First, the regional good news:
The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that worker confidence in Philadelphia was up for a fifth consecutive month in March, according to the Hudson Employment Index. It rose 5.9 points compared to February 2007, and reported that the number of workers who thought their company had plans to hire was 31percent in March, compared to 25 percent in February 2007.
The Hudson Employment Index measures the country’s work-force confidence monthly using telephone surveys of about 9,000 workers nationwide. It is compiled by the Hudson International staffing firm. The index considers career opportunities, hiring intentions, job satisfaction and retention.
Second, some sobering news for IT professionals nationwide:
The same Index reports that confidence among IT workers has fallen 2.6 points in March, a decline driven by lower hiring expectations and a decrease in job satisfaction. The silver lining of this survey is that 17% fewer IT workers expect their company to reduce headcount.
What do you think about this?
See Michele Hafner’s post on Career Masters Talk and this author’s comment for a perspective on the level of participation of women and ethnic minorities in IT careers. Weigh in on the reason for this disparity between the outlook of professionals in general and the outlook of IT workers in particular.
