December 31, 2008

Healthy, or just scared?
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 12:53 PM

Last week's weekly survey – which was actually the survey for the past 2 weeks (hey, we're on a holiday schedule here) – asked how much sick time readers have used in the past year.

While it is the season for rampant sickness (as I found out first hand about a week ago), it is also a time where pretty much everybody is afraid to lose their jobs. So our thinking was: does the dour economy make people less willing to take sick days, unless they absolutely have to? Here is a look at the results:

As you can see, our readership must be filled with an abnormally high ratio of genetic freaks who rarely, if ever, get sick. Of course, maybe our readers are just afraid to use a "mental health day" when it could mean the difference between keeping and losing a job. But the fact that more than 40 percent of respondants used only 1 to 3 sick days this year, and a whopping 26 percent used none, was pretty surprising, even in this economic climate.

Then again, maybe everyone's antibodies are all in working order. You wouldn't know if from the coughing coming from all corners of this office the past month, however.

For this week's survey, we abandon the look back to 2008, and set our gaze longingly to 2009. We ask you: What are your career resolutions for next year? Vote here.

And, if you need some help, or some ideas on how to turn a new leaf on your career tree, check out these 10 tips from Dave Sanford of Winter, Wyman Cos. on resolutions for the job seeker in 2009.

Happy New Year everyone.

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Good unemployment news? Not really
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 9:18 AM

As the dismal economic news seems to continue to hit the country like young Mike Tyson uppercuts, the AP reports today on something that may seem encouraging: The number of newly laid off workers signing up for unemployment fell sharply last week.

However, before you get out your noise makers and celebrate the return of a strong job market, you may want to read past the headline and realize things are still bad, and there's probably a very logical explanation for the weekly drop in filings. From the AP:

The Labor Department reported today that first-time applications filed for jobless benefits dropped by a seasonally adjusted 94,000 to 492,000 for the week ending Dec. 27.

That decline, however, didn't signal any improvement in labor conditions. The drop -- while bigger than economists expected -- was partly related to seasonal adjustment difficulties and reflected some out-of-work people not making it to unemployment offices to file claims over the Christmas holiday, analysts said.

Even with the drop, new filings remained elevated. A year ago, claims stood at 339,000.

Laid-off workers continuing to draw unemployment benefits increased by 140,000 to 4.5 million for the week ending Dec. 20, the most recent period for which that information is available. That was the most since early December 1982, when the country was emerging from a deep recession.

Although the number of people who continue to draw unemployment benefits may seem high, it's also important to remember that the benefits have been extended for many people, so it stands to reason that more people will be drawing at any one time.

Still, the news is not good, and doesn't look to get better overnight. Sorry to be a buzzkill, all you New Year's partiers.

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December 22, 2008

2009 just as bad as 2008?
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 9:05 AM

This article originally appeared in the Globe's Business News Updates blog.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

The US economy is likely to shed another 1 million jobs in 2009 as employers continue to adjust payrolls in light of weak consumer and corporate spending, according to an estimate released today by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., a global outplacement consultancy headquartered in Chicago.

In 2008, year-to-date job cut announcements are already in excess of 1 million and are expected to close the year at a five-year high, the firm noted.

The US economy will continue to lose jobs despite planned job-creation initiatives by the new Obama administration, the firm said.

“It will take time for any stimulus measures to work their way through the economy," John A. Challenger, chief executive of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement. "Even if the measures work, it could take several more months for consumers and corporate America to regain confidence and begin spending again.”

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December 19, 2008

Unemployed get a snow day
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 12:36 PM

By Robert Gavin, Globe Staff
(Updated 2:34 p.m.)

Even the unemployed are getting the day off because of the today's snow storm.

Despite sharp increases in unemployment and long waits for people trying to file claims, the state shut career centers, which provide job search services, as well as walk-up unemployment offices and telephone call centers that process claims for unemployment benefits. The state, which recently added weekend hours its call centers because of the high volume, plans to reopen call centers tomorrow, and operate from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m, weather permitting.

"The Governor decision's that non-emergency employees stay at home was made to ensure the public safety of both state employees and residents of the Commonwealth," said Michael Taylor, director of the Department of Workforce Development in a statement. "The concern for public safety extended to both our staff and our customers when closing the career centers and call centers today."

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The Globe reported late last month that the growing ranks of jobless in the state have had long waits to get processed for unemployment. One person in the story had tried 40 times over two days to get through on the phone before giving up and going to a walk-in center.

In early December, the state had extended its phone hours for filing unemployment claims to include Saturdays.

Were you planning on filing an unemployment claim today, either at a walk-up unemployment office or over the phone? Contact Globe reporter Robert Gavin at rgavin@globe.com to share your story.

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December 18, 2008

Five-year high for Mass. unemployment
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 10:14 AM

This article originally appeared in the Globe's Business News Updates blog.

By Robert Gavin, Globe Staff

Massachusetts employers slashed jobs for the third consecutive month, and state unemployment rate soared last month to its highest level in more than five years, the state Department of Workforce Development reported.

Massachusetts lost 8,000 jobs in November, following losses of 8,000 in October and more than 3,000 in September, the state reported. The unemployment rate jumped four-tenths of a point to 5.9 percent from 5.5 percent in October. That's the highest rate since August 2003 and matches the peak unemployment rate of the last 2001 recession.

The state's job losses followed a steep decline in national employment reported earlier this month as the current recession worsened. The nation shed 533,000 jobs in November, and the US unemployment rate hit 6.7 percent, the highest since 1993.

Job losses were broad based in Massachusetts. Even normally stable education and health services, which includes universities and hospitals, sliced 1,500 jobs. Of major sectors, only government and information, which includes software publishers, added jobs. Government payrolls added 600 jobs and information 200 jobs.

Professional and business services, a key sector that includes law firms, management consultants, and technical and scientific firms, shed 2,000 jobs in November. Construction firms cut 1,700 jobs, manufacturers 1,200 jobs, and financial companies 200.

After adding jobs earlier this year, the state has lost more than 17,000 jobs over the past six months as the national recession has taken its toll here. Several economic forecasts project the state will continue to lose jobs into 2010.

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December 17, 2008

Tough year for raises
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 11:47 AM

Counting on that annual pay raise to surprise the family with a new swimming pool this Christmas?

Well, if you didn't learn that this plan isn't such a good idea from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, then perhaps this will do it:

New survey results show that you shouldn't expect a hefty raise next year.

Although it may come as no surprise to those who have been following the dismal economic news over the past few months, a survey by HR consulting firm Hewitt Associates shows that in the coming year, more than 7 million Americans will see the lowest pay raises in 32 years. Hewitt expects the base salary increases for all employee groups to drop below 3 percent for the first time since the company began tracking the data in 1976.

The survey of 640 large companies indicated that half of them plan to "make significant changes to their base salary spending in 2009," while another quarter are considering doing so.

Here is a breakdown of what industries are expected to be impacted the most, from the press release of the survey results:

The automotive industry is expected to dole out the lowest pay increases next year, with salaried exempt and salaried nonexempt employees averaging 1.4 percent, down from 3.5 percent as originally projected in July. Pay raises for automotive industry executives are projected to be 1.3 percent, down from 4.0 percent.

Employees in the education and the banking/finance industries will also see lower-than-average increases next year. Salaried exempt employees in education can expect to see pay raises of 2.3 percent in 2009, down from 3.5 percent in July. Pay increases for employees in the banking and finance industries will be 2.9 percent for salaried exempts next year, compared to 3.9 percent.

Industries that will continue to see above-average salary increases in 2009 include construction/engineering (4.5 percent), research and development (4.0 percent) and pharmaceutical (3.9 percent).

So, if you find yourself in one of the job categories that expects a steep decline in pay raises, perhaps you can vent your frustrations with Clark Griswold around the egg nog table.

Of course, you could also remember that there are many out there who don't even have a job right now. So if you are gainfully employed, there are things to be thankful for. Plus, there are always passes available at the community pool.

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Survey results: Shopaholics
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 11:19 AM

I'll admit, I'm jealous of all the people who can spend hours at work surfing for good gifts for their loved ones. If I had such a luxury, I wouldn't end up scrambling around the packed stores the day before Christmas, like I do every year. You'd think I'd have learned by now...

But I digress. In last week's poll, we asked how many of you do your holiday shopping online at work, and if so, how much of it. Here are the results:

From the look of it, it seems a majority of of our readers use at least some of their time at work shopping for the holidays. While a majority admit to doing only a small portion of their shopping at work, there are just as many people who do "most of it" than do "none of it."

I'll admit, this results showed more people shopping online at work than I thought. Sure, we all hear about "Cyber Monday" and how it became such a big shopping day because people could use their company's fast online connection to ferret out all the online deals, but I figured that with broadband Internet becoming mainstream in American households, there would be less of a need to rely on the speedy work connection to shop. Looks like I was wrong ... maybe people just got into the habit of shopping online at work, and it's become an annual routine.

Or maybe people are just bored with their jobs. Your guess is as good as mine.

For this week's survey we ask you to look back at 2008 and estimate the number of sick days you took. No, we don't want to know if they were "real" sick days or not, just how many days you took off that went in the "sick day" column on the timesheet. Click here to participate.

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December 10, 2008

Survey results: Party poopers
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 12:23 PM

Last week's weekly survey here at Boston.com/Jobs asked about a topic that has been in the news a lot lately: The office holiday party. While many companies are paring down - or even eliminating - this yearly ritual, not many of you seem to be big fans of the workplace jolliness. Here are the results:

While a majority of readers indicated indicated they would attend the office holiday party, they also made it clear that they'd prefer not to go. A little less than a quarter of those who responded can probably be described as being "psyched" for the party, while a little fewer than a fifth indicated that the party is canceled this year. Finally, fewer than 10 percent indicated holiday cheer is not something your company ever spreads. Bah humbug indeed.

This week, we ask how many of you spend time on the ole' office computer filling out the various gift lists that have been handed to you. How much of you holiday shopping do you do online at work? Let us know, and come back next Wednesday for the results.

Also, if you are one of those people who surfs the web for gifts, or if you're looking for good ideas for this year's Yankee swap at your job, check out this photo gallery of 20 gift ideas for the cube dweller. I mean, who wouldn't want a walking robot pencil sharpener?

On the other hand, who would want a can of tuna for the holidays? Check out these strange anecdotes of gifts that were not well-received at work. And if you have any crazy ones to add to the list, let us know in our discussion forum.

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December 3, 2008

Win an office party
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 12:35 PM

It's a tough time for yuletide joy in offices around the country.

You may have read the stories of how companies have been cutting back -- and in many cases eliminating -- their annual holiday parties. Now, while some companies have been canceling the celebrations for legitimate financial reasons, others are cutting back simply because it may look bad to party in such gloomy economic times.

But fret not, jolly cube-dwellers. The adult beverage company Kahlua is sponsoring a "Holiday Party Bailout Grant" contest where a lucky company can win $10,000 toward on office party. The contest, which started this past Monday, is only available to businesses in Massachusetts, Texas, Colorado, Georgia, and Illinois. You have to be 21 (obviously) to apply, and have to work for a small business of under 50 people. Here is the judging criteria for entries, from the contest website (Note: You must be 21 to enter the site):

Creativity of written responses - Take creative liberty with this application and feel free to blow us away with your originality and skills.

Persuasiveness of need - Does the mere thought of not having a holiday party send a cold shiver down your spine? Is the company holiday party the only party you're invited to all year? In other words, tell us why you need a holiday party more than any other company in your state.

The embodiment of Kahlua's spirit of exploring curiosity - We are looking for companies that explore the curiosity and needs of their employees by encouraging such things as further education, fun in the workplace, participation in the community, creating and maintaining a work environment that is open to new ideas or celebrating everyday accomplishments.

The website says the contest for submission is Sunday, Dec. 7, and the winner will be notified by Dec. 12. So, hey, if you work for a small business in Mass. and had your company party canceled this year, it could be worth a shot.

That is, unless, you hate holiday parties. Grinch.

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Survey Results Day: Holidays and vacation time
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 12:27 PM

In last week's poll, we asked you if the current economic slump was going to change how you use vacation days around the holidays. The thinking was that, when workers are uncertain how long they'll have a job, they'll likely try and save their vacation days, because those can equate to fully paid days if a layoff comes.

Here are the results of the survey:

It looks like a majority of people aren't going to let the gloomy economic news impact their holiday plans. Still, a pretty high percentage -- almost 28 percent -- indicated they are saving more of theier vacation days this year. Another 7 percent felt some guilt about using vacation days. Pretty interesting.

This week's poll also has a holiday theme, as we ask: Will you be attending your company's holiday party this year?

And if you're unsure of how to celebrate the holidays with your co-workers, you may want to egt in on the ground floor of a new holiday on it's way up: The Sweater Vestival. Classy.

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December 2, 2008

The news is not as bad as you think - or is it?
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 5:21 PM

A few articles today in the Business News Updates blog show that while the economy is still a huge issue for workers in New England, not all news related to the job market is horrible.

First, it seems the IT field may be seeing some job growth in the Boston area, Chris Reidy reports. The latest Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report shows there are some hiring managers out there who anticipate adding jobs in the first quarter of 2009. Another report by Robert Half shows, somewhat surprisingly, that accounting and finance jobs may grow as well. From the article:

A net 12 percent of chief information officers in the Boston area expect to hire information technology professionals in the first quarter of 2009, according to Robert Half International Inc.

In the Boston area, 15 percent of executives surveyed said they plan to add staff in early 2009, and 3 percent anticipate reductions in personnel, Robert Half International said.

In a separate survey that examined hiring in another job sector, Robert Half International said that the hiring of full-time accounting and finance professionals in the Boston area is also expected to increase in the first quarter of 2009.

According to that survey, 8 percent of the chief financial officers who were surveyed indicated thaty they plan to add staff during the quarter while 2 percent anticipate reductions in personnel.

Now, while the somewhat-decent news about the hiring plans in IT, accounting, and finance may make you feel a little better, you may like to know that your boss may be more worried than you about your state of mind in these trying times. That's because some companies are worried that the bad economy will negatively affect employees' morale, which in turn will hurt productivity, a survey by human resources firm Insight Performaces Inc. says.

Regardless of these worries about worrying, the survey claimed that many companies plan to increase salaries in 2009, as well as award their 2008 bonuses. From the article by Reidy:

Small and mid-sized companies "understand the critical roles that employees play in helping them weather economic storms and drive growth," Nancy R. Mobley, president and chief executive of Insight Performance, said in a statement. "One of the most important lessons from past downturns is that companies need to have the right people in place to take advantage of new opportunities when the market begins to turn around."

Finally, some not-so-bad news for the newly unemployed out there: You will have more chances than ever to be one of the lucky callers to get through to the state's swamped unemployment office. The Globe's Martin Finucane reports that the state of Massachusetts will now have hours on Saturdays for people hoping to apply for unemployment over the phone. From the article:

The TeleClaim Centers will be open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. through the end of the year. The state had already said it would increase weekday hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The Globe reported last week that a surge in layoffs was straining the state's ability to process unemployment claims leading to long waits for those filing by phone, as well as long lines at local walk-in centers.

First-time claims for unemployment in the state have jumped more than 30 percent from a year ago. A recent forecast projects the state jobless rate, which was 5.5 percent in October, could rise nearly 3 more points over the next year or so, to 8.3 percent, as the national economic downturn worsens.

One Shrewsbury resident told the Globe she had tried 40 times over two days to get through on the phone and had finally given up and gone to a walk-in center.

People who live in the 617 or 781 area codes should call 617-626-6800 to reach the TeleClaim Center. All others can call 877-626-6800.

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December 1, 2008

Coming soon: The return of the Job Doc
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 1:11 PM

You may remember our announcement a few weeks ago that the Globe's Job Doc column, which was pulled from the Sunday editions of the Money & Careers section due to space issues, would be moving online.

Well, we're getting close to being ready. As you may know, we already have semi-regular chats with a few of the Job Docs (Pattie Hunt Sinacole took some of your questions last week.) Now, they will have an even more frequent presence as their Q&A format moves into a blog here on Boston.com/Jobs.

First, however, we need some help from you. Namely: Questions for them to answer.

So, are you having trouble with your resume? Not sure what to do after a job interview? Recently laid off and don't know where to begin? Contemplating a career change? Have issues with your boss? Our Job Docs are here to help you.

So e-mail us your questions, and stay tuned for the return of the Job Docs.

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