CHICAGO, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The job market isn't all bad news, despite the record number of layoffs since Sept. 11, outplacement executive John Challenger said Thursday.
Challenger and his company, Challenger, Gray and Christmas, is offering free professional guidance Thursday and Friday to job seekers for the 16th year in a row.
"Those suffering the financial and emotional strain of unemployment need to understand, however, that the economy continues to create jobs and that opportunities are available for those who are aggressive and effective in their job searches," Challenger said.
Between Sept. 11 and the end of November, companies announced a record 624,411 job cuts -- a figure that exceeds the total annual number of job cuts in some years. The cuts spanned every economic sector. At the same time, jobs are available in the health industry and in certain financial sectors.
"It's all a matter of motivation," Challenger said. "People have to understand there are jobs out there. The unemployment rate is lower than in the last two recessions."
Challenger said he is anticipating more calls during the two-day call-in than at any time since the recession of the early 1990s.
"At the same time, however, job search times are near record lows," he said. "This is partly due to job seekers focusing on finding work that fits the skills they have developed over years in the workplace, rather than switching careers. But it is also a function of the dynamic economy, in which companies continually adjust their organizations, cutting certain product lines while expanding others, in an attempt to maximize profits and shareholder value."
Challenger noted, however, it still takes a "lot of leg work" to secure a new position.
Job cuts in 2001 focused on white-collar workers, partly because the service sector is growing while the manufacturing sector is shrinking. Only 14 percent of U.S. workers were in the manufacturing sector in 2000, down from 18 percent in 1988.
"The white-collar work force now experiences the same kind of job insecurity and risk that blue-collar workers have known for years," Challenger said. "Job cuts affect employees at every level of education, skill level and experience, and layoffs are often made in preparation for a business slump rather than in reaction to one."
Challenger said over-50 workers are especially prized in the current work environment "as someone who can hit the ground running without costly training and time-consuming instruction."
Among the advice Challenger gives:
--Don't take a prolonged vacation, even if you received a good severance package.
--Avoid bringing up the salary you expect during an interview unless the interviewer brings it up.
--Don't wait for potential employers to call you; get out and line up interviews -- every day.
The national job search call-in can be reached at 312-332-5790 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
