JOB MARKET: Where Did Everybody Go?

In this post-pandemic era, recruiters and candidates are playing a more aggressive game of hide and seek. Candidates are more difficult to find due to a variety of market realities. And there is even more pressure on talent acquisition professionals to find that needle in a haystack. Let’s take a look at some valuable numbers and information that you could be monitoring to keep your finger on the pulse of a market’s “recruitability.” Your talent market could be shrinking due to cost of living. Mark ...

So much fanfare over the July Jobs Numbers. Here’s what recruiters need to know.

  It was the first Friday in August. The time slowly inching its way to 8:30 am. It’s only a few agonizing minutes until the jobs number was to be revealed just as it is the first Friday of every month. The experts had weighed in with their forecast and were bracing the nation for a disappointing number – having predicted 258,000 jobs. This was a precipitous drop from the 372,000 jobs created in July. A decline in the jobs created made total sense to SCG.  We have closely tracked layoffs for s ...

Manufacturing Employment. A short history.

There was a time – actually, spanning many decades – when manufacturing led the growth of the world’s largest economy. Back in 1920 approximately 40% of the jobs in the United States were in manufacturing and other blue-collar fields. Today, that figure is only about…wait for it…20%. Quite a fall. Equally astounding is the fact that manufacturing as a share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has dwindled from 27% to 12%. It’s no wonder there have been so many layoffs in manufacturing. What ...

the great resignation

“I Quit!” Are we in the period of The Great Resignation?

It’s spreading through companies faster than the omicron variant. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were a record 4.5 million workers who quit their jobs in November 2021. This represents a whopping 3% of the total workforce and a remarkable 37% increase over November 2020. This number (the BLS calls it “quits”) gives credence to those who now say we are in the period of The Great Resignation.   As dangerous as that seems to the health of businesses everywhere, we ...

Educational Services Jobs

A Report Card on Educational Services Jobs

The nation was waiting in anticipation of great numbers when the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest jobs report on Friday, April 2. However, the announcement that total non-farm payroll employment rose by 916,000 in March exceeded even the most optimistic experts.  The public and private education sector was one of the big job creation winners for Educational Services Jobs in March as in-person learning begins to spread across the nation. Here are the growth numbers in the March 2021 report ...

It’s Not Whether We Communicate, But How Effectively We Communicate

    It is unlikely anyone would challenge the belief that strong and open communication is essential in building a client-agency relationship. And, if done artfully and regularly, great communication can yield many benefits. Here are a few that are top of mind: Gives Direction Reduces uncertainty Builds relationships Creates meaning Increases collaboration That is a powerful list of benefits. And with the unending stream of improvements offered by technology your opportunity to b ...

Teacher Shortage

Nationwide Shortage of Substitute Teachers; Lots of Jobs To Fill

Whether a school is instructing in-person or online, one thing remains the same --- they need an increasing number of substitute teachers from an ever-decreasing talent pool. How prevalent is the shortage? Google serves over a million results on “substitute teacher shortage COVID.” These results come from Madison, Chicago, Kansas City, Utica, Las Vegas, Coeur d’Alene, Houston, and so many more. The reporting originates from large and small cities all over the nation. Lots of jobs to fill A good amount of ...

Higher education

“Normal” Continues To Elude Higher Education

Just when it looked like more and more colleges were finding ways to provide a face-to-face learning experience during the continuing pandemic, West Chester University (right in my backyard) announced that virtual learning was being extended into the spring 2021 semester. That’s right…Spring 2021. As this was being announced, WCU’s local school district was moving into hybrid.   That was quite a wake-up call for me and, I would assume, for thousands of students who are in or in the process of enter ...

SCG 5 Step Diversity Plan

Eliminate Your Greatest Barrier To Successful Diversity Recruiting

A survey of 250 full-time talent acquisition or recruitment professionals by Yello.co found that the top reason for not meeting the challenges of diversity recruiting was a “lack of time and resources to devise and execute a diversity recruitment strategy.” That said, recent protests have necessitated a renewed focus on social justice and an immediate and serious review of diversity in the workplace. Talent acquisition professionals are undoubtedly feeling the pressure. More than anyone they know the man ...

diversity

Diversity has taken on a whole new urgency. Are you ready?

    A remote workforce. Mass layoffs. Thousands of furloughs. The Covid-19 Pandemic created unforeseen challenges for Human Resources professionals. Then, the George Floyd tragedy changed everything. Protests brought renewed focus on social justice and an immediate and serious review of diversity in the workplace.   Employee reviews on Glassdoor from the week of May 25 to the week of June 1st highlight related topics spiked by 63%. That huge jump is proof that even with the extreme pr ...