Tim McMahon, Editor of UnemploymentData.com

My grandfather lived through the Hyperinflation in Weimar, Germany--to say he was an original “gold bug” would be an understatement. I began reading his “hard money” newsletters at the age of 16 and the dividends from gold stocks helped put me through college. I began publishing the Financial Trend Forecaster paper newsletter in 1995 upon the death of James Moore editor of Your Window into the Future and the creator of the Moore Inflation Predictor©. FTF specializes in trends in the stock market, gold, inflation and bonds. In January of 2003, I began publishing InflationData.com to specialize in all forms of information about the nature of Inflation. In 2009, we added Elliott Wave University to help teach you the principles of Elliott Wave analysis. In January 2013, we began publishing OptioMoney. Connect with Tim on Google+.

Art Not Paying the Bills? 4 Tech Jobs for Highly Creative Individuals

May 7, 2019 by Tim McMahon

The arts carry a stigma of a dead-end, useless degree to pursue. Don’t believe it. While art isn’t paying the bills for most people, don’t’ sacrifice your passion for money. Marry passion and profit by finding the right occupation to feed the soul and the wallet. Four career paths will change the way you view art.

Work as a Web Designer

The internet changed the way we interact and communicate, and part of the reason is the fantastic web design. It is the first impression for companies to attract web traffic and generate sales. A web designer develops that first impression, creating web pages, websites and website templates for individuals and companies. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics web designers/web developers earn an average of $33.38 per hour. Employment of web developers is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand will be driven by the growing popularity of mobile devices and ecommerce.

Work as a Graphic Designer

The graphic designing industry is vast, offering a comfortable salary and room to evolve within the occupation. Create graphic T-shirts, company logos, personal logos, album covers, and packaging design based on individual and company ideas. Work in the branding, packaging, and advertising department at several companies. Choose to work for a graphic design company. A third idea is starting a graphic design business for more control and flexibility. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Graphics Designers earn an average of $24.21 per hour but Employment of graphic designers is projected to grow slower than the average for all occupations. Graphic designers are expected to face strong competition for available positions so you may need to think outside the box and create your own niche.

Work as a Multimedia Artist

A career combined with animators, multimedia artists create [Read more…] about Art Not Paying the Bills? 4 Tech Jobs for Highly Creative Individuals

Why You Shouldn’t Lose Sight Of Your UK Pension

May 6, 2019 by Tim McMahon

Whether you’re currently unemployed, hunting or just starting a new job, it’s easy to forget the idea of a pension ticking over in the background. Saving for your retirement is vital for ensuring security in old age. While it might seem insignificant at the moment, it’s worth considering what options you have when it comes to saving for it and looking after it. Luckily, the pension experts at Portafina have created a list of crucial reasons why you shouldn’t lose sight of your pension.

You’ll be Automatically Enrolled

If you’re currently employed in the UK, over 22 years of age and earning over the threshold of £10k, then you will have automatically been enrolled on your workplace pension scheme. When you factor in your contributions, your employer’s and the tax relief you’ll receive as a bonus, it totals to 8% of your annual salary. There’s also no reason to stick to the minimum amount – adding more will only do more to boost your overall pension pot. By not even investing in the minimum, or not automatically enrolling yourself, you could be losing out in thousands of pounds to support yourself after employment.

As mentioned, tax relief is something you are entitled to, so ensure you are receiving the full amount. This is claimed back from the government by both employers and personal pension providers. If you’re enjoying a higher or additional tax rate, you may need to claim this back yourself via HMRC’s self-assessment form.

Advice Could Earn You Much More

Those who are receiving professional advice on their pension savings could be earning much more. Investing in a [Read more…] about Why You Shouldn’t Lose Sight Of Your UK Pension

April Unemployment Lowest since 1969

May 4, 2019 by Tim McMahon

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their monthly unemployment survey results for April on May 3^rd and it is much better than anyone expected.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

The U.S. economy created 263,000 jobs in April and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 3.6 percent.

That far exceeded the 180,000 estimated by economists. Last month the economists projected a 175,000 jobs gain and instead got 196,000 for two excellent months in a row.

According to the BLS Commissioner’s report for this month:

“In April, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 263,000, and the unemployment rate declined to 3.6 percent. Over the month, notable job gains occurred in professional and business services, construction, health care, and social assistance. The April employment gain compares with an average monthly gain of 213,000 over the prior 12 months. (The prior 12-month average incorporates revisions for February and March, which increased nonfarm payroll employment by 16,000 on net.)”

Key factors in the report were:
Employment in professional and business services increased by 76,000…
Construction employment rose by 33,000…
Employment in health care increased by 27,000…
Seasonally Adjusted U-3 Unemployment is the lowest rate since December 1969.

Of course the Commissioner is talking about “Seasonally Adjusted” jobs. In unadjusted terms March had 149.862 million jobs while April had 150.988 million jobs for an actual increase of 1,126,000 jobs.

For more info see our Current Unemployment Chart and Current U.S. Employment Chart commentary:

Key April Employment and Unemployment Numbers

Adjusted U-3 Unemployment- 3.6% Down from 3.8% in March
Unadjusted U-3 Unemployment- 3.3% down from 3.9% in March and 4.1% in February, and 4.4% in January.
Unadjusted U-6 Unemployment- 6.9% down from 7.5% in March, 7.7% in February and 8.8% in January, 7.5% in December.
Unadjusted Employment (Establishment Survey)- 150.988 million up from 149.862 million in March, 149.143 million in February and 148.295 million in January.
Labor Force Participation Rate- 62.8% down from 63.0% in March and from the peak of 63.2% in February.

Current Seasonally Adjusted U-3 levels are below the 3.8% lows of 2000. Prior to that we have to go all the way back to 1969 to see better unemployment levels than we have currently. If we break below 3.4% we have to go all the way back to 1953 to find lower levels and remember that was during the boom that followed WWII with a massive loss of the workforce due to the war so we probably won’t see levels that low again.

Running out of Sick Days? How to Balance Chronic Illness and Work

April 30, 2019 by Tim McMahon

Most companies today allot a certain number of PTO (Paid Time Off) days or hours for their employees. However, many employees may suffer from a chronic illness that requires them to miss more work days than normally allowed. If you’re running out of paid sick days for the year, following these tips can help you balance chronic illness and work and may keep you out of financial hardship.

Get a Proper Diagnosis

You may assume that you’ll be fine with time, but you could be suffering more than you have to if you don’t get the correct diagnosis from a doctor. Your doctor may even be able to write a note to your employer explaining your situation if you have a proper diagnosis, and this may help you get extended sick pay. The information that you receive about your diagnosis from your doctor can also be used to let your employer know exactly how much more time you expect to miss from, and this can be effective in bridging better communications with your boss. Not only that, but getting an official diagnosis can make it a great deal easier to get the care you need to fully recover.

Track Your Triggers

Certain triggers may be behind your symptoms, and eliminating these triggers can allow you to recover faster. Allergies caused by certain foods and environmental factors often lead to chronic illnesses, and an allergist can test you to determine if you’re suffering from allergies. Food allergies and intolerances that aren’t life threatening are often overlooked as being symptoms of something completely unrelated. Because of this, it’s important to be aware of any history of auto-immune disorders or food intolerances in your family history. On the other hand, environmental factors such as workload and even flickering lights can trigger debilitating effects. If your chronic illness is related to stress, methods like yoga, meditation or counseling can help you maintain your mental and physical health. No matter what the cause, however, tracking the factors surrounding episodes of illness are important to help your doctor make a proper diagnosis. [Read more…] about Running out of Sick Days? How to Balance Chronic Illness and Work

Health Risks of Office Work and How to Avoid Them

April 24, 2019 by Tim McMahon

At a glance, office work may not seem dangerous. There isn’t a lot of heavy lifting going on and certainly no one wears a hardhat to their desk job. While working in an office may not seem like it could pose any health risks, there are several dangers of working in an office that you should be aware of. The good news is that they are avoidable when the proper measures are taken.

Obesity

Food at parties, meetings, corporate events, and random coworkers bringing in treats all add up to extra calories and extra inches around your waistline. If your company isn’t health-conscious, it may be time to take matters into your own hands. Advocate for healthier options at meetings and in the break rooms and vending machines. Bring your own lunch and stock your drawers with healthy snacks. If you are in a position of power, encourage your subordinates to have walk-and-talk meetings and to take breaks every so often. Get more exercise, take the stairs rather than the elevator, park further from the door take walks during your breaks. There are also several “chair exercises” that you can do right at your desk.

Stress and Depression

Many Americans cite work as one of their top stressors. Causes of stress at work include long hours, lack of support, and large workloads. All of these factors lead to very stressed and depressed office employees. It’s well-known how stress and depression can negatively impact a person’s health; issues range from increased illness to suicide. If you are an office worker, be sure to identify why you are feeling stressed. Talk to your manager about those specific things and try to work out a better plan. Also, be sure to use all of your mental health days! One of the major causes of depression is a lack of vitamin “D” aka. the “sunshine vitamin” and so being in an office all day you probably aren’t getting much sunshine. So if you can add the 5 or 10 minute walk in the sunshine that will help also taking a vitamin supplement can also help make up the deficiency. Of course not all depression is from a vitamin deficiency but it is a good place to start. And once again getting more exercise can also help increase your serotonin levels.

Neck and Back Pain

Sitting for too long or having an improper posture leads to [Read more…] about Health Risks of Office Work and How to Avoid Them

4 Entry-Level Jobs that Pay Higher-Level Wages

April 12, 2019 by Tim McMahon

Everyone wants a “good” job that pays enough to live on, but that’s not always attainable in today’s market. With minimum wage jobs paying far below the cost of living, and with so many jobs requiring years of experience to even apply, finding a job that you qualify for and that pays what you need can be daunting. However, there are jobs available that pay good wages and are easy to get started in.

Air Traffic Controller

ATC operators have the important job of managing and monitoring a wide range of commercial flights. They communicate with pilots and other airport control operators on a daily basis to make sure flight paths are clear and everything is running smoothly. Although you can increase your ATC salary as you complete different phases of training on the job, the starting wages for this industry already pay better than minimum wage in most cases. Most air traffic controllers have a bachelor’s degree or a degree through the Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative program, which is administered by the Federal Aviation Administration. Whatever your current education, you need to pass the Air Traffic Controller Specialists Skills Assessment Battery and gain admittance to the air traffic controller training course at the FAA Academy located in Oklahoma City. The FAA does not accept candidates for training over the age of 31 but does give preference to military veterans. The good news is that the median annual wage for air traffic controllers is $124,540 and even the lowest 10 percent earned about $68,000.

Shipping

The process of shipping physical goods from one location to another involves many steps, which means many jobs. One of the jobs you might be suited for is transporting those goods using a heavy vehicle rig. These types of jobs usually only require a high school diploma to start. In many cases, the employer will direct you to the necessary truck license training you should have for the job. At the moment, the demand is very high for truck drivers. See Considering a Career in Trucking?

Other jobs in the shipping industry can be with [Read more…] about 4 Entry-Level Jobs that Pay Higher-Level Wages

March Unemployment Numbers Celebrated

April 6, 2019 by Tim McMahon

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their monthly unemployment survey results for March on April 5^th and it has the market pundits celebrating. Last month they worried over the mere 20,000 jobs created after projections were for 175,000 jobs.

This month once again the projections were for 175,000 new jobs but the BLS says there were 195,000 new jobs so the market is happy.

As we said in the Current Unemployment Chart commentary:

According to the BLS Commissioner’s report for this month:
“Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 196,000 in March, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in health care and in professional and technical services… The employment-population ratio was 60.6 percent in March and has been either 60.6 percent or 60.7 percent since October 2018… Health care added 49,000 jobs in March and 398,000 over the past 12 months… Employment in professional and technical services grew by 34,000 in March and 311,000 over the past 12 months. “

Key factors in the report were the unemployment rate for Women dropped to another mega low of 3.3% from 3.6% last month.
Black unemployment was 6.7% and Hispanic Unemployment was 4.7%.

Last month the media was unpleasantly surprised by the Jobs report being lower than the consensus and this month they were pleasantly surprised by the higher than expected jobs. “Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected that the jobs report would show solid growth by 175,000 jobs” but instead the report showed 196,000 “Seasonally Adjusted” jobs created, “making March the 102nd straight month of job growth”. In unadjusted terms February had 149.867 million jobs while March had 149.133 million jobs for an actual increase of 724,000 jobs.

Key March Employment and Unemployment Numbers

Adjusted U-3 Unemployment- 3.8% unchanged from February but down from 4.0% in January, and 3.9% in December.
Unadjusted U-3 Unemployment- 3.9% down from 4.1% in February, and 4.4% in January, but above the 3.7% in December.
Unadjusted U-6 Unemployment- 7.5% down from 7.7% in February and 8.8% in January, 7.5% in December.
Unadjusted Employment (Establishment Survey)- 149.867 up from 149.143 in February and 148.295 million in January.
February Labor Force Participation Rate- 63.0% down from the peak of 63.2% in February, and 63.1% in December.

Current Seasonally Adjusted U-3 levels are still hovering around the lows of 2000. Prior to that we have to go all the way back to 1969 to see better unemployment levels than we have currently. Current levels are rising a bit from a cyclical low not seen since 1969. Also noteworthy is that levels do not stay this low for very long. The longest low like this was the seven month period from October 1968 through April 1969. Prior to 1969 was a one month low of 3.7% in 1957. On the plus side, [Read more…] about March Unemployment Numbers Celebrated

4 Ways to Spot Early Financial Problems in Your Business Practices

April 3, 2019 by Tim McMahon

Most businesses fail because of financial troubles. The key to running a successful company is catching these problems before they get out of hand. Here are four ways to spot early financial problems in your business practices.

Keep Track of Every Dollar in and out of the Company

There are a variety of different forms of financial problems. There are cash flow issues i.e. you aren’t collecting on receivables quickly enough. Another issue is too much debt without enough income to cover both interest and principle. Instead of falling deeper into debt, often a business will make the wise choice to cut their losses. Cash flow management is the best way to spot this potential problem before it is too late. Every business has cash coming in and out every single day. Money comes in as customers make purchases, some of the money goes to pay employees, some goes to cover material costs and utilities etc and some of the money is reinvested into the business. Tracking and managing this flow of cash is critical to keeping a new business afloat. This information can help business owners make more accurate and key decisions in a moment of crises.

Job Hunting Anxiety? 4 Tips for Nailing Your Next Interview

April 1, 2019 by Tim McMahon

A job interview is one of the most stressful experiences that you can have, especially if you’re not fully prepared for it. If you want a better chance of nailing your next interview and landing a decent job, consider these four tips.

Research Your Potential Employer

Whether you’ve been interviewing with staffing services, a part-time job or you’re a candidate for your dream job, you will want to research every potential employer who calls you for an interview. It shows that you have an interest in their company, and that you have an attention for detail that will prove to be beneficial for any employer.

Come up with Good Selling Points

The whole point of a job interview is to see if you’re a good fit for the job in question, so you have to sell yourself. Before you go in for your interview, come up with three or four selling points for yourself. These should be reasons why this particular company should want to hire you. What those points are will be determined by what the company really wants in an employee, so decide which of your strengths will be most beneficial for an employer and highlight those during your interview. [Read more…] about Job Hunting Anxiety? 4 Tips for Nailing Your Next Interview

4 Tips for Avoiding a Workplace Accident in a Blue Collar Environment

March 12, 2019 by Tim McMahon

If you recently got hired to work a blue-collar job, there are some things that you should know if you want to stay safe at work. Industrial environments are known to have additional hazards that you’ll likely not find in office jobs, so it’s especially important to be diligent when it comes to looking after your well-being. These four tips can help you avoid a workplace accident in your blue-collar environment.

Use All Safety Equipment

If hardhats, safety goggles, and other types of safety equipment are available at your work, you should use them. Many job sites require that you wear a hardhat and not doing so can result in your termination. Your work environment may also have earplugs or headphones that can protect your hearing if you work in a noisy environment. Some employers even give employees the option of using back supports when lifting heavy objects. Your employer should provide instructions on how to use the safety equipment properly so that you can keep yourself better protected.

Avoid Taking Shortcuts

You might be tempted at some point to take shortcuts to finish your work quicker, but doing so may prove to be dangerous as you can see from the video below. If you try to complete a certain task while skipping important steps, you run the risk of causing an accident that could result in bodily harm. It’s important that you take the time to follow each process correctly, even if it means falling behind in your schedule. If your employer tries to pressure you into working faster and causes you to suffer an injury, you may have legal grounds to file a lawsuit. If you can’t work and need money there are now companies that offers settlement advances until a settlement has been reached. But be cautious, some companies offer lawsuit loans, or pre-settlement loans which you might have to repay if you lose your case. You should seek a non-recourse lawsuit settlement advance. That way, you owe nothing if you lose your case.

https://youtu.be/CfaozYDFxdY?t=15