I just realize I didn't hit "reply-to-all" on this. (Sorry John) > Want about the > programmer who was making decent money at a tech company, > lost his job, couldn't find a suitable replacement to due > over supply and competition - so now he works at Best Buy > selling TV's. The US Govt. considers him a 100% happy and > successful employed individual. > The real story is he has gone into debt and now lives with > his parents. > But the labor department says, "Have no fear! Unemployment > rate is dropping everyday!"
Sorry - haven't spoken up much on this list. There are two sides to every economic argument and that's the problem. You also have to take into account the fact that most of the surveys taken by the government to account for unemployed only check those people currently on a payroll. This discounts those self-employed contractors, which is where much of our own industry is going. Our industry is going more and more from working for companies to being self-employed as contractors and consultants, and these surveys are not accounting for those people as well. So despite the person working for Best Buy out there, there are also many others working for themselves, not on anyone's payroll that are making much more than the people on payrolls. I guess the fact is you can't always trust the statistics on either front. It just depends on the survey that is being taken. I guess lists like this, as well as our own employment situations are excellent ways to track the growth of an industry vs. the surveys and statistics you hear through the media and from the government. -Jesse
