Out of Work: Reading the Technology Job Market

Many people perceive the information technology field as impervious to downturns in the economy or employment levels, but the current economic crisis has caused many long-time tech workers to lose their jobs along with other skilled workers.

Through my work as an information technology manager at an area food bank I work with volunteers and part-time technology workers. I came to the food bank three years ago after getting laid off after working 15 years at an area technology firm serving a large trucking company that once employed 70,000 people, but downsized to 35,000 workers. To help these workers who are helping the food bank, I am interested in their job seeking experience. Here's a brief profile of an unemployed systems administrator who is volunteering with the food bank while looking for work.

What type of computer or technology work do you do?
Worked 18 years performing systems administration for Linux systems on blade servers with SAN-attached storage. Started with SuSE flavor of Linux, which is more prevalent in Europe, but getting more requests for RedHat support. 

How long have you been unemployed?
Been unemployed for a year. Have had four job interviews during this time.

What do you think about finding work in the technology field?
Finding workplaces needing a cross-section of skills, such as both Linux and Windows. This job requirement is different in years past when employers would only require a specialized skill like Windows only.

On the Way to Work: No Vacation, No Holidays

Why are full-time workers at McDonald's on 350 Highway in Raytown not paid for holidays or provided vacation pay?

Lee's Summit Proposes the Sanity Approach to Waste Reduction

Finally! The city of Lee's Summit, Missouri took a responsible approach to trash service by replacing an all-you-can-dump-with-no-free-recycling-option to a "volume-based" approach similar to the successful service used in Kansas City, Missouri. After the service is changed, then those residents who have paid $2.50 per month to trash companies like Deffenbaugh can rely on the new service for free recycling, plus get the satisfaction that waste will be reduced and recycling increased.

...the City Council directed city staff to issue the state-required two-year notice to all solid waste haulers providing services in the City that the City is considering implementation of a comprehensive, citywide, solid waste program.  The program currently proposed by city staff includes volume-based pricing for residential trash service with unlimited, curbside recycling at no additional fee.  Under this proposed program, residents would only pay for the amount of trash they discard; similar to a utility (water, sewer, gas, electric, etc.).  If residents wanted to pay less for their trash service under the proposed program, they could recycle more to reduce their volume of trash discarded.  The proposed program could also include volume-based yard waste services. [emphasis added]

However, adopting this sane, common approach to waste reduction is not without it's critics.

One report on KCTV5 shows an expected response from a resident opposed to the plan: "I can't say that I'm against it, or that I'm for it," said resident Don Green. "I don't have a problem with the trash people taking everything I have. I think with the city it will get more regulated."And this blog post completely avoids the point that communities have a responsibility to reduce trash and landfill space. Finally, it's all about the government placing "more and more controls"over citizens like this letter to the Lee's Summit Journal shows.

Lee's Summit residents: Support your local government's effort to take responsibility for the environment.

On the Way to Work

When did bowling alleys like this one on 350 Highway in
Raytown start closing? (Laurel Lanes closed a couple months ago)

"Federal Government Is Responsible for the Downfall of Business and Farming"

While enjoying a bluegrass/rockabilly musical performance with friends Saturday evening, I had a conversation with a friendly couple from Putnam County in north Missouri. It did not take long before the woman outlined how the federal government was responsible for the downturn in the US economy, as well as for over-regulating farming. In short, she blamed the federal government for all the ills of society.

The outspoken woman described the couple's difficulty in maintaining a trucking business, mentioning the economic conditions and excessive government regulations as the cause of their troubles. They also discussed the economic conditions for residents in Unionville, Missouri, a rural town with a population of 3000. I shared how my wife's family had relied on income from a small diary farm and row crops, while both her parents worked full-time jobs in meat-packing and state mental health facilities. They quickly blamed the federal government for programs that prevented farmers from prospering, despite my efforts to insert how large multi-national companies, like Cargill and Tyson, have impacted small farming and consolidated food production. (If you think this is an argument "for" the Federal government in all cases, a review of the USDA's promotion of harmful DDT in farming points to one example of excessive intrusion.) Having a conversation in a smoky Blue Springs Missouri bar with a loud band in the background didn't help the discussion.

The conversation showed the animosity some people have for government programs, despite some of the benefits these programs have for sustaining communities and relieving poverty. Just take a look at the need and acceptance of Federal food assistance programs in Putnam County, where Unionville is located.

Statistics show that a "very low" percentage of people eligible for SNAP/Food Stamps participate in the program in Putnam County, though a "very high" percentage of people that are eligible participate in Free and Reduced Lunch program and receive food from private pantries. These stats show both the acceptance of Federal food assistance, as well as the difficulty.

One reason people in rural areas don't apply for SNAP is because applying usually requires a visit to a distant office to file an application. And charitable food pantries don't serve as many people in rural areas because of the distance residents must travel to a pantry. However, the lunch program is administered from the school, in other words, close to where the kids can gain benefits, which may explain the much higher participation levels.


These programs provide a significant relief for working families, in many cases the assistance is what stands between a family and a poverty-level income as described in a US Census poverty report.

Kansas City Near Top Among U.S. Cities Hardest Hit By The Recession

A report highlighted on Huffington Post showed KC ranked #8 among "The U.S. Cities Hit Hardest By The Recession". The full report based on a study by the Brookings Institute and the London School of Economics focused on two key indicators -- employment gains and income growth -- of a cities health or resilience during the recession.

The global financial crisis of the late 2000s precipitated an economic downturn of such magnitude and reach that many now refer to the period as the “Great Recession.” According to the International Monetary Fund, global economic output, which had grown at an annual rate of 3.2 percent from 1993 to 2007, actually shrank by 2 percent from 2008 to 2009. A precarious economic recovery is now underway.

Kansas City's employment rate dropped 2.8% during the 2007-2009 recession and another 2.8% during the 2009-2010 period the authors describe as "recovery". The chart shows Kansas City ranked among cities around the world, but #8 among cities in the U.S.

On the Way to Work

What ever happened to the art of the sign like this one
on 350 Highway in Raytown?