June 24, 2004

Welcome again from the Alternative FUTURES Letter, a career management newsletter published by the Alternative FUTURES Press in Berkeley, California. We hope you enjoyed the last Letter with the article entitled "How to Climb Back Aboard the Economic Wagon." This issue of The Letter offers lots of additional information and commentary plus a timely article entitled "Self-Sabotage: Ways We get in Our Own Way" by Clay Parsons.  

Please print and post copies of this newsletter and pass on copies of The Letter to your colleagues, friends and relatives.

News from The Front Line

The Manhole Economic Indicator
Shanghai, China; Gloucester, England

Just listen to this from the Shenzhen Daily newspaper. A spate of manhole cover thefts in Shanghai, China has caused the deaths of at least two people who fell into uncovered holes! Or, how about this from Gloucester, England (AP) - A gang of thieves has stolen more than 40 manhole covers in this southwestern English city, leaving dangerous holes in the streets, officials said. What is going on here? A Gloucestershire Police spokeswoman said the thefts could be due to a recent increase in the price of scrap metal.

Do we have a new economic indicator here? The MEI! Move over Consumer Price Index.


Ghost Companies Count
From Charles Kroupa  
Special to The Letter

The jobs number that the government releases now counts employer surveys, adjustments for the seasons and jobs the Labor Department "thinks" are being created by new companies it hasn't yet reached in its polls. The big surprise is that if you really look, the Labor Department calculates "new" invisible companies' potential hiring in its model. It is called the CES Net Birth/Death model.

When the government announced that 288,000 jobs were created this past April, for instance, that figure included a whopping 270,000 jobs that the Labor Department estimated - but couldn't prove - had been created by new companies they couldn't prove existed either.

More smoke and mirrors.

The Flip Side!
Report: 700,000 Jobs 'Insourced' to California
San Francisco Business Times

California ranks first among the states with 713,500 "insourced" jobs -- those in the U.S. operations of foreign companies -- according to a report released Wednesday by the Organization for International Investment (OFII). "The media has focused on one facet of globalization: outsourcing," said Todd Malan, executive director of the OFII, in a press release. "But the flip side of outsourcing jobs abroad is insourcing jobs to the U.S. by companies abroad."

According to the report, California also ranks first in insourced manufacturing jobs in the U.S., with 193,000. The number of insourced jobs in the state grew by 156,000, or 28 percent, during the past five years. The report also noted that U.S. subsidiaries of foreign firms pay their employees, on average, 16.5 percent more than U.S. companies. Nationally, U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies employ 6.4 million Americans. Recent political debate has centered around the number of jobs lost at U.S. companies that are outsourcing to subsidiaries or contractors overseas, to save on payroll costs. California was followed by New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida to round out the top five. No other Western states were in the top 20. The OFII got its numbers from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Occupation On The Edge
US Bureau of Labor Statistics

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports occupations with the largest projected job losses (2002-2012). In order of the greatest number of losses anticipated are farmers/ranchers, sewing machine operators, word processors and typists, stock clerks/order fillers, secretaries (except legal, medical, and executive), electrical/electronic equipment assemblers, computer operators, telephone operators, postal sorters, processors, machine operators, and loan interviewers/clerks.

No big surprises here. Everyone is operating his or her own computers these days. Also, as we become more technology-literate, the days of the secretary are clearly numbered.

Inspiration

Few people think more than two or three times a year. I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.
                                                                          ~ George Bernard Shaw

Out of clutter, find simplicity.
From discord find harmony.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
                                                                          ~ Albert Einstein

Feature Article

Self-Sabotage: Ways We Get in Our Own Way

By Clay Parsons

Self-sabotaging behavior can be corrected. All it takes is understanding, commitment and time. There are three steps required. First comes diagnosis. You need to find out what is happening and why. Enlist the help of an experienced career or mental health professional who can be objective and is trained to recognize self-sabotaging patterns of behavior. Remember that observing our own behavior is very difficult.  Second, devise a strategy to counter your destructive patterns by literally learning a new habit to counter the old one. The new habit must be comfortable or it will not 'take'. And third, implement your game plan one small step at a time. Don't try to bite off too much at once. Despite cultural beliefs to the contrary, there are no quick fixes.

Click here to read the article

New Career Milestones
Examples of what Parsons' clients at Alternative FUTURES' are doing

Gabriel K. was recently accepted into the graduate program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, one of the premier programs in the country. After he receives his degree he plans to work in the field of international trade with an emphasis on the food industry. Gabriel already knows a lot about this subject. He is a gourmet chef with a certificate from the Cordon Bleu in Paris!

Announcements

New Service
E-mail counseling gives you quick input

You’re busy and you don’t think you have time to meet with a coach. But you’ve got a quick question about your career and simply need a quick answer. We’ve got the solution.

It’s e-mail consultation, a service we hope will help you make the right decisions and take the right action in support of your career goals. Your e-mail question can cover a broad range of topics. As long as your question is work or career-related and is clearly stated, your answer may be just a click away. What could be easier?

Clay will personally respond to your e-mail message and answer your question within 48 hours. Want more information about how this new service works?

Clay Parsons will speak on the topic Internet Intelligence at the John F. Kennedy University School of Management Career Development Summer Institute in early July. JFKU graduate students, faculty and alumni will be in attendance.

Last issue's article entitled "How to Climb Back Aboard the Economic Wagon by Asking the Right Questions" by Clay Parsons has been published by MSN Career Builder on their career advice Web site.

This Fall Clay will also teach three career development workshops entitled "Learn the Secrets of FINDING THE WORK YOU LOVE" for the Learning Annex in San Francisco.

Alternative Futures receives prestigious "Addy" Awards!

Until next time,

Clay Parsons, MA, MLA

Alternative FUTURES Press
2034 Blake Street
Suite 6
Berkeley, CA 94704

Tel: (510) 287-5664
Fax: (510) 548-9921
www.alternativefutures.com

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