Could Be Better, Could Be Worse

2011 is about to become 2012 and I am trying to put a label on the year we are about to close the book on. Overall, I still think we have a long way to go. From my travels around Central Jersey this past month or so, retailers seemed to vary between somewhat busy and downright empty at times. It also appeared to me that the deep discounts we are used to seeing on December 26 were shallower this year since many companies had attempted to keep prices under control all along. Restaurants definitely are taking it on the chin as holiday parties have been downsized and folks are spending less on food and entertainment. The mood among those I regularly chat with has gone from totally depressed to guarded optimism with a hint of pessimism and a pinch of fear for what lies ahead. Presidential election years are supposed to help the economy but I think many of us have major concerns about the choices that might be offered to select among.

Fine tuning the picture tube to look strictly at the employment scene, I am just a little more upbeat than I was last summer. Personally, I am finding employers a little more willing to make hiring decisions than they have been in quite some time. The sidebar, however, is that pay rates are running from 40-60% lower than they were in 2008. Anyone who thinks they can negotiate for a higher salary than what is being offered to them, is taking a gigantic risk of being left behind!

The number of people approaching me for coaching services is increasing each month but I am seeing a few more people who are under-employed in the mix where last year most were unemployed. My concern is that we are being forced to accept much lower levels of income while the cost of surviving continues to grow.

My hope is that 2012 will surprise all of us and be a breakout year. Perhaps this will be the time when we will all begin realize personal growth on many levels and our economy will bounce back. Wouldn't be great if my last blog entry of 2012 is about the great recovery process that we have all been lucky enough to enjoy? Who knows but we need to try to stay positive!

Memories of FDR

The New York Times ran a very informative and interesting post about the Great Depression and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/great_depression_1930s/index.html?scp=3&sq=job%20market&st=cse

Mr. Roosevelt certainly made some bold promises during his campaign AND followed through on most of them even though there were some very painful measures involved. Desperate times (and yes I feel we are in such a state right now) call for gutsy leadership and decision making even if it involves stepping on toes and alienating certain constituencies like oil companies and insurance companies.

Certainly the WPA went a long way toward creating jobs and repairing our nation and we need something similar to pump some life into the economy. Of course the NY/NJ region had such a project until a very tenacious governor decided to end it and leave an unfinished rubble heap earlier this year. It was hard to get too upset with him, even though I believe such projects are much needed, because he could not find the funds needed to keep moving.

FDR was gutsy and really did not care if he won any popularity contests as long as he started repairing his nation step by step. We need new jobs established here, more manufacturing and commerce on U.S. soil, and support from all branches of government coupled with a commitment from our largest corporations to invest in our future and we need it now. Whoever has the guts to put some real protein into their platform will get my vote in 2012!