Thursday, July 23, 2009

Florida Job Seekers Among the Discouraged

Is your job search so frustrating that you're ready to give up? You're not alone.

In some states throughout the country, almost half of the job seekers who have stopped looking for work have done so because they just don't think they can find anything. In fact, according to an article by U.S. News & World Report, the number of discouraged workers has more than doubled during the last year.

It seems as though Mississippi has the highest number of discouraged workers at about 50 percent, compared to 32.6 percent throughout the country. South Dakota has the second-highest number of unhappy job seekers, at about 48.5 percent. Those looking for a job in Florida, Michigan, Connecticut, West Virginia and New York also rank among the top for being discouraged.

Whether a positive or negative, these discouraged job seekers aren't included in the unemployment rate. Many have gone back to school or devoted themselves to other responsibilities.

Discouraged workers usually think that no work is available or they don't think they have the necessary skills to get hired. Others think they are too young, too old or would be otherwise discriminated against.

Several factors surrounding the current recession could be adding to the rising number of discouraged job seekers, such as negative media coverage of the job market, unsuccessful friends and family and long-term unemployment. Men, younger workers, blacks and Hispanics are all more likely to become discouraged during a job search.

The current housing market also is adding to the amount of discouragement. Workers who might normally move to another area because they can't find jobs in their current location are more likely to give up. Even if they wanted to move, it would be difficult to sell their current homes and afford new ones.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Jobs in Boston Created by MLK Summer Scholars

Several officials are working together to make finding a job in Boston a reality for several young people. To learn more about finding a job in Boston, visit http://www.bostonjobs.com/.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino; Police Commissioner Ed Davis; John D. DesPrez III, John Hancock chairman and CEO; Boston Globe Publisher P. Steven Ainsley; and Boston University President Dr. Robert Brown recently kicked off the second year of MLK Summer Scholars, a teen summer jobs collaboration that will serve 20 percent more students than last year.

John Hancock, the Globe and Boston University have worked to expand summer employment opportunities in the city. Hancock will provide more than $1 million in funds, the Globe will contribute organizational support and in-kind services and Boston University will provide the educational setting and resources to support more than 600 jobs throughout the city. That is 100 more jobs than the program supported last year.

Partners HealthCare
also joined the collaboration this year. MLK Summer Scholars is the largest corporate supporter of summer jobs in the city this year and is believed to be the largest program of its kind in the country.

"We are committed to providing our young people with productive and educational experiences during the summer," Menino said. "A summer job is a great way to learn life skills, but with thousands of teens needing employment, the city can't do it alone. That's why I am so pleased we have partners like John Hancock, The Boston Globe and Boston University as well as new supporter Partners HealthCare who make summer jobs for kids a reality."

Apart from gaining valuable workplace experience, students will attend a series of life skills workshops each Friday morning at Boston University. A variety of speakers will address personal finance, communication, interviewing, personal presentation and leadership. Students will be employed at John Hancock, the Globe, Boston University and Partners HealthCare, as well as community service organizations throughout the city.

"We are pleased to be able to make a difference in the lives of Boston youth who represent our future workforce and our future leaders," DesPrez said"As business people, we can't solve the whole problem, but we can help move things in the right direction."

Monday, July 6, 2009

Virginia Healthcare Jobs

If you're looking to get into the medical field, you should know that there are a lot of healthcare jobs in Virginia.

Many people are focusing on jobs in the healthcare field, which is often considered to be recession proof. The healthcare industry as a whole has continued to add jobs throughout most parts of the country, despite the current state of the economy.

In May, Virginia's education and health services industry employed 440,300 workers, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 441,000 workers during April, but a .8 percent increase from last year.

The State of Virginia isn't lacking when it comes to medical institutions or care providers. The state is ranked 13th in the nation for primary care physicians, with 124 primary care physicians per 10,000 people. There are 85 hospitals throughout the state.

Some of the most notable employers include:

In 2008, the United Health Foundation ranked Virginia as the 20th overall healthiest state. The state ranks 21st in premature deaths, with African Americans seeing 63 percent more premature deaths than whites.

The lack of health insurance remains a problem, with 14.1 percent of state residents lacking any insurance. And Virginians aren't the healthiest in the country. In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 25.3 percent of state residents are obese, 36.6 percent are overweight and only 78.4 percent exercise regularly.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Welcome

This is the first ever post to Everything Employment. Thanks for visiting.