IT Workplace Economy
Another positive month of BLS data
- 243,000 jobs added to the national economy in January.
- National unemployment rate drops for the fifth straight month.
- Dow increases to its highest level since May 2008.
These were just a few of the headlines that gripped the front pages of newspapers throughout the nation on February 3rd after the BLS released January’s “The Employment Situation” report – arguably the most positive jobs findings that have been recorded since Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009.
Last month, the national unemployment rate was 8.3 percent, slightly lower than December’s rate of 8.5 percent and nearly one percent less than it was last summer. In addition, the rate has now declined for five consecutive months, an employment feat which has not been accomplished since 1994.
Of equal importance, the national economy has added jobs for 23 straight months, as the number of unemployed individuals declined by 300,000 in January, in comparison to December’s findings.
Perhaps the most positive aspect of January’s jobs report was the fact that job growth was very extensive, as nearly every private sector industry hired thousands of workers.
Sectors showing growth included:
- Construction: Employment within the industry increased by 21,000 jobs. Of all construction positions, nonresidential specialty trade contracting opportunities were the most plentiful.
- Healthcare: The industry added nearly 31,000 positions to the economy in January, with ambulatory care services and hospitals leading the way as the industry’s top two employers.
- Leisure and hospitality: 44,000 professionals were hired within the industry in January. A majority were employed in either drinking places or food services places.
- Manufacturing: Once again, manufacturing hiring continued to rise, as 50,000 professionals were freshly employed last month. Fabricated metal products and machinery organizations each hired roughly 11,000 employees in January.
- Professional and business services: More than 70,000 workers accepted new employment opportunities within the industry in January. Temporary employment and accounting and bookkeeping were two standouts in terms of employment last month, as each industry hired 20,100 and 12,500 new employees, respectively.
Other articles of interest
U.S. CIO unveils mobile strategy for federal government
CIO
The Obama administration yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas unveiled an ambitious new initiative to remake the way the federal government approaches mobile technology, soliciting ideas from the public for how federal agencies can tap mobile devices and apps to operate more efficiently and better serve citizens.
U.S. CIO Steven VanRoekel announced the program at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a symbolic setting that amplifies the theme of the federal government taking its cues on IT from the most innovative quarters of the private sector.
Pledging to "make this year the year of mobile," VanRoeckel acknowledged that federal agencies have lagged behind the private sector in wireless technology, owing to a constellation of factors including a glacial procurement and in-house development process and an IT culture that has been slow to warm up to many of the new technologies and computing models that private-sector CIOs have already embraced.
Google’s Marissa Mayer says more women needed in tech
Computer World
Women may have come a long way in the high-tech field in the last 10 years, but there's still a lot of room for growth, according to a group of female tech executives.
And Marissa Mayer, a vice president at Google, said we're just not doing enough to get more women into the high-tech field.
"I think what we're really playing is a numbers game, " said Mayer, speaking as part of a panel at CNet's Women in Technology panel at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week. "Right now, it's a really great time to be a woman in technology -- but there aren't enough women in technology. I worry that a lot of times the conversation gets focused on what percentage of the pie is women. And the truth is the pie isn't big enough."
