According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s economic news release for the month of August, employment has increased.  I know Labor Day weekend just finished up, but don’t update your resume yet.  There’s more to this forecast.  Let’s look at statistics….

The United States Department of Labor reports that Private Sector Payroll has increased by a modest 67,000 jobs, but government jobs have been cut by roughly 121,000. 

While employment has increased in the health care industry, the other increases are not as promising.  In the construction industry, increases are the result of workers who went on strike during the month of July and returned for August.  The professional and business sectors increases are mainly from temporary help jobs.  For the majority of the other industries, employment has remained constant.

On a positive note, GDP is growing; on a negative, it has increased by only 1.6% over the last quarter, instead of the estimated 2.4%.

While many of us wait in hope for middle class and small business tax cuts, it is clear that we must be prepared to hire ourselves and find new ways of providing services to our communities. It is also clear that the American Public, particularly young people, need to invest in their own entrepreneurial education and investment skill set.

With companies hiring on a limited, as-needed basis (seen in the increase of temporary jobs), it helps those of us with student loans to be jacks of all trades… at least until we can find a more permanent job to meet all our needs.

If all these indicators are true, our communities need all of us to be producers more than consumers, and to use our work not only as way to pay bills, but also as a mission statement.  If we must work this hard, it might as well be with a purpose.