Strange but true fact: the rest of the world is a better place to look for a job than in the “greatest country in the world” according to a new quarterly survey of expected future hiring by business:
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A forward-looking measure of hiring intentions dipped slightly in the United States even as it improved in many other countries, according to a quarterly survey by Manpower Inc.
The survey offers a hint that jobs in Europe and Asia may recover earlier than in the United States, but it also raises questions about whether such a recovery could be cut short without the support of U.S. consumers, Manpower said. […]
“Companies are still not going to be in hiring mode,” said Manpower Chief Executive Jeff Joerres. “They are in cautious mode.”
A mark of that caution is that two-thirds of U.S. employers plan no change to staffing, a higher proportion than is typical, he added. […]
Manpower’s survey, together with recent labor market and industrial output data, suggest Asia and Europe will emerge from recession before any U.S. recovery. Joerres said consumers in Asia and Europe did not need to curtail their spending to the same extent as their American counterparts.
“You look at major countries like the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, they’re all up,” Joerres said. “Their economies haven’t had the same hits. Other than Spain, you didn’t have a housing market as bad as this.”
I wonder. Could the ridiculously high cost of health care for their American employees have anything to do with why American forms are more reluctant to commit to new hires here in the good old US of A? It certainly can’t help matters, now can it? Just a thought, folks, just a thought.
I wonder. Could the ridiculously high cost of health care for their American employees have anything to do with why American forms are more reluctant to commit to new hires here in the good old US of A?
That’s one of the themes that Obama should be hitting on to sell health care reform. Why he isn’t, I don’t know. The other is not being tied to a sucky job because you are afraid of losing health care. Are D.C. Democrats that stupid that no one has thought of this to sell the plan(not the shitty Baucus type plans)? I’d say the answer is yes. It’s either that or being corrupt.
So many politicians have bought into the fact that spending billions or trillions will get us out of this economic mess. This is absolutely wrong. To fix our economy we need to put people back to work. And putting people back to work is near impossible when China is taking over the manufacturing sector. In China there is a worker shortage. In the USA people can’t even find a job flipping burgers. What the politicians did was criminal, sold out America, and to be honest these participating politicians should be criminally charged for treason.
Voters need to demand and end to wasteful spending and true dialog about the trade agreements that have cost this country millions of jobs and quite possibly all of our wealth. Unemployment benefits will expire and millions upon millions will be left with no hope and no opportunity to work. That’s about as unAmerican as it can get.
this should come as no surprise then:
and we’re digging deeper every day…what was that first rule of holes again?
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(Bloomberg) — The U.S. was displaced by Switzerland as the world’s most-competitive economy after its financial markets were roiled by the worst crises since the Great Depression, according to the World Economic Forum.
The U.S. fell to second position for the first time since the Geneva-based organization began its current index in 2004 as it lost marks for the sophistication of its markets and rising budget deficits. Switzerland was credited for its stability and ability to innovate.
“A number of escalating weaknesses have taken their toll on the U.S. ranking this year,” the study of 133 countries ny the Geneva-based organization said. “Switzerland’s performance has remained relatively stable.”
The loss of efficiency by the world’s largest economy is another obstacle to a fast recovery even as it begins to show signs of emerging from its deepest recession since World War II.
Reduced confidence in its banking system after the collapse a year ago of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. meant the U.S. slid to ninth from 20th when ranked for the attributes of its markets. A measure of how easy access to finance is fell to 106th this year, close to Albania and Mali, from 40th last year, while a budget deficit now above $1 trillion pushed its grade for economic stability to 93rd from 66th.
The U.S. economy still won marks for its flexible product and labor markets, research and development and technological advances.
Switzerland took the top spot after being ranked third in the world for business sophistication and second for its capacity to innovate. Its economy was ranked 17th for stability.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Steven D, you are correct sir. As a business owner, health insurance cost is always (and has always) been a major factor whenever I’ve weighed adding a person to our company. Many times it has pushed me to hire freelancers on a temporary basis instead of adding a permanent employee.
Here are two easy ways that Obama can help reduce health insurance cost:
This may not amount to a complete solution. But both efforts are cost-free and will force positive change immediately. With a win under his belt, then perhaps Obama can look to do more.
Thank you SO MUCH for pointing this out. If real health care reform isn’t enacted (and SOON) what’s to prevent many more employers from dropping whatever minimal group/individual insurance they currently have, paying a fine to the gov’t., and just offering employees a paycheck?
I can’t speak for many other employers. But I would say that those I know aren’t so nefarious. But I have heard other employers say they are hesitant to hire anybody until they know what the administration’s plans are. And so far the administration has done their best avoid stating a clear direction for reducing health care cost/waste. My suggestions are for real, but I get the sense you don’t feel the same.
What is “real health care reform” to you?