MNN - Mother Nature Network

The official unemployment rate is getting better but the jobs situation is still in flux, which makes jobs a hot news topic. Check out some of this week’s jobs-related stories.

 

How to land an IT job

The unemployment rate in the information technology field is low, about 3.3 percent, but that doesn’t mean finding an IT job is easy. If you’re in the market for an IT job, find out how you can set yourself apart from the competition.

 

“Computer and electronics manufacturers have continued to cut headcount, as they have for the past few years, with about 10,000 layoffs announced so far in 2012. All that extra talent adds to the competition for available openings.”

 

Gender wage gap starts at college graduation

Two new college grads, one male and one female, enter the workforce and after one year, the female graduate is making about 7 percent less than the male graduate. According to new data, the gender wage gap starts right after workers graduate college. If this decline in earnings is extrapolated over a lifetime, the gender wage gap is costing female workers millions of dollars in earnings.

 

Online degrees and the job market

As technological advances made it easier for students to attend college remotely, online degree programs became more popular. However, all online degrees are not created equal and unknowing college students may not realize the value (or lack thereof) of their online degree until they enter the job market.

 

According to Vicky Phillips of GetEducated.com, “concentrate your search on long-distance degree programs offered by state universities or private brick-and-mortar schools that are likely to be familiar to employers in your state or region, or that have a particularly solid reputation in your industry.”

 

Fiscal cliff puts six million jobs at risk

A loss of six million jobs could be potentially catastrophic to the nation’s economy but according to a new report from the National Association of Manufacturers, this is how many jobs are at risk if the nation doesn’t avoid going over the fiscal cliff. The fiscal cliff is a series of automatic spending cuts that are scheduled to go into effect on January 1 unless Congress acts.