4R | SUNDAY , APRIL 10 , 2022 | THE RECORD P

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Your online employment marketplace . jobs . northjersey . com

844.742.5231 northjerseyjobs @ gannett . com

By ELI AMDUR SPECIAL TO NORTH JERSEY JOBS

month ago , my article on the unprecedented strength of our job market suggested all the ongoing factors that could have

Eli Amdur

derailed our high-powered job creation engine : a new COVID variant , supply chain issues , inflation , truckers ’ strike , shaky couple of months for the stock market .

Factors that could have caused trouble – but didn ’ t .

To keep an open mind and to allow for unexpected pitfalls , though , I said that even though it ’ s too early to tell what the awful situation in Ukraine will do to our job market , let ’ s check back in a month ; I think our conversation will not change .

Well , it ’ s a month later and no , that conversation has not changed one iota . The Ukraine story had grown worse than we ever thought it would be ( although there are now glimmers of hope for these incredibly resilient people ). With it all , the job market news continued to get better and better . Coming off 2021 ,

CAREER COACH

with 6.743 million jobs created , and the first two months of 2022 with another 1.166 million jobs , Wham ! – March comes in at 431,000 plus an upward revision of January and February of a combined 88,000 . Net increase from March ’ s numbers : 431 + 88 = 519K . Monthly average in Q1 2022 = 562K . Monthly average for all of 2021 = 562K . How ‘ bout that !

What ’ s more impressive , when you crunch the numbers , is that even the corrosive inflation and rampant gasoline prices we ’ re enduring haven ’ t stunted the job market ’ s performance . For sure , it ’ s painful at the pump and unsettling at the supermarket , but 93 percent of the jobs lost in March / April 2020 have been recovered – in just 23 months . While the aftershocks of that disaster were still being felt , prognosticators were targeting as far out as 2030 before we ’ d recover all those jobs . At our current sustained rate , we ’ ll probably get there in July . Not July 2030 . July 2022 .

Not done yet . There are now 1.8 open jobs for every unemployed worker , causing problems not for job seekers but for employers , who have no choice but to pay more for the talent they hire . What ’ s the upshot ? With explosive job growth

plus rapidly rising wages ( 5.6 percent in the last 12 months , compared to 2-3 percent in the 2010s ), many households now have it in their power to bring in more income than previously possible . That exposes the politicization of the inflation issue for exactly what it is : temporary , disproportionate , and inappropriate . Inflation is indeed a legitimate problem ; it is not a political football .

Every corner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics ’ jobs report is filled with proof and validation of the health of this job market , but lest we think that ’ s the purpose of this essay , and lest we misinterpret the message , here it is .

This is no time to relax , no time to take anything for granted , no time to let up . Any runner knows that when the wind is at your back , you run harder than ever . That , by the way , is why any records set in sprints or hurdles with more than a 2-meter per second ( 4.5 miles per hour ) tailwind are not certified as records . But this is not a track meet ; it ’ s a job market that just happens to have a powerful wind at your back . This is when you intensify your efforts , broaden your network , embellish your credentials , sharpen your five tools ( résumé and profile , interviewing strategies , job search strategies , career planning , and networking ), circle back to old connections ( including former employers ), engage a professional career coach , elevate your job targets , readjust your salary expectations upwards , hone your negotiating skills , and run like there is no finish line .

The good news , I sincerely think , is that this job market will sustain its momentum for the foreseeable future , as it has proven – time and again over the last two years – that it has been capable of weathering every conceivable storm . I am making neither projections nor predictions . Statisticians make the former ; fools make the latter . I am , however , expressing quite confidently my expectations that , for those who choose to act decisively and without delay , opportunities will continue to abound .

If you agree , you ’ ll also agree with one of my most firmly held maxims : One step taken in advance is longer than 10 steps taken to catch up .

Or you can go with what Sun Tzu said : “ Opportunities multiply as they are seized .”

Career Coach Eli Amdur provides one-on-one coaching in job search , résumés and interviewing . Reach him at eli . amdur @ amdurcoaching . com or 201-357-5844 .

NR-GCI0862287-01

Full Time Maintenance Technician

South Bergen County - Management company seeks a non-residential maintenance tech . for a large multi-unit apartment community . This is a support position for an already established crew which works at turning over apartments ; also , the candidate must be capable of working independently on repair orders in occupied apartments . Knowledge of general maintenance methods and tools for carpentry & tile . Additional duties would include basic electrical repairs on outlets , fixtures & switches , and light plumbing : clearing blockages and replacing fittings . This is an excellent opportunity to be part of a great team and grow with the company . Medical benefits available after established period . Must have NJ driver ’ s license .

Please send resume to riverviewgarden @ comcast . net

Full Time - Borough of Tenafly , Bergen County

DPW DRIVER / LABORER - The Borough of Tenafly is seeking a driver / laborer to work within the Department of Public Works . Responsibilities include but are not limited to manual labor , recycling , road maintenance , sewers , buildings and grounds , vehicle maintenance , grass cutting and snow plowing . Applicants should be prepared to perform duties in all weather conditions and work mandatory overtime . This position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing . Applicants must possess a Class “ B ” CDL ( Class “ A ” preferred ). Hours are from 7:00am – 3:00pm , 35 hours per week . Must be available for weekend stand by and on call for emergencies .

Interested applicants should submit an application to careers @ tenafly . net

Applications are available at www . tenaflynj . org / DocumentCenter / View / 329

The Borough reserves the right to interview and / or appoint a candidate prior to the deadline . Tenafly is an Equal Opportunity Employer .

NR-GCI0857080-01

NR-GCI0862307-01

Full Time Leasing Agent

Full-time Leasing Agent needed for large residential apartment community . Must have a current New Jersey Real Estate license . Amazing opportunity for newly licensed agent looking to gain hands – on professional experience , or a more seasoned agent tired of chasing commissions . Applicants must possess excellent organizational and interpersonal skills . They should be capable of working both independently and as part of a team . New employee will be mentored by experienced colleagues . Pandemic guidelines in place . The position requires a valid NJ driver ’ s license with a reasonable commute . Forty hour work week with benefits .

Please email all resumes to riverviewgardens @ comcast . net