Jobs Outlook Grim – How To Keep Hope Alive
Posted on 5:17pm, 15th July 2010 • 9 Comments
There’s an unending stream of bad news stories about the jobs outlook right now and medium-term prospects seem even worse. How do you keep enough hope alive to work for a better future if you’ve just lost your job or haven’t even been able to get started on your career?
Sustaining your morale when you’re out of work is as tough as focusing on the stars (and not the dark and rain) when you’re in the countryside at night, teeth-chatteringly cold. You know your chances of getting another job depend on putting your heart and soul into the job search but it’s hard to psych yourself up into believing the jobs outlook merits the huge efforts you’re making.
Use these glimmers of hope in the jobs outlook to help you believe in the better future that’ll come along soon if you continue working at your job search.
Demographics are on your side, much more than you might think. There are far, far fewer young people coming onto the jobs market (even though the jobs outlook for those aged 19 – 24 is particularly bad). An increasingly high percentage of the workforce are older workers who don’t want to work on into retirement. The jobs outlook for the majority is at least improved by these demographic factors.
The way this recession has developed helps too. In previous recessions (1979 – 81 and 1990 – 92), the jobs outlook stayed bad for longer because government didn’t actively try to protect employment (as the Brown government did this time round). Similarly, employers did less then to try to keep their workforces intact. The net effect is that today’s organisations haven’t lost as much employee knowledge and commercial contacts as previously and they’ll be able to recover faster from this recession. While the jobs outlook for the next 2 years worries me, this recession is unlikely to be as long lasting as the 79 – 81 recession (which dragged on in the Midlands until ’86).
There’s also survey evidence to show the jobs outlook is improving. The REC & KPMG Report on Jobs (July 2010) showed actual increases in perm and temp employment. Flexplus’s Midlands survey showed 80% employers expect to recruit soon.
A final thought …. Even at times when the jobs outlook is particularly dire, some opportunities are constantly being created; some individuals will benefit from them. Today or tomorrow, “it might be you” who gets the offer of a really good job. There are grounds for hope.
There’s such a disconnect between the optimism of all these surveys and the reality I live with everyday as a job seeker. Are we in the same universe???
ChrisG • 6th September, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Noticed there’s some pulling back from the cuts rhetoric. Does this mean THEY know the jobs outlook’s so bad it frightens even them? Or alternatively do they just want us to love them a bit more?
SukeySue • 23rd September, 2010 at 10:18 pm
As of now, I keep reading there are SIGNS of a more positive jobs outlook. What I can’t work out is why there’s nothing on the ground in my area that would justify such optimism. All the new jobs can’t be in London, can they??????
LiverpoolLad • 7th December, 2010 at 9:37 am
The problem of finding jobs in west london is the worse in 31 years, too much overcrowding is not helping matters at all, and i live in west london since 1968, many small companys are closeing down, even career centres are closeing down in west london, iam very angry about this, it will bring more crime and violence in the area, i fear the worse next year too.
Carlc • 21st April, 2011 at 11:54 am
About half of the careers centres are closing down nationally. Far fewer employers have been taking on staff as the recruitment agencies know – most didn’t make any profit last year.
All Cameron seems good at is making patronising and sexist comments. It’d be nice to have a PM who earnt his pay.
Tigger • 27th April, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Jobs outlook grim in 2010 – and even grimmer in 2011. Cameron & Osborne need to get off their butts.
Stoke.Lad • 8th September, 2011 at 10:08 am
Coming to the end of the Tory conference and it’s obvious Camerson & co STILL haven’t a clue how to improve the jobs outlook. They obviously believe there’s a magic job tree out there and all they have to say often enough is “we’re the party of growth” and it’ll happen.
Come back Brown, all’s forgiven!
Stoke.Lad • 5th October, 2011 at 10:28 am
You get the impression even Osborne’s given up, he looks so miserable in the photos. Perhaps he’s waiting for someone to give him a “Plan B” for Christmas!
Droopy • 3rd November, 2011 at 6:00 pm
It’ll be a rotten Xmas for us this year and the next if Osborne and the rest of these clowns don’t change course or get kicked out pretty soon. With the jobs outlook as it is, he’s not the only one looking dead miserable. He’s lucky, he’ll never have to work for his living. I do.
Clawws • 24th November, 2011 at 9:17 pm