1
It’s tough out there. No doubt about it. But after months of unrelenting gloom, there are glimmers of hope for job seekers.
Google Chief Economist Hal Varian is pretty confident the national economy is recovering, and he's not just basing that on government data.
According to the Washington Post, Varian says he can tell from Americans' search habits.
In March, the number of Google users searching for information about unemployment benefits or employment centers began to drop, Varian said. Overall unemployment has continued to climb, of course, but new jobless claims have declined since peaking earlier this year.
The temporary employment index, however, is ticking higher.
A former economist and professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Varian says that increases in temporary employment, a leading indicator for labor markets, typically precede a rebound in full-time hiring. That index has ticked up in each of the past four months.
What this means is that the temporary assignment has, in effect, become a “working interview”’ where candidates can prove their worth before the organization commits to increasing permanent headcount.
Additionally, organizations who are in the process of downsizing are now proactively working to find new employment options for their talented staff with stellar track records. This is resulting in very good candidates being immediately available at short notice, which is great news for other companies who are looking to recruit new talent for their own businesses.
Temp-to-perm placements are projected to be a continuing trend as job seekers recognize the opportunity to be able to make their mark—and employers take advantage of being able to evaluate their needs before finalizing job descriptions.
1
