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cobran20, on 08 May 2012 - 01:12 AM, said:
hahahha rofl lemme look at that again ....
....
:'(
Job Loss Thread
#121
savagegoose 
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Posted 08 May 2012 - 02:05 AM
hahahha rofl lemme look at that again ....
....
:'(
#123
Mr Medved
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Posted 08 May 2012 - 12:14 PM
This is something I have mulled over in the past.
http://www.zerohedge...rcity-paid-work
Global Reality: Surplus Of Labor, Scarcity Of Paid Work
The industries that are increasing productivity do so by eliminating entire industries and entire job categories.
The global economy is facing a structural surplus of labor and a scarcity of paid work. Here is the critical backdrop for the global recession that is unfolding and the stated desire of central banks and states everywhere for "economic growth": most of the so-called "growth" since the 2008 global financial meltdown was funded by sovereign debt and "free money" spun by central banks, not organic growth based on rising earned incomes.
Take away the speculation dependent on "free money" and the global stimulus dependent on massive quantities of fresh debt, and how much "growth" would be left?
What policy makers and pundits dare not admit is that the global economy is entering the "end of paid work" foreseen by Jeremy Rifkin. I have covered this topic in depth many times, starting with End of Work, End of Affluence (December 5, 2008).
The industries that are rapidly increasing productivity and profits are doing so by eliminating jobs and the need for labor. The Web is chewing up industry after industry, wiping out entire sectors that once supported hundreds of thousands of jobs while creating a few thousand new jobs that require high-level skills and mobility.
Robotics are replacing factory labor throughout the world--yes, even in "low-wage" China. When I first toured a variety of factories in China in 2000, many were little more than simple warehouses filled with long tables where workers assembled and packaged cheap light fixtures, etc. by hand. Others had robotic machines stamping out circuit boards that were then hand-assembled into monitors, etc.
The defect rate was high in these settings. Machines are increasingly replacing hand labor in China. Much is made of "labor shortages" in certain southern cities, but what that actually means is a shortage of young workers (overwhelmingly preferred over older workers by manufacturers) willing to work for low wages.
Machines don't go on strike, their wages don't rise by government mandate, they don't call in sick, and they don't need supervision. In effect, workers are replaced by capital invested in robotics and software.
China is already built out. Airports, railway stations, rail lines, subways, highways, stadiums, giant malls, tens of millions of flats--they're already over-built. Nobody dare admit it, but China is already to the point that new construction is either "bridges to nowhere" i.e. redundant or marginal and only funded as a jobs program, or replacement of buildings that are often less than 25 years old, or speculative buildings that are mostly empty and will stay that way.
The Internet has enabled enormous reductions of labor input. A mere 15 years ago when I first learned HTML (1997), you had to code your own site or learn some fairly sophisticated website creation/management software packages, and you needed to set up a server or pay a host. Now anyone can set up a Blogspot or equivalent blog for free in a few minutes with few (if any) technical skills, and the site is free.
A staggering range of complex business services are available for low cost, enabling one person to perform work that a mere 15 years ago required a half-dozen people. Everyone talks about offshoring as the primary cause of jobs being scarce in the U.S., but the much larger force is technology in the form of Web-enabled software.
A mere decade ago publishing a book was a time-consuming, costly venture that required substantial capital and labor inputs. Now it takes less than an hour to publish a book on Kindle and the cost is zero other than the hour of labor. Not only that, but the cost of distributing that book is also near-zero, and the cost to the consumer is a fraction of the cost of print books a decade ago.
That is simply one example of many. Here's another: a tax preparation program that costs $60 can (for the common conventional tax situations) typically replace an accountant that charged $500 or more.
The other trend is the cost of labor in the developed West is rising as systemic friction adds cost without adding productivity. Workers in the U.S. only see their wages stagnate, but their employers see total labor costs rising as healthcare costs rise year after year. In effect, the U.S. pays an 8% VAT tax to support a bloated, paperwork-pushing, inefficient and fraud-laced healthcare system that costs twice as much as a percentage of GDP as other advanced democracies.
A worker making $60,000 a year costs the employer $90,000 a year. No wonder employers are shifting to contract labor (no exposure to skyrocketing healthcare) and part-time flex-labor. No wonder many entrepreneurs are selling their high-overhead businesses and becoming flexible, low-cost one-person enterprises.
When it costs a lot to hire someone, the risk of hiring them rises, too. That is the unspoken context of high-cost economies. The productivity increases enabled by web-based software and services eliminate entire swaths of labor--not for this season or this business cycle, but forever.
If we train 30 million software engineers, will that create 30 million paid positions for these skills? No, it won't. The dynamics of creating jobs is not the same as that of training people to do a job.
I will write more about these trends in the coming days.
http://www.zerohedge...rcity-paid-work
Global Reality: Surplus Of Labor, Scarcity Of Paid Work
The industries that are increasing productivity do so by eliminating entire industries and entire job categories.
The global economy is facing a structural surplus of labor and a scarcity of paid work. Here is the critical backdrop for the global recession that is unfolding and the stated desire of central banks and states everywhere for "economic growth": most of the so-called "growth" since the 2008 global financial meltdown was funded by sovereign debt and "free money" spun by central banks, not organic growth based on rising earned incomes.
Take away the speculation dependent on "free money" and the global stimulus dependent on massive quantities of fresh debt, and how much "growth" would be left?
What policy makers and pundits dare not admit is that the global economy is entering the "end of paid work" foreseen by Jeremy Rifkin. I have covered this topic in depth many times, starting with End of Work, End of Affluence (December 5, 2008).
The industries that are rapidly increasing productivity and profits are doing so by eliminating jobs and the need for labor. The Web is chewing up industry after industry, wiping out entire sectors that once supported hundreds of thousands of jobs while creating a few thousand new jobs that require high-level skills and mobility.
Robotics are replacing factory labor throughout the world--yes, even in "low-wage" China. When I first toured a variety of factories in China in 2000, many were little more than simple warehouses filled with long tables where workers assembled and packaged cheap light fixtures, etc. by hand. Others had robotic machines stamping out circuit boards that were then hand-assembled into monitors, etc.
The defect rate was high in these settings. Machines are increasingly replacing hand labor in China. Much is made of "labor shortages" in certain southern cities, but what that actually means is a shortage of young workers (overwhelmingly preferred over older workers by manufacturers) willing to work for low wages.
Machines don't go on strike, their wages don't rise by government mandate, they don't call in sick, and they don't need supervision. In effect, workers are replaced by capital invested in robotics and software.
China is already built out. Airports, railway stations, rail lines, subways, highways, stadiums, giant malls, tens of millions of flats--they're already over-built. Nobody dare admit it, but China is already to the point that new construction is either "bridges to nowhere" i.e. redundant or marginal and only funded as a jobs program, or replacement of buildings that are often less than 25 years old, or speculative buildings that are mostly empty and will stay that way.
The Internet has enabled enormous reductions of labor input. A mere 15 years ago when I first learned HTML (1997), you had to code your own site or learn some fairly sophisticated website creation/management software packages, and you needed to set up a server or pay a host. Now anyone can set up a Blogspot or equivalent blog for free in a few minutes with few (if any) technical skills, and the site is free.
A staggering range of complex business services are available for low cost, enabling one person to perform work that a mere 15 years ago required a half-dozen people. Everyone talks about offshoring as the primary cause of jobs being scarce in the U.S., but the much larger force is technology in the form of Web-enabled software.
A mere decade ago publishing a book was a time-consuming, costly venture that required substantial capital and labor inputs. Now it takes less than an hour to publish a book on Kindle and the cost is zero other than the hour of labor. Not only that, but the cost of distributing that book is also near-zero, and the cost to the consumer is a fraction of the cost of print books a decade ago.
That is simply one example of many. Here's another: a tax preparation program that costs $60 can (for the common conventional tax situations) typically replace an accountant that charged $500 or more.
The other trend is the cost of labor in the developed West is rising as systemic friction adds cost without adding productivity. Workers in the U.S. only see their wages stagnate, but their employers see total labor costs rising as healthcare costs rise year after year. In effect, the U.S. pays an 8% VAT tax to support a bloated, paperwork-pushing, inefficient and fraud-laced healthcare system that costs twice as much as a percentage of GDP as other advanced democracies.
A worker making $60,000 a year costs the employer $90,000 a year. No wonder employers are shifting to contract labor (no exposure to skyrocketing healthcare) and part-time flex-labor. No wonder many entrepreneurs are selling their high-overhead businesses and becoming flexible, low-cost one-person enterprises.
When it costs a lot to hire someone, the risk of hiring them rises, too. That is the unspoken context of high-cost economies. The productivity increases enabled by web-based software and services eliminate entire swaths of labor--not for this season or this business cycle, but forever.
If we train 30 million software engineers, will that create 30 million paid positions for these skills? No, it won't. The dynamics of creating jobs is not the same as that of training people to do a job.
I will write more about these trends in the coming days.
#124
cobran20
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Posted 15 May 2012 - 09:55 PM
Looks like the days of easy money are behind!
SMH: Jobs losses hit real estate as market deteriorates
SMH: Jobs losses hit real estate as market deteriorates
Quote
THE real estate sector is in the grips of a ''white-collar'' crisis, with more than 200 workers made redundant across the industry as deals collapse and development projects dwindle.
Job losses are tipped to swell in the near future as companies look to cut costs to reach earnings forecasts.
The losses are not only among back-office staff, but finance directors and senior management. Even chief executives are being forced to take pay cuts and work under tighter incentive pay regimes.
Advertisement: Story continues belowThe trigger has been a reduction in large-scale transactions and weak conditions in the construction and residential development sectors.
Because many of the staff have left on redundancy packages, they are unlikely to be eligible for government benefits so the numbers will not appear in the national employment statistics.
Recruiters say this is a concern as it will send a message that the national economy is performing better than it is.
In the past week Dexus and Stockland have each laid off 45 people across several divisions. This follows a round of departures in the past few months from AMP's property division as it streamlines its funds management business.
Analysts have suggested further job losses are on the way as companies look to cut costs in the lead-up to the end of a tough financial year.
The settlement of the Centro court action is also expected to trigger management restructuring and staff cuts. Management and recruitment consultant Rita Avdiev said her firm had seen a big increase in inquiries for advice this year.
''For many people, it's not a question of the money - as most get a redundancy package - it's about what do they do now,'' she said.
''Real estate is a very tightly held market and losing a job is like losing their identity amongst their peers.
''In our last survey, respondents overwhelmingly said wage policies have been tempered, with many saying they had a minimal pay increase or a freeze on senior salaries, and predict the same for next year.''
The average pay rise in the six months to the end of February was 3.5 per cent, which is just keeping up with the rate of inflation.
Job losses are tipped to swell in the near future as companies look to cut costs to reach earnings forecasts.
The losses are not only among back-office staff, but finance directors and senior management. Even chief executives are being forced to take pay cuts and work under tighter incentive pay regimes.
Advertisement: Story continues belowThe trigger has been a reduction in large-scale transactions and weak conditions in the construction and residential development sectors.
Because many of the staff have left on redundancy packages, they are unlikely to be eligible for government benefits so the numbers will not appear in the national employment statistics.
Recruiters say this is a concern as it will send a message that the national economy is performing better than it is.
In the past week Dexus and Stockland have each laid off 45 people across several divisions. This follows a round of departures in the past few months from AMP's property division as it streamlines its funds management business.
Analysts have suggested further job losses are on the way as companies look to cut costs in the lead-up to the end of a tough financial year.
The settlement of the Centro court action is also expected to trigger management restructuring and staff cuts. Management and recruitment consultant Rita Avdiev said her firm had seen a big increase in inquiries for advice this year.
''For many people, it's not a question of the money - as most get a redundancy package - it's about what do they do now,'' she said.
''Real estate is a very tightly held market and losing a job is like losing their identity amongst their peers.
''In our last survey, respondents overwhelmingly said wage policies have been tempered, with many saying they had a minimal pay increase or a freeze on senior salaries, and predict the same for next year.''
The average pay rise in the six months to the end of February was 3.5 per cent, which is just keeping up with the rate of inflation.
#125
Turkey
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Posted 21 May 2012 - 02:29 PM
Link
Quote
QANTAS has signalled it will eventually close its aircraft maintenance base at Avalon Airport, leading to yet more job losses.
The airline announced yesterday that it would slash 535 engineering positions, and close a base at Tullamarine airport by August.
The airline announced yesterday that it would slash 535 engineering positions, and close a base at Tullamarine airport by August.
#126
Bernard L. Madoff
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Posted 21 May 2012 - 10:18 PM
#127
cobran20
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Posted Today, 02:40 AM
NEWS: Internet job ads drop seven percent in April
Quote
JOB advertisements on the internet fell by seven per cent last month, new federal government figures show.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations' internet vacancy index was 81.4 points in April, which was down from March and also 14.7 per cent lower from a year ago.
Vacancies decreased in all eight occupational groups monitored by the department, the figures released on today's show.
The biggest fall was for professional vacancies, which tumbled nine per cent, followed by a 7.9 per cent decline in clerical and administrative vacancies.
Vacancies also declined in all states and territories, led by a 13.9 per cent drop in the Northern Territory and a 11.4 per cent fall in the ACT.
The ACT also recorded the largest annual decline in advertisements, slumping by 31.2 per cent.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations' internet vacancy index was 81.4 points in April, which was down from March and also 14.7 per cent lower from a year ago.
Vacancies decreased in all eight occupational groups monitored by the department, the figures released on today's show.
The biggest fall was for professional vacancies, which tumbled nine per cent, followed by a 7.9 per cent decline in clerical and administrative vacancies.
Vacancies also declined in all states and territories, led by a 13.9 per cent drop in the Northern Territory and a 11.4 per cent fall in the ACT.
The ACT also recorded the largest annual decline in advertisements, slumping by 31.2 per cent.
#128
cobran20
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Posted Today, 02:58 AM
Kurri Kurri smelter closure to trigger 450 job losses
Upwards of 450 jobs are to be axed in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, with the planned closure of the Kurri Kurri aluminium smelter.
Earlier this year, Norsk Hydro, which owns the smelter, cut 150 jobs at the plant when it slashed production. It blamed the strong Australian dollar and low aluminium prices for the cuts.
Quote
Upwards of 450 jobs are to be axed in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, with the planned closure of the Kurri Kurri aluminium smelter.
Earlier this year, Norsk Hydro, which owns the smelter, cut 150 jobs at the plant when it slashed production. It blamed the strong Australian dollar and low aluminium prices for the cuts.
