Slowdown in Midwest Hiring Dims Job Hopes

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By Amanda Cooper

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Job creation stalled surprisingly in the U.S. Midwest in March, a report showed on Wednesday, tempering optimism that Friday's national employment report will show hiring at last picking up.

A survey of regional business conditions in the Chicago area showed that overall business activity expanded for the 11th straight month in March, albeit at a much slower pace than many had expected.


But perhaps more worrying for those banking on the kind of pick-up in hiring that has so far eluded the broader economy, the employment component of the Chicago Purchasing Management Index dropped sharply. It fell to just 49.2 from 54.8 in February, its highest reading since April 1998.


A number below 50 denotes contraction, and the Chicago jobs index has managed to struggle above this level only three times since 2000.

-more-

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=580&e=1&u=/nm/20040331/bs_nm/economy_dc

[David Dunham]

1. Bad news for Bushco.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. and good news for Kerry!!!!

[Cocoa]

2. "I'm satisfied with our progress"

George W. Bush, to Diane Sawyer.

[area51]

4. One more unemployed person come Nov. 2;

Bush.

[madrchsod]

5. there were hirings

in the last few months but they were replacements for retirements and other reasons. there were no created jobs by new plants opening up and hiring workers..the manufacturing jobs just slowly bleed away.....

[NickB79]

6. In the MN Star Tribune yesterday, it looked really bad

"More than 72,000 unemployed workers are competing for about 29,000 job openings in the metro Twin Cities area, according to an analysis of state jobs data reported Monday by the Jobs Now Coalition, a St. Paul group that advocates for low-wage workers."

snip

"The same survey showed that statewide, 125,000 unemployed Minnesotans were competing for 50,000 jobs at the end of last year, a 37 percent drop in jobs in two years."

I just sat there numb for a few minutes after reading that. Then I thought "I don't think this takes into account all the new soon-to-be college grads from the U of MN or ST. Cloud State entering the job market this spring either!"

I can't stand this much more, but I don't have the money or courage to pick up and move out of state away from everyone and everything I know. I did get a call this morning from a job placement company about a possible position in a Twin Cities lab at Boston Scientific, but I'm not holding my breath. I've been outcompeted for three other positions there in the past month by laid-off lab techs with more experience than me who are willing to start over in entry-level at a pay cut. This just sucks all around.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/4692685.html