This Labor Day, workers will find themselves in a generally improved job market from a year ago.
For some employees, that lift or advertising would possibly in the end be around the corner as employers are more interested in keeping workers. For task seekers, there are broader possibilities, especially for extremely-skilled employees.
I feel a little more positive than last Labor Day, said Julie Barnett, 42, a property manager. Barnett said she isn’t worrying as much as she used to, when times were tougher in real estate. You could feel the uphill battle every day, said Barnett, who lives with her husband and two children in Wellington.
Now, she said there’s more momentum. This Labor Day brings a little more hope because people are making business decisions, she said.
For Barnett, that translates into more commissions and a steady income for her family.
Unemployment has stepped forward in Broward and Palm seashore counties, which have delivered just about nine,000 jobs for the reason that July 2011. Wages are headed in the proper path as well, increasing 1.7 % for the reason that July 2011. And leading repayment corporations element to three % raises in 2012.
People this Labor Day weekend have a lot more to be happy about, said Jonathan Leeds, managing director of Mergis Group, a Randstad staffing company in South Florida.
Leeds mentioned his staffing firm is seeing more employers hiring as well as seeking to stay proficient staff by means of countering new activity provides. He said firms are also bumping up salaries that have been frozen to be aggressive.
Jim Kissel, managing director for MRI Network in Palm Beach County, said his firm is seeing many more job opportunities than last Labor Day. We’re scrambling to find the right candidates, he said.
For workers still struggling to find a job or make ends meet on meager pay, times don’t feel any better.
Optimism this hard work Day most probably will depend on your situation. Many building workers and displaced workers are still suffering, and even individuals who have jobs really feel the pinch of greater prices of meals, gas, rent and different prerequisites.
Angie Roth, 45, an office manager for Bob Roth’s New River Groves on Griffin Road in Davie, said she thinks the worker’s lot is worse than last Labor Day.
Food prices are higher. The same people are unemployed, she said.
Roth said food, clothes, electricity and insurance for her family of five are more expensive than they were last year.
I always tell my husband: You wake up in the morning and put your feet on the ground, it costs you $50, she said.
J. Antonio Villamil, economist and business dean at St. Thomas University in Miami, said the outlook for today’s workers depends on how highly educated they are, whether their skills are in demand and their industry is growing.
If you’re an experienced credit officer, banks are hiring credit officers. In the medical profession, a lot of healthcare technicians are being hired, Villamil said.
But those who depend on more labor-intensive operations such as construction employment, they are worse off today than they were a year ago, Villamil said. If you’re low-middle income and less skilled, you’re worse off than you were a year ago.
Thomas Shea, whose firm Right Management in Fort Lauderdale helps displaced workers find jobs, advises not to wait for the economy to improve.
The risk is employees are going to wait till things are better, he said. instead, employees should imagine, What am I doing to make myself higher for my present agency or to make myself more hirable?
We have to get used to a fluctuating economy, he said.