U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years • Hacker News Board

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#191

Post by mikelyons » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 6:43 PM UTC

derp_dee_derp wrote: post #12

lets parse this out: "U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years" becomes post biggest drop in more than " becomes post in more than " becomes " "

It's really difficult from my arbitrary perspective to read it as anything other than click-bait sensationalism.

Anything that can be cited as "the biggest" negative movement or trend since any point in the past can be used to signal to our survival mechanisms, "it is important to your survival to click through to this article"

Just like money needs taken out of politics, ad revenue needs taken out of news reporting. I just wish I had a solution to propose ...

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#192

Post by johnminter » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 6:45 PM UTC

ellisv wrote: post #168

downerending wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Technologists live in a world of negative unemployment Just wait until you turn 50...

Do you have any recommendations for someone earlier in their career (<50 yo) to avoid or minimize ageism? Go into management? Be prepared to pick a new career?

I had a 37 year career at a company that used to be a well recognized brand. I was in the Research Laboratories in an Analytical Sciences division. During that time we had many layoffs as the company's financial position eroded. The key to success in that environment was to be a lifelong learner, a team player, and developing skills that permitted you to generate results that proved your worth.

During downsizings, as groups got smaller, managers were let go along with workers. Survivors needed learn to mourn the loss of your colleagues who were downsized, and then pick up the important work they left behind. To survive, one needed a positive attitude. Keeping one takes work under difficult circumstances. I always viewed the task as taking lemons and making lemonade.

None of us liked this. This strategy worked for me until they finally cut 70% of the Research Labs staff, including most of my clients and many of my fellow analysts. The best an employee can do is to work with your family to design a budget that lets you live below your means, build an emergency fund with at least six month's living expenses, and to save as much as you can each month in a retirement plan. None of these tasks are easy. Few people actually do this because it requires you to say "no" to many of your desires. Those who do find it easier to cope when the shoe finally drops on you...

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#193

Post by tomjen3 » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 6:45 PM UTC

aazaa wrote: post #124

Unemployment drops during an expansion, then rises heading into a recession. It turns out you can quantify this relationship as a recession predictor: > According to LaVorgna, since 1948, the economy has always entered or been in a recession when the unemployment rate increases 50 basis points (or 0.50 percentage point) from its trailing cyclical low. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/20/a-recession-indicator-with-a... Ta…

If it is 12 to 18 months away it will happen just after the election this winter. That will be fun.

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#194

Post by nostromo » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 6:50 PM UTC

aazaa wrote: post #124

Unemployment drops during an expansion, then rises heading into a recession. It turns out you can quantify this relationship as a recession predictor: > According to LaVorgna, since 1948, the economy has always entered or been in a recession when the unemployment rate increases 50 basis points (or 0.50 percentage point) from its trailing cyclical low. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/20/a-recession-indicator-with-a... Ta…

HN comments are like ZeroHedge -- we've predicted 14 of the past 2 recessions.

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#195

Post by drywater » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 6:52 PM UTC

dominotw wrote: post #181

ellisv wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any recommendations for someone earlier in their career (<50 yo) to avoid or minimize ageism? Go into management? Be prepared to pick a new career?

Yea going into management is the best bet. Its a "controversial" topic on HN because large swathes of ppl here here believe #IC4Lyfe is a good career move. Its not.

Until companies have 3 managers and 2 normal employees.

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#196

Post by derp_dee_derp » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 6:52 PM UTC

outside1234 wrote: post #104

akvadrako wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most news organizations are biased one way or another. About 90% of reporters are left of center, that probably also applies to Reuters. They do keep the spin to a minimum, I’ll give them that.

What amazes me is how easy it is for people to be radicalized by watching a single news source. My parents have literally been radicalized from normal moderate folks to "crazy conspiracy people" by watching Fox News and, I suspect, this is a broadly true statement amongst a very large swath of the elderly population.

it is entirely possible that you have been radicalized from a normal moderate folk to a "crazy libtard" by watching whatever channels you watch, and, i suspect, this is a broadly true statement amongst a very large swatch of the millenial generation.

(note: using "crazy libtard" here not as a personal insult, but because it is the right's version of "crazy consipiracy people").

anyways, take the speck out of your own eye before complaining about the beams in your parents eyes.

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#197

Post by Clubber » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 6:54 PM UTC

magduf wrote: post #143

12xo wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Older Americans come from a time when the Man on the TV or Radio spoke the truth, with honor and integrity and did so citing facts and experts. They still hold onto this ethos and therefore believe - like they believe a preacher, that the words and opinions are real and factual and worthy of regard... This is why FOXNews and talk radio skews so heavily to people over 60 and is also why its so effective.

That's not exactly what we're seeing with right-wing people. They will happily tell you that NYT, WaPo, CNN, AP, Reuters, etc. are all "fake news" because their far-right "news" sources tell them so.

If you don't think all big media news outlets have an agenda to push, you might need to take a closer look. That includes CNN, WaPo, Fox, etc. As an example, Bloomberg effectively told his news outlets they weren't allowed to investigate Democrats during the primary.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/24/bloomberg-news-will-not-inve...

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#198

Post by tzs » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 7:01 PM UTC

alasdair_ wrote: post #151

lame-robot-hoax wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good god, is this supposed to be ironic? Imagine trying to paint Reuters as biased. Next thing you’ll be telling me that the Associated Press is biased as well. And really? USMCA? You mean NAFTA 2.0? Imagine acting like “passing” USMCA has any meaning. It’s just NAFTA. Tell me when we pass the TPP. Oh wait, we messed up and now that ship has sailed without us. This is news whether you like it or not. Sorry, there is…

>Tell me when we pass the TPP. Oh wait, we messed up and now that ship has sailed without us. The TPP had serious flaws and I am glad it was never passed. It was far too secretive, with the most powerful existing interests dictating policy and regular citizens being completely cut of of even viewing what was in the actual agreement for far too long, until the thing was nearly finished. It was horrible for privacy and…

> The TPP had serious flaws and I am glad it was never passed. It was far too secretive, with the most powerful existing interests dictating policy and regular citizens being completely cut of of even viewing what was in the actual agreement for far too long, until the thing was nearly finished.

You mean like almost every treaty ever negotiated pretty much as far back as we have recorded history?

A treaty negotiation is a give and take. Each side goes in wanting to gain certain things, and being willing to concede certain things to get those things it wants. The purpose of the negotiation is to find a set of gains and concessions for each party such that the party will agree to the treaty for those gains at the cost of those concessions.

During negotiation, what is on the table changes as each party gives up on certain wants, or accepts certain concessions, to further its overall goals.

It would be nearly impossible to do this in public. Every time you go from draft N to draft N+1, anyone who had gains in N that are no longer in N+1, or who is part of concessions in N+1 but not in N, would be putting political pressure on the negotiators to go back. Everyone who got gains in N+1 that weren't in N, or had concessions in N but not in N+1, would be putting political pressure on negotiators to not cave to the pressure to revert.

The only known way to make it work is for each party to send negotiators who know that party's big picture goals, work out a near final draft, and then present that more widely for a yes/no decision on ratification.

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#199

Post by asdff » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 7:02 PM UTC

tathougies wrote: post #144

JediWing wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there's a bit of talking past one another here. Certainly the many Americans who have retirement plans benefit from stocks increasing, as do the very wealthy who own large shares of stocks in non-retirement earnings. However, the context of the discussion is over what term. The markets are subject to boom and bust cycles. Over the 40 or so year term of retirement plans, there's not a whole lot that a 20 or 30…

I mean a good stock market makes it easier for companies to raise funds and thus to expand and employ more people. The purpose of the stock market is ultimately not to provide and asset class so much as it is to ease raising large amounts of money companies need to grow.

When companies raise funds, are they generally expanding and hiring these days or buying back their own stocks? Workforce have been shrinking for probably 100 years. Trickle down is fantasy.

Re: U.S. job openings post biggest drop in more than four years

#200

Post by asdff » Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 7:07 PM UTC

kccqzy wrote: post #94

aerovistae wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except, of course, as people are finally starting to notice and point out, high stocks only benefit the top 10% of society, and are a useless indicator for the vast majority, who have little to no holdings.

Definitely no. The popularity of 401k plans and as such makes the fortunes of many middle class Americans directly tied to gyrations of Wall Street.

Only if you are 60 and about to retire does this matter. Not like a 20-50 year old will tap into their 401k, and not like they have too much saved in these funds to begin with. Most of the middle class with retirement plans will ride this out like they did the last recession and every one before that. They might have to hold off on buying a new car for a year or three, but they will be fine when the business cycle rights itself again.

The people working 60 hour weeks comprised of 3 part time jobs that refuse to pay out full time hours and benefits just to share a bedroom in south LA while accumulating zero savings? These people are about to experience real pain, and news coverage and forums like HN generally have no concept of the working class.