Tag Archives: North Dakota

REAL UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS

Posted on May 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

In the case of the American economy, slow and steady is NOT winning the race.

Disappointing numbers from April are starting to leak out, and a report from CNBC.com from Wednesday reports that private companies created just 119,000 jobs last month, well below expectations.

Economists had expected 150,000 jobs to be created in April (a prediction down from March), and the economy under-performed to the lowered standards.

“”Nearly every industry has seen slower growth since the beginning of the year,” Moody’s economist Mark Zandi said on CNBC. “Smaller businesses are experiencing much weaker growth.””

Without the support of strong small businesses, the American economy will have difficulty creating jobs. Small businesses would account for just 50,000 of the added 119,000 jobs. Zandi believes that this may be due to the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obamacare). Zandi went on to say in an interview that, “The data seems to be suggesting healthcare is having an impact.”

Continuing reports from CNBC.com suggest that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is in the middle of its longest sub-3% growth rate since 1929!

Unemployment, that also includes the jobless, and the underemployed (often referred to as the “real” unemployment rate) remains at 13.8%.  Nevada has been hit the hardest with a real unemployment rate of a staggering 19.6, nearly one-in-five Nevadans are out of work. Only six states have real unemployment rates of less than 10%. They are North Dakota at 6.2%, South Dakota at 8.1%, Nebraska at 8.6%, Wyoming at 9.5% and Oklahoma and Iowa at 9.8%. (See the actual numbers of all 50 states HERE).

Although the national reported unemployment average has actually decreased as of late, the real unemployment rate has risen in six states, and stayed the same in three (including Connecticut).

Michael Pento, founder of Pento Portfolio Strategies, had this to say about the economy:

“The fact is that the U.S. economy isn’t growing fast enough to significantly increase the revenue to the government, but our debt is still soaring. It’s a shame they won’t just implement real measures to grow the economy like reduce regulations, simplify the tax code and balance the budget.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the April numbers officially Friday.

While the economy remains at a standstill, we at Crossroads Consulting are trying desperately to help, but we need you to fulfill our goal of finding rewarding work for as many people as we possibly can.

With over fifty job openings, Crossroads Consulting is looking, not only for people with good resumes, but just good people to fill openings we’re working on all around the nation.

Send us your resume NOW. If you’re not confident in how it looks, we are available to help you there too with our recommended resume service. 

Human resources is a human game, and human capital is what makes it work. Our attitude is right there for everyone to see in our motto, “We’re putting the ‘Human’ back into ‘Human Resources.’”

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WHERE TO LOOK FOR JOBS…BESIDES US OF COURSE

Posted on January 30, 2012 | 1 Comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

A few months back on the blog, we reported that the Midwestern United States seemed to be experiencing the job recession better than other parts of the country. Now however since the unemployment rate has dipped below 9% at a trend that continues to fall, other parts of the nation have caught up to their Midwestern brethren. On the other hand, some states continue to falter way above the 8.5% reported in December.

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Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume

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SWEEPING UP THE MIDWEST

Posted on August 2, 2011 | 1 Comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

While trying to fill a very high-profile position in the Midwest, it would be best to know as much about your target area as possible.

(For more information on the CMO position – click here and browse all of our openings here)

A new report on BusinessWeek broke it down state by state noting that an index of over 50 justifies an expanding economy over the next three to six months.

Broken down state by state:

Arkansas: Arkansas’ overall index has dropped again, as it has for the past three consecutive months. Reporting a 51.8 in July after 60.2 in June. This dropping number has been caused by new entrants into the state workforce which have raised unemployment 0.4 percent.

Iowa: Iowa experienced a raise of 1.2 points in the index rising from 61.4 in June to 62.6 in July. Over the past three months Iowa has experienced declines in its workforce which has lowered its unemployment numbers.

Kansas: Kansas index numbers rose a full 2 points between June and July rising from 52.7 to 54.7. This was the 11thtime in the past year that Kansas has experienced growth in their index numbers. Kansas like Iowa has been experiencing decreasing numbers in it’s workforce, but unlike Iowa has seen increases in employment opportunities as well.

Minnesota: A personal favorite state of mine, Minnesota also experienced growth in its numbers rising from a 54.8 in June to a 57.5 in July. Unlike Kansas and Iowa however, Minnesota has experienced high growth in its workforce. This has been canceled out by the increasing employment which has kept the unemployment rate modest. Minnesota posted a very encouraging 6.7% unemployment rate in June.

Missouri: Like Arkansas, Missouri’s index dropped from June to July. Losing 2.6 points dropping from 54.5 in June to 51.9 in July. This drop was caused by the fact that Missouri is adding jobs at a very slow rate compared to other Midwest states. Unfortunately the dropping index points to continued slow growth of jobs in Missouri.

Nebraska: Nebraska, like Minnesota, has a very nice number to boast reporting a 57.1 in July up from 56 in June. Like many of it’s Midwestern brothers, Nebraska has experienced growth in employment lowering the unemployment rate. Nebraska’s unemployment rate in June was a very impressive 4.3%

North Dakota: If you know some trivia about North Dakota (hint: what its unemployment number is) you may not be surprised at this result. North Dakota’s index rose 10.7 points from June to July. Reporting a 44.4 in June North Dakota’s index rose to a 55.1 in July. In June, North Dakota’s unemployment was a nation leading 3.3% If I were a betting man, judging by the rise in North Dakota’s index (which has plenty to do with that unemployment number in June) I’d expect ND’s unemployment rate to remain very close to it’s beautiful 3.3%

South Dakota: South Dakota could not mirror its sister to the north having the index drop from June to July. Reporting a very healthy 60.7 in June, South Dakota’s index has dropped to 57 leaving Iowa as the only state in the Midwest reporting an index of over 60 points. Like the rest of its Midwest brothers and sisters, SD’s employment has grown proving that more and more workers are heading toward the Midwest looking for jobs.

All of the states in the Midwest reported a lower unemployment rate than the US average in June.

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UNEMPLOYMENT, NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR CT

Posted on May 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

By: Adam Gavriel

According to graphs on the Connecticut Labor Market Information website the state of CT has now gone back to back months in which its unemployment rate is higher than that of the US average. Although at some of its highest levels since 1981, the unemployment rate in CT has fluctuated from 8.9-9.2 since December 2009.

The last time Connecticut went back to back months having an unemployment rate higher than that of the US average was in October and November of 2007. Before that, it went nearly a year at a higher rate from August 1996 to May 1997 at constant levels above the US average.

From January 1982 through March 2011 Connecticut has often stayed below the average value of American unemployment seeing only 17 months at a higher rate. Connecticut has also stayed on par with the US average, equaling the unemployment rate 12 months since 1982.

The 2008 economic recession hit CT as hard as it hit the general US as unemployment rates skyrocketed to levels only previously seen during the early 1980s recession. However, even during those terrible times for the US, CT wasn’t hit nearly as hard as it is being hit today.

Now today, while the average US unemployment rate begins to fall, falling from 9.8 in November 2010 to 8.8 in March 201, the CT rate has stayed at a stagnant 9-9.1.

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Green = US unemployment / Red = CT unemployment

As of March 2011, Connecticut sits at 30th (1stbeing the lowest, ND’s 3.6) among the 50 US states and District of Colombia in unemployment rates. However the CT rate of 9.1 is not nearly as troubling as Nevada’s 13.2, but also not as beautiful as North Dakota’s 3.6.

Crossroads Consulting will not stand for this. As a Connecticut based employment agency with roots deep into Connecticut soil we are here to help. Of the 57 current job openingslisted on the Crossroads Consulting website, 35 of them have ties to CT.

It’s going to take a full effort from all parties involved to lower this unemployment rate in CT. Connecticut universities could open up programs for potential recruiters to come in and offer jobs in the area to keep the students in CT. HR reps can look in their own neighborhood and find someone looking for a job and help fill the vacancy. Studies show that 8 out of 10 people know someone who at least 1 person who is looking for work. If 80% of the roughly 3.5 million people in Connecticut know someone who is unemployed, it’s time to reach out a helping hand.

As a full scale employment agency, ready to help anyone looking for work from the beginning of the process through to their hiring date, Crossroads Consulting can help in the efforts to decrease this number. Whether you’re unemployed or just looking for that new opportunity with resume optimization, interview preparation, and the 57 current openings we have listed today we’re ready to get you on the path to that new job.

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Twitter – Where Is the Intimacy?

Posted on May 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

By: Adam Gavriel

Lady Gaga (@LadyGaga) is currently the most followed account holder on the micro-blogging website Twitter.com. Her followers, numbering 10,121,059 at the time this blog is being written, could mount a huge offensive against a number of countries if organized the correct way. About 15 times the population of North Dakota, you can say Lady Gaga has affected many people in her 38 months on twitter. Or has she?

Further research discovers that at 9:26pm on 5/17/11 @LadyGaga received upwards of 100 mentions. In her 38 months on twitter, Lady Gaga has tweeted just 755 times. If she’s receiving more than 100 tweets a minute, and only tweeting approximately 20 times a month, it’s safe to say that this is a one way street. Now obviously the more followers you can gain on your twitter account the better off you are in terms of how many potential clicks you can manage to direct. However what you’re losing with this is the ability to connect.

As a research method I sent out a tweet from the official Crossroads Consulting twitter account @employmentdepottelling our 690 followers (pales in comparison to 10,121,059) that we are looking for new and interesting accounts to follow. In the 26 minutes following that tweet, @employmentdepot has received 0 mentions from its 690 followers, and 36 new tweets from the 99 accounts we ARE following. Even when a tweet is sent out to put out a white flag, and say we’re ready to follow you gets lost in the mess that is twitter.

On any given moment, twitter is receiving ~3000 tweets per second. Here’s a graph of Sunday 5/1/2011 during the night where the news was all over Osama Bin Laden’s death and the twitter explosion that followed:

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Twitter does offer options to keep things organized and make sure you manage the intimate connections you want to keep. Features like lists come in handy when you want to separate certain categories of twitter users that you’re following. What’s also useful with lists is you can find out how your followers perceive your tweets. For example, @employmentdepot is listed via 29 twitter users ranging from “jobboard” , “NJ-CT” , and “recruiters.” With these lists we can find out what certain followers are interested in. A tweet specific to one of these topics may be better served including a mention to that follower to make sure it breaks through the clutter and reaches the target.

What seems to occur with twitter overload is that good stories may be lost. Learning from an important account you follow can be hard to isolate in the clutter.

Lady Gaga’s now 10,122,111 followers are part of quite a clique, but how great of an experience are they receiving because of it?

Conversation is what we at @employmentdepot are trying to build. Take a look at the twitter page and shoot us a mention, we’ll be happy to respond.

Our goal is to put the “human” back in human resources, and we mean that on every level.

Also remember to keep looking out for the job you’re waiting for on the Crossroads Consulting current openings page.

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