Employment

July 02, 2004

Economic Recovery

This mornings AP Labor Wire, contained this statement:

The quarter-point increase was the first change since the funds rate was cut to a 46-year low of 1 percent in June 2003.

That had marked the 13th Fed rate cut in a series that began back in January 2001 as the central bank battled to jump-start an economy staggered by a series of blows, from a plunging stock market and the 2001 recession to terrorist attacks and two wars.

So what this is saying is that this is the first time in George Bush's administration that the Feds increased their rates. Why did George Bush want to Allen Greenspan to stay on?

May 24, 2004

Inflation Report

There's a report out this morning that predicts that the inflation rate in the United States will be higher than originally reported.

"Rising prices of energy and other industrial commodities are contributing to the higher inflation, but so too is robust growth," said the group's president, Duncan Meldrum, chief economist at Air Products and Chemicals Inc.

I believe that the rapid increase of energy cost (Oil) is the main factor in the inflation rate. This weekend I saw that the price for gas at the pump at Meeting House Pond in Orleans cost $2.99 a gallon. This high gas price not only effect the weekend boater, but also the day to day New England Fisherman.

George W. Bush will be on the air tonight addressing the American Public in a prime time speech, not on the sudden fuel surcharge, but on the situation in Iraq.

April 23, 2004

Corporate citizenship

I found a pretty good article about "Corporate citizenship." A Corporate citizenship is a CFO, CEO that opts not to have a layoff or downsizing because they care for their employees.

The article explains why layoffs are an essential component to a free economy and the roll a government plays in the unemployment.

I would highly recommend reading this article:
Corporate Chiefs Should Refuse Clinton

January 06, 2004

Trouble in the Support Group

495nsg in Trouble
In 2002 a Networking support group was created for people that were unemployed in the area around 495 in Massachusetts. The group orginal goal was to offer job search support and to bring guest speakers to talk about how to get a job.

By the summer of 2003, the support group started to loose its steam. Many people were fustrated with the political rambling between volunteers that were running the group and membership started to fall off.

Currently on the mail server there is word that the officers never approved the bylaws and an election that was supposed to happen on the 21st of this month will not occur.

I would highly recomend that if your looking for a support group in the Boston area to consider Wind Networking. This is a group that is run by career professionals who are focus on the job market and not the polical issues of running the organization.

November 06, 2003

Employment Growth Soon

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan had some positive things to say about the economy in a speech this morning to the Securities Industry Association. He appears pretty optimistic about the growth in the economy and how low inventories will lead to increase employment.

I personally think that the Federal Reserve made a mistake back in November 2000 by not lowering the short-term interest rate. I believe this was because the Presidental election recount was a distraction. Had they lower the rate early enough the recession would have been much shorter.