I recently read the following survey results reported in the Wall Street Journal:
– Total employment has risen every month for more than 4 years.
– Only 21% of Americans rate the current economic conditions as “excellent.”
– More than 5 years after the official end of the recession, only 21% of Americans thought the recession ended.
– In 2013, only about 106 million Americans were fully employed. In 2007, 108.6 million were fully employed.
What does all this mean? Evidently, more and more people are having to take part-time jobs to make ends meet.
But why is that the case? Well, part of it is the Affordable Care Act and the requirement to provide health insurance for full-time employees.
Then there’s the baby boomers, who are staying longer in higher-level jobs out of necessity. With entry-level jobs not paying as much, that doesn’t leave much opportunity in the mid-level careers.
In any case, I think there’s way too much emphasis on “jobs” these days. My focus is on “careers” and how to build them. You build careers by connecting with people – in person. E-mails and text messages and Facebook aren’t going to cut it. You have to be there. And be present. And be respectful.
That’s what it takes to have a career. You have to be focused, and you have to bring value.
I emphasize careers because those who build them successfully will create jobs.
The banks could help out a lot by opening up credit to small business. “Crowd funding” is taking off for a reason. It’s because capital is not available from traditional sources. We need those traditional sources back in the game.
So a struggling economy seems to be the rule. The exception, however, is here in South Florida. We’re seeing enormous economic growth. Development – and construction employment – are going nuts. The trade and professional services sectors are also strong.
Careers – and jobs – are plentiful in South Florida at the top and bottom. The middle is still difficult, and that’s where we need to focus our efforts to train and retain good people.
Click here to listen to my complete take on the current economic recovery.