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Squeeze still on for job hunters: But thaw in pay freezes, incentives for top workers could be in offing
Dec 26, 2009 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Sorry, folks, 2010 will not be the year the hiring floodgates open.
While certain sectors of the economy are showing signs of a thaw, employers say they plan to tread carefully in the coming year, and those that are hiring say they will wait until the second half to fill jobs.
But there is hope for employees who saw hours and benefits slashed, or who took on extra responsibilities as companies attempt to hold on to the talent that kept them afloat in tough times.
Tom Wilson, managing director at investment management firm Brinker Capital, said unemployment is expected to decline by 1 percent each year as the economy recovers, meaning that by the end of 2010, unemployment would hover at about 9 percent.
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Over the last 18 months, people have "hunkered down" at their jobs, said Brian Kropp, managing director of the Corporate Leadership Council, which surveys close to 300,000 employees each quarter.
In a normal economy, he said, 25 percent of employees say they intend to stay at their job, but starting at the end of 2008 that number increased to 30 percent and has remained steady. At the same time, those employees are putting in less effort than ever before, he said.
"A lot of people became less productive in terms of how much effort they're putting forth, but they're not going anywhere," Kropp said.
Following cuts to rewards and recognition budgets and additional workloads in the downturn, Kropp said, 2010 will be the year employers attempt to re-engage that work force to prevent future turnover.
"Employees are a lot like elephants: They remember how they've been treated across the last 12 to 15 months," he said.
In particular, he said, a quarter of the top 10 percent of employees surveyed (the highest performers and those who took on much of the extra work) said they are looking for another job.
"There's always a place for top talent," said Greg Martens, senior vice president at Aon Consulting in Chicago. "The top high-potential individuals who are at the top of their games are always sought after."
Kropp and Martens said employers will attempt to win back the hearts of their top performers by allowing them to work from home, self-selecting a portion of their job responsibilities, offering training opportunities with quick payback and providing internal networking tools.
For 90 percent of employees, Kropp said, companies will concentrate on role definition.
"Employees don't know what their job is anymore. So they go and ask their manager, and a lot of times their manager doesn't know, so they don't get a good answer," he said.
In 2010, small businesses plan to add back the hours and raises they took away in lieu of layoffs, said Michael Alter, president of Chicago-based SurePayroll, which provides payroll services and aggregates data from more than 25,000 small businesses nationwide. On average, the small-business employee earned 9 percent less this year than in 2008, he said.
"Small businesses first buffered the downturn by taking cuts themselves," he said. "Then they started cutting hours and pay. Then they started using independent contractors, freelancers."
In 2010, small businesses will continue to use contracted labor, he said, rather than commit to filling positions.
"There's a trend that has changed how small business operates," he said. "The number of contractors has doubled, from 2 to 4 percent. You'll see that more and more."
Some areas, particularly technology, energy and health care, will continue to grow and will hire in 2010, said David M. Smith, associate professor of economics at Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management.
U.S. Cellular plans to hire 30 data and technical support specialists, full time and with benefits, by the end of the first quarter for their customer-care center in Bolingbrook to assist customers with their smart phones
"Now, everybody has a smart phone," said Rudel DeCastro, U.S. Cellular site director in Bolingbrook. "And there's growing demand for (support) for smart phones."
With college graduates pushing out other applicants for laborer positions, Cheryl Freeman-Smith, director of work force development for the Chicago Urban League, is pushing applicants toward training programs for companies that are hiring in Illinois.
In 2010, Freeman-Smith said, five companies the Urban League partners with are hiring commercial drivers, and there will be room for 2,000 new process technicians, a term for an employee that helps take a raw product and turn it into a finished product. Government security jobs are on the rise, she said, as well as janitorial, weatherization and deconstruction positions related to a new green economy.
jwernau@tribune.com
Outlook 2010: Jobs
This is one in a series of articles looking at what lies ahead for various sectors in the new year.
To see more of the Chicago Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.chicagotribune.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Chicago Tribune Distributed
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