Vacancies rise to record

Living conditions are getting worse in many parts of the world, and unemployment is rising.

Did you know that there's a shortage in demand for labour? It's almost as if employers are throwing up their hands and refusing to take on workers because they don't want to deal with the hassle or expense of hiring them. It's happening all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe - even China!

That means now might be a good time to look at investing in property or starting your own business.

There are lots of great opportunities out there, and you will have the chance to profit while providing others with a valuable service. Previous drops in unemployment meant that property prices would rise, but it doesn't look like that's happening right now. This means you stand a chance of buying property or land at a low price, and renting it out without much fear of increasing costs.

At least with rental properties, you can rest easy knowing that nobody is going to come along and kick your tenants out on the street. Of course, rising unemployment also means there are fewer people who can afford to buy an apartment or house for themselves. Well, maybe that is a good thing. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see the prices of property go down?

That is the case in many parts of the world right now. It's another reason why you should get into property investing or starting your own business. If you are thinking about doing either, there are a number of ways to do so. You can buy land and rent it out, or start up a construction business that turns out jobs for people who want their own place to live and work. Yes, you could even start up your own real estate agency and sell houses for people looking for somewhere new to live.

If you are interested in property or starting your own business, you'll want to talk to some people who have been in the same situation that you are. You can look online, or even join a local real estate investing forum. You might find that there is a good opportunity for you to invest in land, or start your own construction business. In any case, it's well worth looking into the possibilities.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_25698715/record-sales-open-job-unemployment-rises?source=rss

Title: Employment data for the first quarter of 2014 are in

As I reported yesterday, total nonfarm job creation in the first quarter of 2014 was an impressive 310,000. That is a 3.2% increase from the third quarter of 2013, almost exactly matching my forecast. The unemployment rate rose by .1% to 7.5%. Employers added 13,000 mining jobs during the first quarter while they cut 26,000 jobs in construction and another 31,000 in manufacturing. Over the past 12 months, private-sector job creation has averaged 220,000 per month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There are a few other points I want to make. First, there is no severe weather or any other obvious economic factors that would have caused a sharp drop in employment in February as many prognosticators have been predicting for weeks. So far, it looks like the consensus was wrong again regarding this important data point. I think that's good news for investors because it shows that analysts and commentators should be taken with a grain of salt when they try to predict what the Federal Reserve will do next and whether interest rates will rise soon.

Every time we get a moderately good employment report, we are told to ignore it because the data is not sustainable. It reminds me of a man standing on the street corner with a sandwich board reading "The end is near!" No one knows how long he has been there but he doesn't look any worse for wear. And his sign is badly faded too. So what's the point?

The point is that if there were truly impending doom, this man would be a rich man today. The Federal Reserve and other national central banks would be sending him cash and precious metals instead of ignoring him as they do now. So either the man is a fraud, or he's telling the truth and doesn't know what's really coming next.

In today's employment report, the two sectors with the biggest job gains were retail trade and professional and business services. These are two areas that aren't typically associated with manufacturing. So how can we be in a manufacturing recession when so many businesses are hiring in areas that have nothing to do with it?

That is why I continue to say that we must take government reports with a grain of salt. Just because it isn't on the front page of your favorite newspaper does not mean it isn't true. We can be clear-eyed and rational instead of falling for hysterical liberal talking points. I don't know how one is supposed to do that because they are just like the man on the street corner.

As I mentioned yesterday, it's a good idea to take a look at what's going on in the job market right now. You can follow this link to get more information about employment statistics.

Title: Unemployment Rate Rises Slightly, First Time In Five Months

Unemployment rose by 3,000 to 7.5 percent in March, according to seasonally adjusted data out Friday by the Labor Department, which gave no other details beyond saying it was the first time unemployment has been above 7 percent since December 2008.

The gain in unemployment, which came in the middle of a particularly volatile jobs market with disappointing economic data and a growing number of signs that U.S. consumers are tiring, could raise concern that the economy is headed for another slowdown.

What about the monthly report? The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday that nonfarm payrolls rose by 110,000 in March to an annualized rate of 2.81 million, up from the revised figure of 2.75 million in February. The average change was little changed from economists' expectations.

http://www.businessweek.

Conclusion: Increasingly we're getting reports that unemployment is close to its lowest level since 2008, back when the financial crisis actually started in earnest. It would seem there are fewer job opportunities now than in 2008 because of the slow recovery. The federal government's employment reports are therefore misleading, because the job market isn't as bad as it looks.

If you look at total employment, private-sector jobs are up 12 million since 2008 and taking up most of the gains. That suggests a lot more employers have opened new positions and aren't hiring many people. Of course, it doesn't mean they can't hire more people if needed, but most employers don't have to any time soon after they've hired so many people.