ManpowerGroup has released its latest Employment Outlook Survey findings, which suggest that employers worldwide are seeking signs of a robust global economy before labor markets are likely to achieve sustainable traction.
Despite the recent stock market gains, thought by some to be a barometer of a healthier U.S. economy, more than enough uncertainty remains to keep many employers from hiring. And it doesn’t appear that these concerns will be assuaged anytime soon. (more...)
Don’t you just love it when you read an article on a major news site that makes you go, “Well, duh!” Such was the case today when I read a feature story on nbcnews.com about how fewer Americans count on retiring by 65 (unfortunately, the link to this article no longer works). As reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of workers working beyond 65 has increased significantly from 1985’s low of 10 percent to 18.5 percent in 2012. My reaction is a result of seeing many of my peers among those who will be working until at least 70—some because they love what they do, but most out of necessity. (more...)
If you didn't see the story about the Boy Scouts now offering a welding merit badge, you can learn more about it here. The story's author ties it into the overall need for a new generation of welders, which sort of makes sense. Frankly, I was amazed the Boy Scouts didn't already offer such a merit badge; I guess they are always prepared when it comes to wooden soap box racers—not metal ones.
I'm not going to jump on my soapbox and spread the news about manufacturing's need for welders. The American Welding Society says that the average age of this country's 450,000 welders is 55 and fewer than 20 percent are under 35 years old. That about sums up the challenge that lies ahead.
No. I'd rather talk about the changing definition of a welder. For many in the metal fabricating world, welder means a production welder. I'll let the quote from one teenager highlighted in the MSNBC story sum up that job: "Welding would be a great side job. But it gets real boring, real fast." He left out the part about working in extremely hot conditions with bulky clothing, but he nailed it. (more...)
Leave it to the guys at Yale University to screw up a simple headline.
I came across this article--"U.S. Battle to Revive Manufacturing—Part I" in YaleGlobal Online Magazine—but really didn't get sucked into it until I read the subhead "Job growth urged by U.S. presidential candidates may not support high standard of living." Now that's burying the main point.
Among the headlines on msnb.com today was one that stood out as some very positive news for manufacturing: 'Manufacturing companies returning to U.S.' The linked article title, “Surging China costs forces some U.S. manufacturing companies back home," had me fist pumping a la Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon.
The article began by describing a recent morning at Master Lock's 90-year-old factory in Milwaukee where "a cluster of machinery was whirring, every 2 seconds spitting out one of the combination locks used by American high schoolers as the company readied for the back-to-school rush.
"The seven-day-a-week, three-shift-per-day whirlwind of activity marked a change from two years ago, when the machine normally ran for just a few hours a day because the unit of Fortune Brands Inc. was ordering more padlocks from suppliers in China instead of making them."
Why the turnaround? (more...)
The July issue of "Stamping News Brief" featured an item about a recent study from CareerBuilder, which showed that financial constraints and demanding work schedules have some workers foregoing vacation plans this year.
Twenty-four percent of full-time workers reported they can't afford to take a vacation in 2011, up from 21 percent last year. Another 12 percent reported that although they can afford a vacation, they don't plan to take one this year.
Noting a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll that showed only 57 percent of U.S. workers use up all of the days they are entitled to, compared with 89 percent of workers in France, the newsletter asked readers if they would be taking all of their employer-provided vacation time this year. According to a poll about this topic posted on thefabricator.com, 50 percent will and 50 percent won't. (more...)
Did you happen to see the mentalfloss.com article posted May 31 on cnn.com about 10 interesting numbers in the U.S.? Among the numbers listed were 2.3 (milligrams of B1, the amount recommended during World War II for very active men after the Selective Service discovered that about one in seven armed forces candidates suffered from "disabilities directly or indirectly connected with nutrition"); $435 (the absurdly priced hammer that came to symbolize wasteful Pentagon spending in the 1980s); and 100-proof (the measurement that gets you drunk—interesting story how this came about).
Perhaps more interesting to those in manufacturing were the statistics released the same day by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) . The Monday Economic Report featured a chart showing the manufacturing sectors with the largest percentage of employment growth from December 2009 to April 2011. (more...)
Are you graduating from college this year, or do you know someone who is? This year's graduates may have something to celebrate besides their newly earned degrees. According to a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers plan to hire 19.3 percent more recent graduates this year than last. (more...)
I had an interesting conversation the other day with a septuagenarian who is currently enrolled in an MBA program. This former president and CEO of a textile manufacturing company is making straight As. He also is actively looking for a job, having separated from his former company six years ago.
I've known "Jim" for a few years, and we talk frequently about his search. At times, his prospects look hopeful—he just interviewed for two jobs—but more often than not, bleak—he was passed over for both. Yet he continues to look and to remain positive.
I've often wondered how he can maintain such an optimistic outlook, particularly in this tough economy. Today I read something that made me think his optimism might be well-founded. It offered me hope for Jim and those of us who might one day find ourselves looking for jobs in our sixties and beyond. But if you're middle-aged, that's a different story. (more...)
Last week global outplacement and business coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported the results of its 2010 Holiday Party Survey. The findings indicate that as a growing number of companies benefit from a slowly improving economy, there are indications that workplace holiday parties are starting to make a comeback. However, with the bitter taste of cost-cutting measures still fresh in employees' minds, some companies appear to be keeping festivities relatively subdued. (more...)
