There Are Career and Work Opportunities Available

In light of the continuing bad news about the economy, it is time to look at it from a new perspective. We know that bad news sells, but there really is opportunity out there if one looks.

The current unemployment rate here in North Carolina is 10%. That is awful if you compare it to the 5.5% rate not too long ago. But let's not forget that 5% is considered full employment as people are constantly in transition between jobs, returning to school, etc. The good news out of this is that 90% of people are employed. That may not be comforting if you're part of the 10%, but let's see what the news is, and is not, telling us.

We have been hearing that large corporations are laying off employees in large numbers. In Charlotte, Bank of America announced that it would be shedding 35,000 positions. That sounds terrible. One thing to keep in mind is that large corporations, those with more than 500 employees, are only 0.3% of businesses out there. Sure, they get the media attention, but understand that 71% of hiring is performed by small businesses. As large companies shed functions they are not good at, smaller firms will step in to fill the void.

A lot of folks are also wondering about the government's efforts to stimulate the economy. The jobs they tout that are being created are construction jobs. Your average corporate worker is not likely to be qualified for building roads and bridges. Additionally, there is concern that many of these jobs will go to workers here illegally. And the federal government continues to bloat, with 9,000 jobs added just in February. Education and health care appear to be adding jobs as well.

So, what else is out there in the private sector? Fox news ran an article the other day talking about 2 million jobs across a range of industries. Areas include energy, information technology, and some sectors in banking. Shortages of engineers, nurses, pharmacists,and veterinarians are reported.

If you are looking for work, don't short change yourself. If you have been working in one particular industry for a while, identify your transferable skills and abilities that can be used elsewhere, or even start up your own business. Campbell's soups came to existence during the Great Depression, and so did the game Monopoly. There are opportunities to be found and created. This time can be yours.