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You read that right.  For the first time in decades there are more jobs available than the actual number of people that are on unemployment. As of July 2018  there are 6.3 million people in the US on unemployed, the equivalent of 3.9%.

​Axios, an online media company, shared yesterday we’ve officially crossed the barrier of more jobs available than people suitable or ready to fill them.  Our economy also continues to boom as we’re in the longest job growth period on record, now 94 straight months.  

How can this be?  If the economy is doing so well and there are so many jobs available why is it we still have so many people unemployed and why aren’t those which are unemployed taking the available jobs?
ANSWER: The American workforce is changing, changing in TWO BIG WAYS:
 
1. Sedentary Lifestyle: we’ve become a society of professional sitters.  The average person now sits, yes – sits on their keister, upwards of 51 hours and 44 minutes a week. It’s such a dramatic change in our society and workforce that some are now calling ‘sitting’ the new cigarettes.  We’ll leave the health aspect of sitting to another article.

For younger generations this lifestyle is their only perspective on working and it’s beginning to have a significant impact on our economy as it’s changing the jobs they’re taking, or willing to consider.  Jobs which are considered physically or mentally demanding aren’t at the top of the pecking order and those industries are having an incredibly difficult time getting new blood to join the ranks. (construction; farming; trucking; skilled trades like plumbers, electricians, mechanics; emergency services; law enforcement, etc.)

The change to a seated society tells us something else.  As a society we are moving away from a ‘do-it-yourself hands on’ society where we’re focused on production to a society of ‘creative typists’.  The new skilled trade is programming, not plumbing. 

Today’s emerging workforce wants to be close to technology and feel good movements while being free of work which may be construed as physically or mentally taxing.   Getting your hands dirty on the job is out, sitting inside with the AC and nap-pods is in!
 
2. The Skill-less Unemployable: No one likes to think that there are people out there which don’t have skills or aren’t employable, it’s un-American.  Yet it is becoming an increasingly frightening reality.  The second reason our workforce is changing is there are a growing number of unemployed workers that are finding themselves unable to take advantage of the volume of job opportunities on the market due to their skills or abilities becoming out dated.  Out of date just like the baloney sandwich my mom used to make for my lunch in grade school.

No one eats baloney sandwiches anymore, so if you didn’t adjust your skills with the growing times, moving to turkey or tofu, you got left behind.  And left behind without even realizing it, holding a moldy, crappy sandwich (your skills) in the process.

Those who are unemployed at present are largely in part just not employable.  Of course, there is always the exception to this rule however the growing majority of people who are unemployed just don’t have current day marketable skills to function in an environment which increasingly demands technology proficiencies.  With national unemployment rates under 4% it tells us that those who can work are working and those who can’t – well they’ll continue to experience hardships trying to find jobs in a marketplace that is increasingly unforgiving and more expecting of people’s capabilities.
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As a result, the gap continues to widen whereas those who have been unemployed for some time trying to find work will continue to experience much of the same.  The stigma attached to unemployment, the longer you’ve been out of work the more likely it is you will remain out of work, is a harsh reality for those unemployed.  With so much opportunity to be had in the marketplace people who are unemployed for longer than a month or so find themselves having to develop colorful explanations as to why they weren’t working to hopefully appease prospective employers.

​Is the grass always greener on the other side?

We quit our jobs with the idea of leaving for green pastures only to find out that the new job we just landed is just as bad if not worse than the last.  Yikes! 

Why does this happen?

Simply, we made a decision without fully understanding the ‘why’ behind it.

When we’re at a point in our careers where we’re considering leaving our employer typically one or more of the following is happening:

1. We don’t like our boss
2. Our work isn’t recognized or appreciated
3. The environment isn’t right for us
4. The money isn’t justifying the work or commitment
5. Personal (moving out of town, looking for fewer responsibilities to reduce stress, etc.)

Sound familiar?

These are the top five answers people share on why they resigned from their employer. 

When we’re frustrated at work, especially if it has been going on a while, all too often we’re ready to jump ship without checking first if we have a life preserver on.  The first opportunity that comes along meeting our ‘minimum qualifications’ can appear to be a god send.  We yell out, “where have you been all my life” as we go through the interview process with our new prospective employer hoping they’ll give us the chance to say “Adios” to our current employer.

But wait!  How much research and investigation did we do ahead of time to ensure our hopeful new employer is better than the last?  Does it meet our needs?  Do we even know what our needs are?

Here in lies the trap many of us fall into.  We convince ourselves that what we have (our job or employer) is crap and anything else that presents itself is therefore exceptionally better than the last.  We dive into the new opportunity to get away from the old to find ourselves quickly back into the same situation we were in before.

How could this be? (it certainly isn’t our fault because it never is)

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news – if you’ve experienced this it is indeed your fault.  Now, let’s be fair, maybe no one ever taught you how to go about finding a new job and ensuring it met your needs.  If that’s the case consider this first situation ‘my bad’ and moving forward use the following steps to better understand what you need and how to get it with a new job:

Step #1: Self Reflection – take time to better understand where your unhappiness comes from.  Without knowing this it will be very difficult to improve your situation

Step #2: Honesty – are you giving your current job everything you can?  If not then you’re putting yourself at risk of running from one issue to another, just at another company

Step #3: List Your Expectations – write out a list of 5-10 things you want in a career and employer.  Your top #1-3 should be non-negotiable no matter what

Step #4: List of New Employers – if you’ve decided it’s time to move on build a list of companies in the area you want to work which meet your needs, at a minimum your non-negotiables.  This information can be obtained by speaking with current employees of those companies or reading reviews online.

Step #5: Network – this is the biggest misstep of all.  Many times we don’t do this which means we aren’t getting a good enough perspective of what is going on within the industry we want to work in.  Networking builds our connections and insight for businesses in the area we’re trying to find our next employment.  It can also help us land a new gig.

Step #6: Confirm Expectations – when you get to the point of interviewing with a new company make sure to ask them how they show up with the list of items you have created that are important to you.  Ask every person you meet within the company.  If their answers don’t jive with your expectations this isn’t the right company for you.

Step #7: Show Up – if you do decide to take a new job with a company that meets your new set of expectations it is imperative that you show up and give them everything you’ve got.  150%.  During this time you should also be making mental notes to see if your new employer is in fact upholding their commitments to your expectations.  Caution – when you’re new it is a 50/50 split of responsibility where both parties have to come to the table to make the employer/ employee relationship work.  Don’t just sit back and expect your new employer to drool all over you and praise you without you showing up in the new job accordingly.  Praise, respect and opportunity are earned – never given for free.
 
Unhappy at your job?  Looking for a new one? 

Before you act on it make sure you understand why you’re in your present situation before you get into a new one.  Once you know what you want it will be much easier to find the right opportunity rather than the first opportunity.