No this is not a title of a new book from Hunter S. Thompson, but a cute play
on words about the jobless recovery of California using the title of his infamous
book as the catch phrase for a recent presentation.

As California's business climate appears to have turned a corner, unemployment
in the state will remain high and slow to recover. According to panelists from
the recent webcast presentation "Fear and Laboring in California" that agreed
that while the worst part of the recession is behind California and the nation,
employers are watching their bottom line and remain extremely tentative about
hiring.

"It's not quite as bad as it was six months ago," said Jack Kyser, of the Kyser
Center for Economic Research at the Los Angeles County Economic Development
Corp. "We are still seeing year-to-year job losses but they are not as large as they
were. Businesses are starting to see slightly better signs of improvement in orders
but they are still very concerned and being very cautious. So, I think it's going
to be a slow recovery, unfortunately."

                                             
                                               Jack Kyser

Six months ago, Kyser and the other panelists including David Smith, economics
professor, Pepperdine; Daisy Swan career strategist and John Andrews regional
vice president, Everest College discussed the fact that California’s labor force
was working harder, toiling longer hours and experiencing less job security than
they did two years ago. The panelists agreed that confidence among workers may
have picked up slightly in the past six months regarding job security, but employees
and employers are still cautious about the economic and job environment.

"Things are certainly looking up in terms of economic activity, but even in a
typical recession, employment is the last economic indicator to improve," said
Smith. "There is still a lot of anxiety out there in terms of where we are headed,
how slow the recovery is going to be and I think this environment has led employers
to be cautious about hiring. However, we are seeing nice upticks in the number of
temporary workers being hired, which usually precedes permanent hires being made,
so I think there is reason to be optimistic." 

                                            
                                               David Smith

Compared with the rest of the nation, California has a unique set of problems and
its housing market is going to act as a break in the state's recovery, according
to Kyser. "California will probably lag the nation a little bit because we have
the issue with construction and ongoing job loss in manufacturing and the
government financial problems," Kyser said.

The consensus among the panelists was that the environment calls for more
entrepreneurial thinking among workers. Whether they are students, current
employees or the recently unemployed, many Californians are thinking creatively
on how to elevate their status in the job market. "One thing that we are hearing
about is people starting up businesses, and it's interesting that most of these
people are having success," Kyser said. "They are finding a lot of interesting
opportunities for themselves out there." Andrews agreed with Kyser's assessment
and encourages students to incorporate an entrepreneurial element into their
education. "If we look at a number of our programs that would attract small business
owners, we're trying to encourage those students to pick up some of the business
courses that allow them to successfully open their own business."  In a tight job
market and tough economy, the panelists cited continued education or training for
a new career as a prime factor to compete for jobs in California. "This emphasis on
education can't be stressed enough," Smith said. "If you have an education, you're
less likely to be unemployed and most importantly, even if you are a casualty of
a layoff in a downturn, you're much more likely to find a job than those without
a degree."
                                         
                                              Daisy Swan

Californians are also reevaluating their priorities when it comes to job searching,
focusing on healthcare benefits, according to Swan, who helps clients with their
career direction and personal goals. "I work with a lot of freelancers, and the
crunch of our economy has really hurt them," Swan said. "They are desperate to
get a job with benefits. These are people who have really enjoyed their flexibility
and autonomy and are willing to give it all up for some sort of security. I'd say
that's the predominant thing people are coming to me with – I want a job with
security."

Now do you want to go to Las Vegas?