Despite what you may have heard or have been led to believe by the “doom and gloom” news media, the answer to the question posed in the headline to this article is an unqualified “Yes!”—people are getting hired today, and probably in significantly greater numbers than you might imagine!
We are bombarded daily with the negative news about the economy in general and the job market in particular. And there is no question about it, it is tough out there. That does not mean, however, that it is impossible out there!
So, who is getting HIRED today? The people who are learning how to do things differently and are then applying those lessons!
There is a report released by the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) each month called the JOLTS report (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey). This report is seldom, if ever, discussed in the media, or at least it seldom gets much play in the major headlines.
Did you know, for example, that 4.1 million people were hired in the month of January alone? Yes, that is January 2010! And at the end of January, there were still 2.5 million job openings, for a TOTAL of 6.6 million opportunities during the month! (Haven’t heard much about this news from the major media or the federal government, have you?)
ONLY HALF THE AVAILABLE JOBS POSTED ON INTERNET
You might also be surprised to learn that only 2.9 million of these TOTAL job opportunities (6.6 million) were ever posted on the job boards. So, once again, people who rely solely, or nearly solely, upon the job boards to find their next job are being exposed to fewer than one-half of the available opportunities!
A job measurement that is widely touted these days by both the federal government and the new media is this one: There are six people vying for every available job opening. Ostensibly, that would seem to be an accurate statement, i.e., the number of currently unemployed people (15 million) divided by number of current openings (2.5 million). However, this does not take into consideration the fact that, as we’ve seen, on average, there are actually 6.6 million opportunities available each month. When this fact is considered, the more accurate number of job applicants per job becomes just slightly over two applicants per available job opening, i.e., 15 million divided by 6.6 million.
Let me hasten to add at this point, however, that I am in no way suggesting that today’s job market is a “lot better” than we have been led to believe. What I am suggesting is, it’s not quite as bad as it is consistently being portrayed by the federal government and the news media. Contrary to popular opinion, people are being hired today. Certainly there are not enough jobs for everyone who wants one, but to say that virtually no one is being hired today is not factual, either.
Also, an obvious question that is strongly begged by the scenario I’ve laid out thus far is this one: Why are there approximately 2.5 million jobs going unfilled each and every month? Is it because some job seekers simply don’t know that these positions even exist and therefore never even investigate them? At least to an extent, the answer to that question is “yes.” (Remember, only one-half of the TOTAL job opportunities during any given month ever make it to the job boards, where the majority of job seekers focus their attention and effort!) Also, of course, at least a certain percentage of these 2.5 million unfilled positions each month require skills or training not possessed by the vast majority of current job seekers.
JOB MARKET TO BECOME EVEN MORE COMPETITIVE
To be sure, the job market today is challenging, to say the least. Unfortunately, it is even going to get more challenging, and soon! Let me explain.
It is projected that, by mid-2010, there will be 13.6 people for every available job opening! How is this figure derived? First, remember that there are actually 6.6 million openings during any given month. (The 2.5 million are only the ones unfilled at the end of the month.) Depending on which survey you read (ExecuNet, CareerBuilder, Monster, et al.), anywhere from 40% to 70% of currently employed people say they are dissatisfied at work and that they will be open to a new opportunity as soon as the economy starts getting better. The ramifications of such a quantum increase in the number of “new” job seekers could prove tremendously unsettling to an already unsettled job market.
Currently, there are 138 million people employed in the United States. If just one-half of those people, 69 million, actually follow through with their stated intention of seeking new employment opportunities once the economy improves, that will increase the TOTAL number of active job seekers to approximately 90 million! (60 million currently employed seeking new opportunities + 15 million currently unemployed + an estimated 5 million people who are currently unemployed but who have become so discouraged that they are no longer actively looking for a job but can be expected to once the economy improves.) Take this number, 90 million, and divide it by the number of TOTAL job opportunities during any given month, 6.6 million, and you come up with the “raw” number of 13.6 people for each job opening!
What, then, are the conclusions that a reasonable man or woman would draw from this article? Several things, actually:
• Despite what you may think or have read or heard, companies are hiring today.
• Competition remains quite stiff and it is only going to get stiffer.
• If you are going to be successful in today’s—and tomorrow’s!—
• You’re going to have to diligently and consistently apply the NEW rules of the “hiring game.”
Make no mistake about it, only job seekers who learn, and then diligently play by, the NEW rules of the hiring game and position themselves differently can realistically expect to be successful in gaining new jobs in the foreseeable future.
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Skip Freeman, author of "Headhunter"
A distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, he is a lifelong student of leadership, people and the principles of success. While serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Chemical Corps, he also earned a Master of Science degree in Organic Chemistry from The Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing from Long Island University.
'Headhunter' Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed . . . Forever! is available in paperback from Amazon.com. Click on this link to order: http://www.amazon.com/
