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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+.

4 Effective Ways to Promote Your Business

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Promote Your BusinessBuilding your own brand and making your company stand out from the competition might seem like an impossible task, especially if your business is just starting. However, this is certainly not impossible, and don’t forget that all major global companies once started as small business projects that had the right amount of drive, passion and marketing skills. So, if you too are looking for ways to promote your business at the moment, here are some ideas that might help you do that more effectively than ever.

1. Make a Website Already

Making a website used to be a hard, expensive and time-consuming task back in the day, but now it’s easier than ever. You literally just need a couple of dollars, a few good ideas and about fifteen minutes of your time, to get a basic website up and running. This is a vital part of your entire promotional strategy since websites are more important than people generally realize – from making a name for yourself to keeping track of your visitors, you can’t even start marketing your business without a proper website.

These days if you are a small business without a website many customers don’t even take you seriously. New customers no longer look in the “Yellow Pages” they look online once they’ve found you they might check out your ratings on a site like Yelp. Existing customers check your website for things like the hours you are open, your exact address, your phone number (although if you answer all of the Frequently Asked Questions on an FAQ page you won’t have to answer them on the phone over and over). You have created an FAQ page right? Don’t forget to submit your site to the search engines so they can start indexing your site.

A professional looking website allows you to easily connect with your clients and users and show them how much you appreciate their feedback. Then you can easily turn followers and subscribers into paying customers. Unfortunately, unless you are going for the “small shop” super personalized look, an amateurish looking website might actually do more harm than good. If you already have a website and it isn’t performing as well as you think it should you can contact the professionals at Design Synergy and get a website audit. As professional marketers, web designers and Social media managers, Design Synergy can help you tweak your site to present the image you want and help you expand your reach.

Once your website is live [Read more…] about 4 Effective Ways to Promote Your Business

Careers for Animal Lovers

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You can turn your love for animals into a career that’s both fun and fulfilling. Every day can be an exciting adventure with new experiences when you work with animals. Any of these careers may be perfect for you if you’re an animal lover.

Animal Trainer

Animal trainers train animals for obedience, performance, riding, security, or assisting people with disabilities. They familiarize animals with human voices and contact, and they teach animals to respond to commands. Most animal trainers work with dogs and horses, but some work with marine mammals, such as dolphins. Trainers teach a variety of skills. For example, some may train dogs to guide people with disabilities; others teach animals to cooperate with veterinarians, or they train animals for a competition or show.

Dog Walker

Although it might sound too good to be true, you can actually make money walking other people’s dogs. Some people who work a lot or have mobility impairments hire people to walk their dogs. Depending on where you live, you may be able to start your own dog walking business and have a steady clientele.

There are no education or training requirements that are needed to become a professional dog walker. However, it’s best to have some prior experience walking other people’s dogs. You can even ask these people for their permission to use them as references.

Pet Groomer

People want their dogs and cats to look their best, and you can help by becoming a professional pet groomer. You’ll be hired to bathe and trim the hair and nails of pets. You can choose to groom just dogs, just cats or both.

Working for a company in the beginning stages can help you get your foot in the door. However, if you want to earn a higher salary, The Richest recommends starting your own company eventually. Just make sure that you have enough money in your budget to purchase hair and nail clippers, pet shampoos and other essential products.

Horse Groom

Grooms care for horses. Grooms work at stables and are responsible for feeding, grooming, and exercising horses. They saddle and unsaddle horses, give them rubdowns, and cool them off after a ride. In addition, grooms clean stalls, polish saddles, and organize the tack room, where they keep harnesses, saddles, and bridles. They also take care of food and supplies for the horses. Experienced grooms sometimes help train horses.

Kennel Attendant

Kennel attendants care for pets while their owners are working or traveling. Basic attendant duties include cleaning cages and dog runs, and feeding, exercising, and playing with animals. Experienced attendants also may provide basic healthcare, bathe animals, and attend to other basic grooming needs.

Nonfarm Animal Caretaker

Nonfarm animal caretakers typically work with [Read more…] about Careers for Animal Lovers

Unemployment Rates by State July 2018

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According to today’s U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report on Unemployment rates by state, Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for July fell over the previous month in 11 states, were higher in 2 states, and stable in 37 states and the District of Columbia. Ten states saw jobless rate decreases from July 2017 levels and 40 states and D.C.  had little or no change.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 6 states in July 2018, decreased in 1 state, and was virtually unchanged in 43 states and D.C. Over the year, 34 states added nonfarm payroll jobs and 16 states and D.C. were essentially unchanged.

In the following map we can see the states with the lowest unemployment are light colored while the higher unemployment states are darker colored.

Unemployment by State July 2018

Unemployment

“Oregon lowest unemployment since 1976”

Hawaii had the lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in July, at 2.1%. At 3.9% Oregon  set a new series low since tracking began in 1976. At 6.9% Alaska had the highest jobless rate, not counting Puerto Rico’s 9.1%. In total, 15 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 3.9 percent, 10 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had higher rates, and 25 states had [Read more…] about Unemployment Rates by State July 2018

Key July Employment and Unemployment Numbers

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U-3 Unemployment 3.9%The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their monthly employment survey results for the month of July on Friday August 3rd .

The current “Seasonally Adjusted” Unemployment Rate for July (released August 3rd) is 3.9% down from 4.0% last month. It was 3.8% in May and 3.9% in April. Unemployment was  4.1% from October 2017 through March 2018. Seasonally adjusted unemployment bounced around between 4.3% and 4.4% from April through October 2017, after declining from 4.8% in January 2017.

Typically Unemployment levels are worse in June and July so seasonally adjusting takes that into consideration. If we look at Unadjusted Unemployment we see that in 2017 it jumped from 4.1% in May to 4.5% in June at the same time the Seasonally Adjusted numbers simply went from 4.3% to 4.4%.

Key July Employment and Unemployment Numbers

  • Adjusted U-3 Unemployment-   3.9% down from 4.0% in June but up from the 3.8% in May, 3.9% in April but still Below the 4.1% October – March.
  • Unadjusted U-3 Unemployment-  4.1% down from 4.2% in June up from 3.6% in May, 3.7% in April and  4.1% in March.
  • Unadjusted U-6 Unemployment-   7.9% down from 8.1% in June, up from 7.3% in May, 7.4% in April and from 8.1% in March and 8.6% in February.
  • Employment 148.901 million. BLS adjusted June employment up from 148.912 million as released to 150.057 million.
  • NOTE: On 8/3/2018 with the release of the new July numbers the BLS adjusted the June LFPR down to 62.9% from a recent high of 63.4%

See Current Unemployment Chart for more info.

Employment by Sector

The employment “bubble chart” gives us a good representation of how each sector of the economy is doing (employment wise). As we can see from the chart below [Read more…] about Key July Employment and Unemployment Numbers

EU Unemployment Nearing Pre-Recession Levels

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Way back in the first quarter of 2008 European Union (E.U.) unemployment bottomed at 6.8%. Then as the world slid into recession unemployment began climbing, ultimately peaking at 11.0% in the first half of 2013. From there it has gradually declined to 7.1% as we can see in this chart created by Statista.

EU Unemployment 2005-2018

During the same period U.S. unemployment levels were considerably lower with a bottom of 4.4% (roughly 2/3rds the EU level) in October & December 2006 and again in March and May of 2007. And then we see that U.S. unemployment peaked earlier i.e. in October 2009 (compared to 2012-13 for the EU) and at a lower level 10.1% for the U.S. compared to 11.0% for the E.U. Interestingly the U.S. unemployment rate actually shot up faster in that it reached 10.1% in 2009 while the E.U. was still around 9% at that time. But then the U.S. rate turned down while the E.U. unemployment rate continued upward for another 3 years!

Currently the U.S. rate isbelow 2006-07 levels while the E.U. rate has not yet reached 2007 levels. And current U.S. levels are roughly 56% of E.U. levels.

US Unemployment 2005-2018

Why are E.U Unemployment Levels So Much Higher?

This makes us ask a few questions:

4 Tips to Making Your Desk Job More Enjoyable

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For the past few decades, more and more jobs have been created that require people to spend their whole days inside while sitting at a computer. While these jobs can come with bigger paychecks and lower risks, they also are sedentary and can be stressful. While there are disadvantages that come with working at a desk job all day, there are things that you can do to make it more enjoyable.

Get Outside When You Can

Many people try to bring their own lunch to work in an effort to save money and time. While there are benefits that come with eating lunch at your desk, you should still look for ways to get outside as much as possible. Even taking a quick 15-minute walk break outside once or twice per day can help you to get some much-needed exercise and allow you to clear your head. This can also give you something to get excited about during the day.

Be Social

When you are at work, [Read more…] about 4 Tips to Making Your Desk Job More Enjoyable

June Employment Up AND Unemployment UP

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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their monthly employment survey results for the month of June on Friday July 6th .

According to the BLS, the current “Seasonally Adjusted” Unemployment Rate for June (released July 6th) is 4.0% up from 3.8% in May and 3.9% in April. It was  4.1% where it was stuck from October 2017 through March 2018. Prior to October it was bouncing around between 4.3% and 4.4% since April 2017, after declining from 4.8% in January 2017.

Typically Unemployment levels are worse in June and July, so even though 213,000 more people are employed, unemployment levels still went up. (Probably because students are swelling the labor force for the summer). Last year (2017) Unadjusted Unemployment jumped from 4.1% in May to 4.5% in June while Employment went from 146.937 million to 147.578 million. So even though more people are working more people are also looking for a job. This has driven the Labor Force Participation Rate at 63.4% to levels not seen in several years. NOTE: On 8/3/2018 with the release of the new July numbers the BLS adjusted the June LFPR down to 62.9%.

Key June Employment and Unemployment Numbers

  • Adjusted U-3 Unemployment-   4.0% Up from 3.8% in May, 3.9% in April but still Below the 4.1% October – March.
  • Unadjusted U-3 Unemployment-  4.2% up from 3.6% in May, 3.7% in April and  4.1% in March.
  • Unadjusted U-6 Unemployment-   8.1% up from 7.3% in May, 7.4% in April and from 8.1% in March and 8.6% in February.
  • Employment 149.980 million up from 149.334 million in May, 148.372 million in April and 147.384 million in March.
  • Gallup has discontinued publishing U-6 & U-3 numbers.

See Current Unemployment Chart for more info.

Employment by Sector

The employment “bubble chart” gives us a good representation of how each sector of the economy is doing (employment wise). As we can see from the chart below [Read more…] about June Employment Up AND Unemployment UP

Was the Bureau of Labor Statistics Website Really Hacked?

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This morning when I went to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website I received a disturbing message. It said I needed to be careful because my “Connection was not Private”.

“Attackers might be trying to steal my information from data.BLS.gov.”

BLS Hacked

Well, that doesn’t sound good. So since that was inside my Chrome browser I figured I should try a different browser to see if it was my problem.

So I tried Firefox and got this:

BLS Firefox Hacked

OK so maybe it’s not hackers just somebody screwed up at the BLS.

Actually, I could get to the home page https://www.bls.gov/ .

 

 

I just couldn’t get to any data pages like these:

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU04000000

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CEU0000000001

With a bit more digging around (clicking the “advanced” link) I found that [Read more…] about Was the Bureau of Labor Statistics Website Really Hacked?

Why Business Perception is Important

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In business, reputation can make you or break you. But it isn’t just how you conduct business that matters, setting the correct image is also important. Dirty business premises, untidy offices and/or reception room, structural defects and signs of damage can scare off customers. Depending on the type of business, often customers won’t even enter your door if the front isn’t clean and tidy. This is especially true if you are running a food business but pertains to other types of business as well. Recently, even car repair businesses (which generates a lot of dirt and grease) have shown that they can benefit if they are able to maintain a clean neat appearance.

https://youtu.be/8hAp2wepAxQ

Finding New Premises

As a new business owner, your first premises are a big deal. It is ultimately where your business sinks or swims, where you hope that your idea evolves into a success that you can grow year by year. [Read more…] about Why Business Perception is Important

Landing a Good Job Teaching ESL

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You dream of traveling the world teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and have worked hard to graduate from your chosen ESL program. It is time to start applying for your dream job. The steps for landing an ESL job are similar to the steps for landing any other job. You still need to prepare your resume, apply for the job and ace your interview. Here are some tips for landing a job after graduating from an ESL program.

You Probably Need a Bachelor’s Degree

If you are planning on using your ESL degree to gain entry into a foreign country like Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, etc. You will probably need to have a Bachelor’s degree in addition to your ESL degree because most countries want to be sure that you aren’t taking a job from a native before they will offer you residency.

What Kind of Jobs are Available?

Teaching ESL can be done in a variety of different ways and places. You can teach ESL in an English speaking country to immigrants who do not yet know the language. Or you can travel to a foreign country and teach English to natives who want to improve their English. It can be taught in a traditional classroom or in one-on-one tutoring sessions. It can be simply conversational practice for someone who already knows the basics and just needs to improve their pronunciation or it can be teaching using pictures for someone who doesn’t know any English at all. ESL classes can also be online or in person. Classes can be made up of children, Teens, Adults and even strictly Professionals or “Business English”. [Read more…] about Landing a Good Job Teaching ESL