Is the market picking up?

One of the most common questions posed to any search professional is "is the market picking up?". Each person is hoping to hear positive news and to get the feeling that help is on the way. For last 12 months we know the job market has not been good but we all have a feeling that it is better than it was. The feeling I have is that we are still a long way away before the employment market is healthy.

Am I off base? I went to the Bureau of Labor Statistic (http://www.bls.gov/) and searched for unemployment rates for professional workers with 4 year degrees in the Bay Area and found the following:

SF/San Mateo/Redwood City
July 2010 - 9.4%
Nov 2010 - 9.1 %

Oakland/Fremont/Hayward
July 2010 - 11.7%
Nov 2010 - 11.2%

SJ/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara
July 2010 - 11.5%
Nov 2010 - 11 %

There is evidence the market had improved in the second half of last year and we feel that the market has improved since November. But until the unemployment rate reaches 7 to 8 percent we feel the market is an employer's market, unhealthy for many if not most job seekers.

Although the market is tough we do have very good roles available with many different employers. For the most part all companies need to hire but will do so selectively. To find out what we have to offer please contact me.

Happy Hunting!

Bryon McDougall
bryon@alchemysearch.com