Pessimism about the U.S. economy abounds. Here are just two examples.
AIGA’s Design Leaders Confidence Index
A quarterly survey of nearly 300 leaders in the graphic & Web design community reveals that only one in eight is likely to increase staff during the next six months. The survey generated the lowest readings since its creation in 2005. Details can be found by accessing a press release from AIGA | the professional association for design.
The Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index
A quarterly survey of chief executive officers (CEOs) of leading corporations were asked the following question (responses included):
How do you expect your company’s U.S. employment to change in the next six months?
- Increase | 9%
- No Change | 32%
- Decrease | 60%
Companies that belong to the Business Roundtable comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock markets and represent a combined workforce of nearly 10 million employees. Access a press release (pdf version) for details.
Boston Market
A close look at the job market for Web technology professionals reveals a steep contraction in opportunities available online at Boston.com. The Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston have been updated and are posted in the right-hand column.
Job opportunities have evaporated by approximately 28% since early November. Interestingly, the four technologies that experienced the gentlest declines were Microsoft related:
- Web Services | 9%
- ASP.NET | 18%
- C# | 20%
- SQL Server | 21%
Training Opportunity
In a challenging job market productive workers with a collection of in-demand skills are valued above others. If you are in job transition, consider expanding your skillset with FREE training.
On Monday, December 15, Microsoft will offer a day-long series of seminars at their Waltham office to help inform development professionals about their latest Web-related technologies that include the following:
- Ajax
- jQuery
- ASP.NET
- Visual Studio 2008
- Silverlight
- and more!
Simply access The Winter Northeast MSDN Roadshow for details and registration information about additional New England training sessions.
FREE training to upgrade your skills at a networking event including Boston-area Web professionals! Santa arrives early.
