The big news from the world of finance today is that the U.S. unemployment rate dropped in November. In the wake of a jobs summit at the White House, the latest numbers for the employment picture are in. And in November, it looks as though the economy only shed 11,000 jobs. This is opposed to the 125,000 that many expected the economy to shed in November. The news also meant that the unemployment rate dropped to 10%
Of course, this positive data does not indicate that a significant number of jobs are being added to the economy — just that the …read more

Even with the fact that today the news came in that jobless claims have dropped to a one-year low, the reality is that this is the worst job market in right around 26 years. So, even as the picture starts to improve, things still need to be happening to stimulate job creation. And, as a result, president Barack Obama is convening a jobs summit.
Gathering 130 people together — business people, union leaders, and economists — at the White House is one way he hopes to get input on what can be done to increase the effectiveness of the jobs efforts …read more

This is going to sound counter-intuitive, but one of the best places to look for a job can actually be at a firm that just laid a bunch of people off. Depending on the reasons behind the lay offs, you might find that such companies are ready to do a round of hiring.
Recently, an acquaintance of mine was laid off — along with dozens of others — from a local company. Imagine our surprise when the Classifieds showed job openings in that company two weeks later! The reason? In the interest of cost-cutting, the company laid off around 50 of …read more

By some estimates, this is the toughest job market in two decades. Indeed, the fact that the unemployment rate just topped 10% indicates how difficult things are right now. Which means that relying solely on the job boards may be a bad idea. Indeed, CNN Money points out that this is not even close to enough if you are serious about succeeding in the job hunt:
According to Paul Bernard, a veteran executive coach and career management adviser who runs his own firm, many job seekers make the mistake of relying too heavily on online job boards, particularly at the start …read more

I started thinking this evening about the current economic situation in the United States and wondering about the impact of technology and the Internet on the current recession. Is it possible that the powers of technology and the Internet could help keep businesses and individual more productive and efficient?
My thoughts were just wondering if the features and benefits of the World Wide Web and Internet provide a little bit more of an opportunity for cushion on the ups and downs of someone’s personal and professional finances. Is the ability for a business of any size to really market itself to …read more

First it was Robert Scoble, then Bill himself says he’s preparing for his departure, now Martin Taylor abruptly leaves Microsoft. Nobody’s sure why he left, and Microsoft isn’t talking, so that just makes everyone speculate even more.
Martin oversaw the developments of some major initiatives in Microsoft like Windows Live, so it’s kind of shock for him to leave without much warning.
Taylor was expected to be interviewed by reporters on Monday about the new Windows Live Messenger, but the interviews were canceled. Afterwards, Microsoft confirmed that Taylor departed the company but declined to give any details or reasons, only to say …read more