this lofty goal, but knowing with confidence that full employment is on the horizon would make for a wonderful holiday season.

Fourth Quarter Job Creation Trends

Posted by boblarson on

I know the world financial markets continue to gyrate in wild patterns. I know emerging markets are suffering with inflation and slower growth rates. I know the US treasury bonds is a safe haven for the world (lucky for us). I know everyone is predicting at best moderate job growth over the next two years with unemployment remaining high. Fears of a double dip recession becoming a reality is mentioned in every media report.

But, I will stick my neck out and predict that job growth will begin to accelerate during Q4. We at Berman Larson Kane are seeing a swell of activity from many clients, and increase in new business and a upward trend in talent competition for key skill sets. I hope that our tiny microcosm is an accurate predictor for the rest of the economy.

Another positive sign I witness last week while attending the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) 50th anniversary staffing conference in Las Vegas, NV. The consensus of the 350 recruiters in attendance was that they are seeing a pick-up in interviewing activity that will lead to a increase in hiring over the next few weeks. One international staffing leader informed me that he is planing on 2011 being a record year, with a strong Q4 and looking for steady growth through 2012.

Berman Larson Kane continues to see increased demand for technical sales staffing, IT staffing for both developers and support, a increase in contract pharma hiring, support and IT. Our HR division remains soft but experiencing a small increase.

Going forward I am optimistic that hiring will continue through 2012 and build momentum well into 2015. I would like to see us return to under 5% unemployment even if the main driving force is the aging of our workforce. Bottom line good things are on the horizon.

I thank all our clients for their continuous support and having the confidence to allow Berman Larson Kane the opportunity to assist with their talent acquisition challenges. Can’t wait to celebrate 2012 and beyond and that all that want to work can.