Help-Wanted indicator - ad hoc anecdotal reports here

[swag]

Portland, OR: job pickin's still slim in Portland. Barely up from employment section's low count. Seems we'll all just be sellin' shit on eBay soon.

As posted previously, national "help-wanted index" declined again to 39, from a previous month's 40. Not so hot.

How are things in your area?

Initial claims were down to multi-year lows today, though continuing claims remain rather high (many exhausted claims rolling off).

Friday is a big political numbers day: nonfarm payrolls, unemployment rate, and so on.

I would like good employment AND the end of the bunnypants era.

[Warpy]

1. From two thick sections of the paper during the Clinton years

...the help wanted section has shrunk to eight pages.

[latebloomer]

2. Used to be PAGES of techie jobs in the Sunday New york Times

Last Sunday there were NINE under 'computers", with similar numbers under "prog/analysts"

[jburton]

3. There was a great letter to the editor about this...

In the Dallas Morning News of all places.

Basically said you know things are bad when the "Home Forclosures" section of the classifieds is thicker than the "Help Wanted" section.