Chicago lost 56,000 jobs in 2002–more than three times the number lost the year before. Among U.S. cities, only New York shed more jobs.
That’s according to a report issued last week by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which found metro areas lost 646,000 jobs in 2002.
Overall, 213 of the nation’s 319 metro areas, or two-thirds, lost jobs. Six metro areas–Chicago, New York, Atlanta, San Jose, Boston and Seattle–lost more than 40,000 jobs each.
The dramatic job losses prompted mayors to call for federal action to spur local economies. Their recommendations included support for job training initiatives, an increase in transportation funding and tax changes.
The report, conducted by economic research firm Global Insight, also predicted job growth of less than 1 percent in 2003 for most cities.
“Following two years of declines, it will take over a year of growth for most metro areas to reach 2000 employment levels,” the report states.
Book in the a.m.
The early bird gets the job–or so suggests a new survey.
More than two-thirds of 1,400 chief financial officers polled say they like to schedule hiring interviews between 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
“After a full slate of meetings and regular work activities, managers’ energy level and focus may not be as strong in the afternoon,” said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps, the temporary staffing firm that conducted the survey.
So, grab that morning slot. Just don’t hit the snooze button.
Teens pass on being next Bill Gates
Blame it on the dot-com bust or the general decline in the economy. But fewer teens expect to be millionaires by the time they’re 40.
In a nationwide poll by Junior Achievement, only 9 percent of the 1,100 teens polled said they believe they’d make $1 million in salary by age 40–the lowest level since the poll began four years ago. Last year, 14 percent of teens guessed they’d earn $1 million.
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What do teens expect to be doing while not earning $1 million? For the first time, teens chose business (10.4 percent) over medicine (10 percent) as their ideal career. Teaching and the law tied for third.
Name game
Last year, SBC hung up on Ameritech, and Miller Brewing Co. bubbled into SABMiller. But in general, more companies stuck with their names–and avoided the cost of buying reams of new stationery.
In 2002, corporate name changes plunged by 35 percent, according to Enterprise IG Inc., a New York-based brand and identity company. Worldwide, 2,346 firms changed names last year, down from 3,602 in 2001.
The reason for the decline? The usual catalysts behind name changes–mergers and acquisitions, public stock offerings and marketing campaigns–were in a slump globally.
Job boards notice little guys too
If you catch Monster.com’s ad during the Super Bowl today, you’ll see a shift in strategy by the job board.
Instead of catering primarily to resume-toting professionals and their bosses, Monster is gearing job listings to hourly workers and their employers too. Other job boards, such as CareerBuilder.com and HotJobs.com, are doing the same.
Because most construction workers and cashiers fill out applications rather than send out resumes to find jobs, the online sites allow jobseekers to build an application that can be viewed by employers.