Your Money Minute with Dennis Staaland

Employment during a recession

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For the next few weeks I'll try to tackle some of the issues that are keeping us up at night.  Things like keeping our jobs, the struggling economy, having enough money to pay the bills, our shrinking retirement accounts, keeping our homes, health care and our standard of living. These are enough to keep me up!

Right now, I think employment is on all of our minds, and understandably so.  Here are the facts: the national unemployment rate is currently 8.1%, a 25 year high.  This time last year, the rate was almost half its current level. The Stateline area has been hit particularly hard. The jobless rate for Winnebago County is approximately 12%, Beloit 15% and Janesville 12%. These numbers are higher than the national average due primarily to our reliance on the auto industry. Projections tell us that the unemployment rates will continue to grow for a few more months.

While these figures might seem grim, it's important to remain optimistic and remember that there are ways to help protect your job if you have one and to get back out there if you've been laid off.  Believe it or not, companies are hiring.  Check out these links for some helpful tips:

CNN: 8 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Job

ABC News: Tips on Securing a Job During Tough Economic Times

If you have any employment tips of your own that you'd like to share with other readers, please feel free to post them here!