06Jun

With unemployment at a historic high, filling jobs shouldn’t be difficult. Yet employers say it’s hard to find qualified people to hire.

The National Federation of Independent Business says a third of its members report having jobs they couldn’t fill. In the organization’s June survey, 84% of business owners hiring or trying to hire workers reported finding “few or no qualified applicants.”

The Federation’s members are small business owners who, in good economic times, typically have more difficulty filling jobs than large organizations that offer better pay, benefits and opportunities for advancement. Yet, more owners have at least one unfilled job today than they did at the height of the Great Recession a decade ago.

What accounts for this difficulty?

Multiple factors, according to Gad Levanon, VP of labor markets for The Conference Board. Writing in Forbes recently, he says the largest share of workers expect to return to their job once their business reopens.

Many others who might otherwise be job-hunting aren’t because of a generous COVID-19 unemployment supplement. Some hesitate because they fear becoming infected. Still others have no childcare with schools and summer camps closed.

“In sum,” he writes, “While the number of unemployed workers is historically high, the number of unemployed people who are seriously trying to find jobs is much smaller. Jobseekers are competing against a much smaller number of people for new spots than the unemployment rate suggests, making it easier to get a job.”

Of the17.8 million Americans counted as unemployed, 10.6 million say they are only temporarily laid off and expect to be called back to work once their business reopens.

Many of the other 7 million-plus aren’t actively looking, at least until the special $600 unemployment supplement expires at the end of the month.

“Two-thirds of [unemployment insurance] eligible workers can receive benefits which exceed lost earnings and one-fifth can receive benefits at least double lost earnings,” the National Bureau of Economic Research estimated in an analysis released in May.

Levanon expects the job picture to change significantly in the coming months.

With COVID-19 cases surging, states are reconsidering decisions allowing businesses to reopen. For some workers, that will mean their temporary layoff will become permanent, he says. Others will be motivated to start looking once their unemployment benefits are reduced.

Says Levanon, “The unemployment rate overestimates the slack in the US labor market. But not for long.”

If you’re having trouble finding just the right person for your opening, give us a call at 212.683.1988. You’ll talk with a recruiter who specializes in your industry and knows where the best people are.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

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Influencer is the Hottest New Marketing Career (Sample)

When the pandemic hit and Americans hunkered down, spending on essentials and entertainment, but on little else, brands naturally cut their marketing budgets.

One area that survived was social media influencers. After dipping slightly at the outset of the quarantine, social influencer spending quickly returned to pre-COVID levels. Meanwhile, other advertising, including digital, continued to decline so much that 7-in-10 CMOs have seen an average 19% cut in their marketing budgets.

From an almost accidental niche specialty, influencer marketing has become a big part of digital marketing. Spending on social influence was estimated to hit $9.7 billion this year.

Marketers report that for every $1 they spend on social influence they earn an average media value of $5.78. No surprise then that influencer jobs have become one of the hottest new marketing careers. By virtue of the relationship they’ve established with their audience, social media influencers can introduce their followers to a new brand, or boost an established brand’s sales simply by posting about them.

Until recently, influencers didn’t see what for many began as a hobby as a career. They wrote blogs, posted videos and images to YouTube and Instagram channels and otherwise produced content about what most interested them. As they gained followers, they gained influence and companies noticed.

Kylie Jenner, with 164 million Instagram followers, can drive huge sales for her cosmetics line and for other products she promotes. So effective is her influence that companies pay her hundreds of thousands, even up to a million to post about their products.

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Jun 6, 2023

Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. with a ‘Day On’

Today we honor the memory of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Schools, financial markets, banks, government and many businesses will be closed. But, unlike in years past, because of COVID the nation will celebrate quietly. Parades and gatherings have been canceled with observances moved online.

MLK Day 2021 - blog.jpg

What hasn’t changed is the spirit of the day. MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service. It should be a “Day on, not a day off,” says AmeriCorps, which has led the day’s volunteer efforts since Congress first adopted the holiday.

Though in-person volunteer efforts are limited, AmeriCorps has dozens of COVID-safe suggestions for individuals, groups, businesses, and organizations. There’s also a search to find volunteer opportunities near where you are.

The work doesn’t have to be done today. But it can start today.

Photo by History in HD

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