RSSVetJobs Early Eagle
Issue 10:11, Sunday, November 1, 2009
www.vetjobs.com
VetJobs is an appropriate employment service delivery system for EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance support!
The VetJobs Early Eagle is for member employers, recruiters, friends and supporters of VetJobs. Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and other employers.
This issue sponsored by Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve and TECHEXPO Top Secret
Contents:
1. Message from the Top
2. EDGE Report
3. Veterans Curation Project
4. US Brain Drain
5. Health Care Costs Projections
6. Salary Increase Projections
7. Flag Etiquette
8. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of October 27, 2009
9. Significant Events this Month in Military History
Thank you for reading the VetJobs Early Eagle employer newsletter. If you like this newsletter and what VetJobs and the VFW do to assist veterans and their family member find employment, please go to http://www.weddles.com/poll.htm and vote VetJobs for the WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1. Message from the Top
Happy 10th Birthday to VetJobs!
As of 11:00 AM on November 11, VetJobs will have been serving the hiring needs of employers seeking to hire veterans and their family members for ten years! During that time, millions of veterans have used the VetJobs site and employers have hired tens of thousands of veterans using VetJobs. Thousands of employers have made use of the Employer Resources section of VetJobs, as well as called VetJobs for assistance regarding employment campaigns to reach veterans, transitioning military, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members.
VetJobs is pleased to be sponsored and partially owned by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In fact, VetJobs been endorsed by more veteran service organizations than any other site. VetJobs has been endorsed and has alliances with the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Association of the United States Navy, the Veterans of Modern Warfare, the Student Veterans of America, Hope4Heroes, and various intelligence related organizations. Being recognized and used as their job board by so many important veteran service organizations has kept VetJobs in the forefront of reaching those veterans seeking employment. Additionally, VetJobs materials are now used in state and federal Department of Labor offices, DOD Transition Assistance Program and Army Career & Alumni Program offices worldwide, as well as Veteran Administration offices. This phenomenal reach has assisted our member employers in identifying qualified candidates to hire from the transitioning military and veteran market place!
Due to VetJobs’ leading position in the industry, VetJobs is regularly cited in the press, radio and TV. VetJobs has been highlighted in USA Today, regularly quoted by Military Times, various news services, and was on the CBS 60 Minutes program regarding USERRA last November.
Due to the impact VetJobs has had in the employment market, VetJobs has been elected to the Board of Governors of the International Association of Employment Web Sites, been appointed to the Small Business Council of the US Chamber of Commerce and has been subpoenaed to testify before the President’s Commission on the National Guard and Reserve. VetJobs has testified before Congress and worked with members of Congress regarding veteran and employment issues on many occasions. VetJobs has developed a national reputation for being a major advocate for transitioning military, veterans, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members.
Important to our member employers, over the last ten years VetJobs has come to be recognized by the industry evaluators as THE leading military related job board on the Internet. VetJobs awards include: CareerXRoads Top Site; seven year recipient of AIRS Top Recruiting Site; six year recipient of WEDDLE’s prestigious User’s Choice Award; four year recipient of Workforce Management’s Top 10 Recruiting Site; and was the only military job board selected by Reader’s Digest in its list of 18 top sites! Notably, BusinessWeek is running an article about VetJobs which identifies VetJobs as the leading military job board in the November 16 issue, which comes out November 7 in time for Veterans Day. No other military related job board has received all these prestigious recognitions!
It has been an exciting ten years. But the bottom line for the staff at VetJobs and our veteran service organization partners is that millions of veterans and their family members have come to the site seeking and receiving help and guidance on their job search, which in turn translated to tens of thousands of veterans and their family members being hired by you, our member employers. The VetJobs mission is to assist veterans, transitioning military, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members find jobs. Over the last ten years VetJobs has met that mission!
But it is you, our member employers who have made VetJobs what it is today. Because you continue to use VetJobs as a quality recruiting source, VetJobs has had one of the highest renewal rates in the industry.
Thank you for your support. The staff of VetJobs and I look forward to continue serving you in the coming years.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In addition to VetJobs birthday, on November 11 we celebrate Veterans Day. Originally known as Armistice Day, it was created by an Act of Congress on May 13, 1938. It set the 11th of November of each year as a legal holiday to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and be known as Armistice Day, which was set in remembrance of the end of World War I. The Armistice was signed at 11:00 AM on the 11th day of the 11th month. In 1954, after World War II had required the greatest military mobilization in the history of the United States and following the Korean War, the 83rd Congress amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word Armistice and inserting the word Veteran. With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became known as Veterans Day, a day to honor American veterans of all wars. We will forever be in the debt of our veterans as they are the guarantors of our freedoms. Let us honor them accordingly.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On November 10 we celebrate the Marine Corps’ 234th birthday! If you see a Marine, say Semper Fi and Happy Birthday! To view an outstanding Marine Corps Birthday message, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Bicfc9dp0
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. The tradition of the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving is steeped in myth and legend. Few people realize that the Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving, though some of their descendants later made a “Forefather’s Day” that usually occurred on December 21 or 22. Several Presidents, including George Washington, made one-time Thanksgiving holidays. In 1827, Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale began lobbying Presidents for the instatement of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, but her lobbying was unsuccessful until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln finally made it a national holiday with his 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation. Now Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. This was set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 and was approved by Congress in 1941, who changed it from Abraham Lincoln’s designation as the last Thursday in November, which could occasionally end up being the fifth Thursday and hence too close to Christmas for businesses.
As you celebrate Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, please remember our troops who are serving in defense of our country in Afghanistan, Iraq and many other overseas locations. For many of the troops overseas, their holidays will be celebrated at the tip of the spear as they continue the fight in the War on Terrorism.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On the economic front, the unemployment rate in September climbed to 9.8% while the unemployment rate for all veterans rose to 8.9%. The unemployment rate for many younger veterans who participate in the Guard and Reserve is exceptionally high due to DOD’s two year call up policy and heavy use of the Guard and Reserve to prosecute the wars. Too many employers will not now hire as a new employee someone who is active in the Guard and Reserve as the candidate will be gone for one to two years. While I recognize that many employers cannot run their businesses with employees gone for such extended periods, many are able to support the mission of the National Guard and Reserve. Anything you can do to assist by employing members of the Guard and Reserve is vital to the security of America.
The economy and what is happening to the job market seems to be on everyone’s mind. Yet even with 15 million people looking for work, many employers tell me they cannot find enough qualified people for good-paying career jobs. Economists say the main problem is an unequal match between available work and people qualified to do it. The unequal match will make it harder for the unemployment rate to drop down to a healthier level.
According to labor analysts, even during this recession companies are having a difficult time finding qualified accountants, health care workers, software sales representatives, actuaries, data analysts, physical therapists, morticians, pharmacists, and electrical engineers. Several pundants complain that there are six people for every job opening, the highest ratio on government records since 2000. They get these ratios by dividing the total number of unemployed by the total number of estimated jobs available. As the pundants generally are pushing a political or economic agenda, they disregard the fact that employers do not hire a candidate just to fill a job. As an employer, you know you hire “qualified” candidates who are capable of performing specified activities! That is the real world.
Recently there have been news reports that the recession is over or nearly over, and it may be in some areas. I use the word area to mean both geographic as well as industry sectors. But the economy is not one big monolith that moves uniformly. While some parts of the economy and sectors are in recovery others are still heading down. The bottom line is the U.S. economy is still shedding jobs and it is expected that the unemployment rate will rise above 10% in the months to come. While some have referred to this recovery as a jobless recovery, I prefer to use the term “less jobs recovery” as unlike the last recession, many of you are still hiring, but at a greatly reduced rate.
What is disconcerting in this recession is the credit markets have not yet recovered. Small-business lending and consumer lending have contracted, if not completely stopped in many areas. And mortgage lending is being entirely underwritten by the government, meaning more taxes to those left working. I believe the lack of lending to small businesses is perhaps the largest cause for concern in this economy because small businesses are and always have been the engines of innovation and job creation that brought America out of past recessions. Small businesses account for the largest proportion of real employment in the United States.
I hear from many employers of all sizes that they know they need to hire new employees because the ones left in the business since the many lay-offs are being over worked. But employers, especially small to medium size companies, are hesitant to start hiring in the current political climate. They are concerned about the ever expanding federal government and who is going to pay for the expanding government; about the way the leaders of the current Congress are attempting to raise taxes in the middle of a deep recession; about the threats of mandatory increased health care costs; and about the lack of access to capital. They are concerned about the way the federal government is now intervening and taking control of major industries and the financial system, thus destroying capitalism, our free enterprise system, and potentially leading the United States into socialism which has failed miserably in Europe.
On top of all this, the United States has one more potential major shock to the economic system coming around the start of January when the commercial real estate sub-prime market is expected to hit. No one seems to know if it will be as bad as the residential sub-prime market collapse, but all agree it will hurt the economy in a major way.
If you are a student of history, you will remember that the Great Depression lasted ten years in the United States, but only about four years in Europe. Unfortunately, the current administration and Congress are repeating many of the same errors today that kept America in the Great Depression for so long during 1930’s.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds. But this much is sure. If you need a quality employee, hire a veteran. And VetJobs is the best medium to reach the veteran candidate market!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Finally, we welcome the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) as a new sponsor of our newsletters. Please read their message below. If your company has not signed a Statement of Support, then have your appropriate company representative visit www.esgr.mil and sign up immediately! Supporting our National Guard and Reserve is critical during this time of war. Your support is appreciated!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As always, if there is anything we at VetJobs can do for you, please do not hesitate to call or email. Feel free to share the Early Eagle with other employers!
And remember, Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!
Best regards,
Ted Daywalt
President
/—-November Early Eagle sponsor is Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve—-\
Nominate Your Company for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award!
It is only possible for our National Guard and Reserve members to perform at their best with the support of loved ones, friends, neighbors and, particularly, employers. Thousands of employers across the nation employ National Guard and Reserve members, fully aware that at any moment they may be called to serve. And when this happens, both the employee and employer face challenges. We are grateful for the many employers who remain patriotically steadfast in support of their military employees, both financially and emotionally, going well beyond the law. Supportive employers allow service members to perform their duties while alleviating concerns about their jobs and loved ones back home.
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, invites nominations for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Freedom Award recipients support their Guard and Reserve employees and their families in important ways, both large and small. Past recipients have provided differential pay during deployments, continued insurance benefits and sent comfort items in care packages. Some of the most valued assistance has been the support extended to deployed service members’ families. When one National Guard member was deployed, his employer filled his seat at his sons’ sports games. After another service member’s family hit hard times during a deployment, his employer stacked gifts under the family’s Christmas tree. And during the deployment of a single father, his employer sent his daughters off to school each morning with a wake up phone call. These seemingly small acts have a significant impact on the lives of National Guard and Reserve members and their families. Any employer supportive of its National Guard and Reserve employees or their families is eligible for Freedom Award nomination. Past recipients of the award have ranged from a small family-owned farm in Iowa to large corporations, including Chrysler and Microsoft, to public sector employers like the City of Austin, Texas. The 2010 recipients will be announced in the spring and honored in September at the 15th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony in Washington, D.C. Recipients of the 2009 award met with President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and received their awards at a ceremony with the keynote given by Dr. Jill Biden. Visit www.freedomaward.mil/nominate.aspx? to submit a nomination. \-----Please visit your November Early Eagle sponsor Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve at www.esgr.mil-----/ 2. EDGE Report Robert Half International recently issued the 2009 Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report, which provides an overview of the current hiring environment, as well as a glimpse of what the post-recession staffing landscape will look like. Here are some findings of which you should be aware. 1) It is taking hiring managers 4.5 to 14.4 weeks to fill a vacancy. A shortage of qualified applicants was noted as the top hiring challenge. 2) Companies aren't focusing exclusively on full-time additions. 40% said they intend to bring in contract, part-time or temp employees. 3) 45% of workers plan to change employers or careers when the economy recovers. 4) Information Technology is expected to be a top area for change in the coming years. When managers were asked which departments will add positions first, technology ranked first. /---November Early Eagle sponsor is TECHEXPO Top Secret----\ TECHEXPO Top Secret’s next job fairs are: 11/17, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, BWI Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm 11/18, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, Ritz Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, VA, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm TECHEXPO Top Secret job fairs bring you face to face with security-cleared professionals. For 2009 event schedule, contact Nancy Mathew 212-655-4505 x225 or NMathew@TechExpoUSA.com. http://www.TechExpoUSA.com \-----Please visit your November Early Eagle sponsor TECHEXPO Top Secret ----/ 3. Veterans Curation Project The mission of the Veterans Curation Project (VCP) is to provide wounded veterans with job training through the rehabilitation and preservation of archaeological collections owned or administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On October 20, 2009, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Center of Expertise (CX) for Curation and Management of Archeological Collections (CMAC), St. Louis District, conducted a public opening of a groundbreaking new project. At the VCP laboratory in Augusta, GA, Iraq and Afghanistan returnees along with Vietnam era veterans are taking part in archaeological curation training under the Wounded Warrior Care Project. Two additional laboratories will open in St. Louis, MO, and Washington, DC. The skills obtained by the Wounded Warriors participating in the VCP are readily transferable to jobs in health care, police, fire, administrative, government and engineering career fields. The Augusta VCP, working in collaboration with the CSRA Wounded Warrior Care Project, the VA and the Georgia Department of Labor will assist VCP participants in job preparation and placement. To learn more about this exciting new program, contact “Sonny” Trimble at Michael.K.Trimble@usace.army.mil. 4. US Brain Drain Joyce Gioia of the Herman Group reports that more than 50% of the science graduate students in the United States are foreign-born. Due to a lack of emphasis on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects and the fear that the curricula will be too challenging, native-born students have passed up these post-college options. Filling the void have been the foreign-born for whom a US graduate degree was and is a meaningful ticket to a prosperous future. A trend the Herman Group had forecasted numerous times is now official: Within the next five years, hundreds of thousands Chinese and Indian immigrants who in the past would have stayed and worked for US companies will go home permanently. This history-making trend was recently revealed in a study by Professor Vivek Wadhwa of Duke University. The Brain Drain is already affecting US companies and will have increasingly devastating consequences. There are several reasons why this homecoming is taking place. First, there are increasing job opportunities for the foreign students at home. In the last two years, the economies in India and China both grew much faster that the US. Not only are they welcomed with open arms, but because they have studied abroad, they have a better understanding of how to do business in the US. China even offers financial assistance and housing incentives to lure skilled workers home. Second, because the Asian cultures are so different from those of the US, there is a strong comfort factor that is missing for workers choosing to stay. They miss their loved ones and rarely enjoy the same support systems. Finally, US immigration laws and attitudes (fueled by 9/11 and recent economic challenges) discourage immigrants from staying. The now long and arduous process of obtaining one of the relatively few H1-B visas or applying for green card status dishearten even the most enthusiastic. The same situations apply to graduate students from South America, Africa, and the Middle East. 5. Health Care Costs Projections SHRM reports that U.S. employers will see an increase in their medical benefit expenditures of 7% in 2010, creating significant affordability challenges for employers and employees. The study findings show that many employers are preparing to take action by embracing new approaches to benefit management that could transform the current model of health care delivery. To receive resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Hot Topics Express Request service at http://messaging.shrm.org/ct/L7auMFp1qzfx/ and select key term HEALTH CARE COSTS (BENEFITS). 6. Salary Increase Projections SHRM reports that corporate salary budget increases have dropped to historic lows. New surveys indicate that the economic downturn continues to put pressure on employee salaries, though projections for 2010 suggest improvement. To receive resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Hot Topics Express Request service 7. Flag Etiquette The “Star Spangled Banner” has been designated as the national anthem of the United States of America since 1931. During the playing of the anthem, when the flag is displayed, persons not in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with their right hand over their heart. Those in uniform should begin saluting the flag at the first note of the music and hold the salute until the last note of the anthem is played. Veterans in civilian clothes have the option of saluting or placing their hand over their heart. Those veterans wearing veteran service organization caps or uniforms of other patriotic organizations should salute. 8. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of October 27, 2009 The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 108,131; Navy Reserve, 6,432; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 13,315; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,146; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 683. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 136,707, including both units and individual augmentees. A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently activated may be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2009/d20091027ngr.pdf 9. Significant Events this Month in Military History 1775 – Continental Congress establishes two battalions of Marines. Samuel Nicholas was appointed “Captain of Marines” on 28 November 1775, and promoted to major on June 25, 1776. Because of his senior status among other Marine officers of the Revolution, he is numbered as the first Commandant. 1775 – Americans under General Richard Montgomery capture the British fort of Saint Johns. (War of Independence) 1861 – The Confederate raider Nashville captured and burned the Union clipper ship Harvey Birch in the Atlantic Ocean. (Civil War) 1864 – Union General W.T. Sherman began his march to the sea from Atlanta, GA, in an effort to cut the Confederacy in two. (Civil War) 1865 – Dr. Mary E. Walker, the first female surgeon in the Union Army, is presented with the Medal of Honor, the first woman to receive that award. 1910 – First airplane flight from the deck of a ship. 1917 – American troops were first engaged in fighting attacking German troops near the Rhine-Marne Canal in France. (World War I) 1918 – World War I ends at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month with the signing of an Armistice. (World War I) 1942 – Operation Torch begins with Allied landings in northwest Africa (World War II). 1943 – U.S. Marines landed on Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, one of the bloodiest campaigns waged by American forces against the Japanese in the Pacific (World War II). 1965 – Battle of Chu Pon-ia Drang River, Vietnam. U.S. 1st Calvary fought North Vietnamese regulars for four days (Vietnam War). 1967 – American troops broke a North Vietnamese assault at Loc Ninh, near the Cambodian border (Vietnam War). 1968 – Battle of Nui Chom Mountain. The 4th Bn, 31st Infantry, 196th Inf Bde fought and destroyed the 21st NVA Regiment on Nui Chom Mountain southwest of Da Nang, Vietnam in a fierce six day battle. Cpl Michael Crescenz received the Medal of Honor as they fought inch by inch up the steep mountain. (Vietnam War) 1979 – Iranian militants seized the US Embassy in Tehran, held 65 Americans hostage. 1999 – VetJobs went live on the Internet. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To REMOVE or CHANGE your subscribed address, click here: VetJobs Veterans make the best employees! VetJobs is an appropriate employment service delivery system for EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance support! Seven year recipient of AIRS Top Recruiting Site VetJobs is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business
VetJobs is exclusively sponsored and partially owned by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (www.vfw.org) and endorsed by the Vietnam Veterans of America (www.vva.org), the Naval Reserve Association (www.navy-reserve.org), the Veterans of Modern Warfare (www.vmwusa.org), the Student Veterans of America (www.studentveterans.org), the Military Order of the Purple Heart (www.purpleheart.org) and Hope4Heroes (www.hope4heroes.org).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
You were opted-in when you became a paid employer member, were referred to VetJobs or were part of an organization which opted-in to VetJobs.
http://mh.databack.com/c.php?L=earlyeagle&E=#email#
P. O. Box 71445
Marietta, GA 30007-1445
877-Vet-Jobs (877-838-5627)
770-993-5117 Office
770.993.2875 Fax
Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!
Six year recipient of WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award
Four year recipient of Workforce Management Top 10 Recruiting Site
Only military job board selected by Reader’s Digest
CareerXRoads Top Site