Posted by: As many of us are aware, the US economy is currently mired in a recession that has had a long running and negative impact on sales and revenues for many businesses, and has taken a considerable toll on the American job market.
As companies continue to slash expenses and jobs, former manufacturing centers in the Midwest and other areas of the country are struggling with elevated unemployment levels. In fact the American unemployment level is well into the double digits and not expected to improve in the immediate future.
One of the places currently suffering with high unemployment rates is New York. Despite playing host to the most expensive baseball team in the league, New York’s direct ties to the financial services and manufacturing industries have led to a significant downturn in the state’s economy.
A recent NPR article discussed some steps the state has taken towards improving the employment situation. According to the article, the State of New York’s Department of Labor has turned to a Boston company called Burning Glass, which has developed a job search formula that it claims directs job hunters to the employers most likely to make a hire.
Job search tools remain critical for both employers looking for talent and job seekers looking for jobs. In fact, Monster recently unveiled its new Power Resume Search functionality designed specifically to simplify and expedite the process of finding qualified candidates for available positions. But regardless of how important job search tools are for seekers and employers, they’re just one part of the overall employment picture in a region. To bring unemployment numbers down and get people employed, a larger workforce development strategy is needed.
In our recent Unleash the Monster posts about the high-performance workforce we laid out a roadmap to help regions identify what skills their workforce needs in the current economy, ways to train them and then tools that can be used to place them into the jobs that they are uniquely qualified for. Job search tools are just one piece of this puzzle, and a piece that falls very far along the path to an ideal workforce and job marketplace.
We applaud New York State for thinking outside the box and trying new things in the pursuit of gainfully employing its constituents. But we have to ask, will addressing one piece of the puzzle be enough? If the Empire State has aspirations of ascending to its throne at the end of the recession it just may be time for a more robust employment strategy.
Wed, Nov 25, 2009
State & Local