Regardless of that unemployment rate, it is important to know the unemployment rate of your skill in your industry. Unemployment rates also vary by region, state and city. For example let’s look at Michigan. Michigan’s unemployment rate is 15.3% while Detroit is 18.3% and Flint is 15.8%. Again these numbers come form the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you look at Colorado, unemployment is 7% for the state, 7.1% for Denver and 8.2% for Grand Junction. Arizona is 9.1%.
The question is, what is the unemployment rate for your skill in your industry? When I conducted my research the unemployment rate in Colorado was 7.3%. By using this number as my starting point I determined unemployment rates for information technology professionals by job title (skill).
In a 30 day period I looked for the following skills and determined each skill’s unemployment rate. Note there are other skills I could have included but I wanted a sample of data.
Notice that most skills were near the Colorado average 7.3% unemployment rate. A few skills were lower than 7.3%, three were above 8% and one skill was above 14%.
Interpretation of any data is a science and can be tricky. We do know that the higher the unemployment rate, the harder it is to find a job. However you can still find a job, but it will take longer and more effort. If you are actively seeking employment when unemployment is 6%, it may take 6 months to land a job and 9% may take 9 months. In any case, don’t assume your industry’s and skill’s unemployment rate is the national average, your state’s average or city’s average. Do your research, check out the feds website, gather local information and watch for trends in your region.
Source: http://www.bls.gov/cps/
If you like what you are reading and want to read more, check out my eBook at www.blackholesresumesjobs.com/
If you are an IT professional and want to send me your résumé, please feel free to email your résumé to me at chas.bollow@triad-corp.com.
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