ETC.

• The number of candidates in Southeastern PA (Northampton, Lehigh, Berks counties) applying for jobs in North Jersey is on the rise. At the same time, less from CT and NY are filtering in to me. Could this mean the job market is starting another shift where it gets healthier up north then moves across the country? Let's hope this is true!
• Has anyone picked up rumblings from their HR people about the potential impact of the impending national health insurance reform on their insurance coverage and costs?
• I wonder how the projection of 100K additional troops to Afghanistan over the next three years will effect the economy.
• News services are reporting that retailers are hiring less seasonal help and looking into paying overtime to existing staff. From personal experience, this may be a huge mistake as the stress of holiday crowds and challenging customers will wear down folks working 50-60 hours a week and reduce quality of customer service at the worst possible time.