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August Job Numbers Redux

September 3rd, 2010
By Special Contributor in Featured, News and trends, The right job, Who's hiring
2 Comments

They say bad news comes in threes, but what about good news?

While the unemployment rate edged up to 9.6 percent, there are a few things that cause us to take a “glass half full” perspective on U.S. employment this month.

Yes, nonfarm payroll employment declined by -54,000 in August, BUT it was better than economist predictions that job loss could be up to -105,000

Secondly, June’s job loss was originally reported to be -221,000; it was revised to -175,000. And July’s number was revised from a loss of -131,000 to a decline of -54,000. (The Pollyanna in me is thinking about what August’s revision will be next month.)

Finally, while Government employment fell by -121,000, reflecting the departure of 114,000 temporary Census 2010 workers from federal government payrolls, private-sector payroll employment continued to trend up modestly by adding 67,000 jobs.

Dean Maki of Barclays Capital told Forbes: “On balance, the upward revisions make the report a bit stronger than we expected. It does not change the recent trend of moderate growth in private payrolls and is inconsistent with fears that a sharp slowdown in the economy is underway.”

Here’s a look at how some of the major sectors fared in August:

Health care increased by 28,000, with the largest gains occurring in ambulatory health care services (+17,000) and hospitals (+9,000).
Manufacturing employment dropped by -27,000. A decline in motor vehicles and parts (-22,000) offset a gain of similar magnitude in July as the industry geared up for its annual retooling.
Temporary help services, which have added 392,000 jobs since a recent employment low in September 2009, added 17,000 jobs.
Construction employment was up by 19,000, partially reflected by the return of the payrolls of 10,000 workers who were on strike in July.
Retail trade was relatively unchanged. A job gain among motor vehicle and parts dealers (+8,000) was essentially offset by losses in building materials and garden supply stores (-6,000).

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Carrie Hubbel

I recently applied for a job and found out who the hiring manager was. Before mailing my application, resume, and cover letter, I sent the hiring manager an email explaining my interest in the position and attached my cover letter and resume to the email. This was about 3 weeks ago and I have not received an email back from the hiring manager.

However, I did contact human resources and they informed me that my application had been forwarded to the department of the hiring manager based on my qualifications. Even though I haven't heard from the hiring manager via email and it has been 3 weeks since I sent the email and my application...should I follow up with a phone call to the hiring manager expressing my interest once again in the position or should I be patient. I don't want to seem desperate, but I really want the job? I quit my other job in the industry cuz I hated the company...now I am a server, waiting to get another job I will like in that industry...thanks:)

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