Posted by Brian McCullough
So after all the hemming (himming?) and hawing, I guess we’re getting a stimulus package. The whole idea behind this thing is to create jobs… stem the flow of job losses… prevent a new great depression… give everyone a pony… take your pick.
Is there useful news here for job seekers? Are there specific jobs/industries that might be hiring now that govt. money is flowing?
I don’t think you can think of the stimulus package as a chart to guide you on your job search. The whole idea is to get growth going and to have various projects create knock-on job creation from various related industries.
But here are a few specifics I’ve been able to glean from some careful reading of the intertubes (sources here, here, here, here and here).
- Generally, we’re all supposed to get benefits in the form of tax cuts and extensions to things like unemployment benefits and COBRA.
- Hopefully the flood of state and municipal worker layoffs well recede a bit as money is flowing to the state and local level to shore up their faltering balance sheets. This is good news for teachers, nurses, firemen, etc. etc. on down the line, assuming this gets to the right places.
- The package overall seems to be excellent news for tech folk. You hear about computerizing medical records. Creating a smart utility grid. Expanding and adding muscle to our broadband grid. Might this mean hiring more network technicians, programmers, installers and the like? Sounds like it.
- Overall, there might be more jobs in the horror scene that is the construction sector. Yes, I guess we’ll get some of those roads, bridges and other “shovel ready” projects we’ve heard so much about. But there’s also money for things like rebuilding, updating and modernizing schools. So… work for architects and engineers too, right?
- The various aspects of the alternative energy industry seem to be getting a boost. It might behoove you to do some research on “green tech” companies. They might be hiring. The package allots $50 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.
- Heck, all this talk about modernizing the energy efficiency of government buildings and weatherizing homes. I don’t know the exact industry, but there has to be installers for that sort of thing, right? Might be a growth field for the next year or two.
Finally, this quote caught my eye. What to know the future, young man? Forget plastics. Think asphalt.
The Federal Highway Administration has estimated that every $1 billion the federal government spends on infrastructure projects translates to 35,000 jobs. Collins put the total infrastructure spending — including highways, mass transit, environmental cleanups and broadband facilities — at $150 billion. Do the math and that translates into more than 5 million jobs, based on the highway administration’s assumptions.
But there was also this quote:
But even with the stimulus, many economists predict a net loss of 2 million, 3 million or even more jobs this year. The recession already had cost 3.6 million through January. The unemployment rate, now at 7.6 percent, highest in more than 16 years, will probably hit at least 9 percent by next year.
Related posts:
