. . . . . as well as a year of change!

The first blog post of 2011 - and on schedule so far (our commitment to the 15th and last day of each month).  We're starting a fresh year - and there appears to be cautious optimism in the air (and in the news).

The first articles of the year are looking in the right direction!

There is little point in spending too much time recapping 2010 (or 2009).  Our feelings about those two years can be summarized rather easily.  2009 was a tough year for everyone.  Regardless of the technically defined economic factors, it was a year of recession.  2010 was the start of a long and slow recovery.  People worked very hard to bring about positive results.  While slow and incremental, progress was made. The first couple of articles that I read as we entered 2011 had great titles and even greater messages.

• Forbes:  Twin Cities Among Best Job Markets in the U.S.
• Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal:  CEO Outlooks are Sunnier in Twin Cities

Key highlights of these two articles (and others not mentioned here) talk of optimism - increased revenues, higher prices for products/services (CEO predictions for their companies) and added jobs.  The Forbes article went as far as to predict that the twin cities employment market is expected to recover fully by mid-2011.

What about the prediction of change?

Two more items to report on . . . . . the first of which is a survey done by Right Management (a division of Manpower).  According to the survey, 84% of the participants plan to "actively pursue other employment options in 2011."  It was 60% last year.  While I found this number to be shockingly high, it was not a total surprise.  Most of the employment-related articles from 2010 talked about people becoming increasingly disengaged - and simply tired.  Everyone worked hard to survive 2009 and 2010 and they did necessarily not see the payback - monetarily or in general treatment at work.  The conclusion - it is time to explore the market. The second item - somewhat anecdotal, but another sign.  Yesterday, I received an interesting e-mail through LinkedIn.  I am not the most prolific LinkedIn user, but at 340 connections, I am not inactive either.  According to the e-mail I received, 71 of my connections changed jobs in 2010.  That is just over 20%.  Knowing that about 40 to 45 of these connections are newer (in the last few months), the percentage can be calculated as closer to 25%.  That is significant change - with more coming.

Reasons for optimism and excitement

With the above in mind, I wish everyone a fantastic 2011.  I hope the prognostications for 2011 listed above come true - and that the changes anticipated for the year are truly positive.