Final Job Losses of 2008

So the final numbers for job losses came out last week. 2.5 million jobs were lost for the year of 2008. Wow, that sucks for all 2.5 million, of which I am one and you may be as well, but also for the economy as a whole. That also means there is going to be serious competition for the average jobs that are available.

What that does not mean however is that you cannot get a job. There are still many companies hiring and there are many jobs out there. The question that every unemployed worker needs to ask themselves is if they are qualified. Do they have the education or the training to get the jobs that are available.

Because the truth of the matter is that many of the 2.5 million jobs lost will be unskilled or lower level positions that are easy to eliminate and easy to create once the economy has turned the corner. The people who are seeking these types of jobs are going to find the next 12 months are pretty rough. The number of these jobs that are created will be limited, because these are the “labor” positions.

Now, if you are experienced and you have some education, then the bag seems to be mixed. There are jobs out there, but the companies are going to be more selective because it is an “employers market.” Many of these jobs will have 5-10 or more legitimate people applying for them and only one person is getting hired. The competition will be fierce for many of these jobs.

But, don’t get discouraged. While many companies have too much middle management and they are cutting back on those positions, there is a level of management that a company needs to run its business. That means that certain positions will never be cut and some positions will be created during this economic downturn. You will need to be patient and find the positions that your skills and knowledge best fits the company and the job description.

The roughest part of this whole downturn is that it is going to take years for the economy to turn around. Even if the numbers started coming in much better tomorrow, companies will be rehiring and growing again at a much more moderate rate than they did before. These companies will start to expand once again, when we see that we have hit bottom and they can foresee some growth in their industries.

The question is when and how many. It may take a full year after the numbers start coming in before companies start hiring in any large numbers. You must however keep your head up and your outlook positive or you will never get one of the remaining jobs that are out there. Keep looking, keep applying and stay positive.