Recession

Consider alternative strategies for job search Feeling stuck in your job-searching process? If the things you've been trying haven't been snaring interviews or even nibbles for jobs you have your eye on, then consider these alternative strategies: * Try taking on a project or freelance work for a reduced fee or on a contract basis to prove yourself to a prospective employer. When business picks up, you already have a foot in the door. * Consider opportunities at small businesses. While small businesses are also suffering in this recession, they have more leeway in negotiating pay and job duties than large employers.

Chicago. - Not only are we in a recession; we are in the first economic downturn since the Great Depression that is eating its way up the job scale into the middle class. Hobart Rowen of the Washington Post adduces the figures that were compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These show that in other recessions in recent years, white-collar unemployment actually went up while blue-collar workers were being laid off. Here are the numbers:* In the 1975 recession that helped defeat Gerald Ford, 1.88 million blue-collar jobs were lost in the space of 15 months, but white-collar jobs went up in the same period by 630,000.

The Bush administration's persistent public pessimism about the economy runs a serious risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. The downbeat pronouncements began even before the Florida election controversy was over; on "Meet the Press" Dec. 3, Vice President Dick Cheney said "we may well be on the front edge of a recession," though no reputable economic forecasters were predicting recession at the time. Since then, Mr. Cheney, Mr. Bush and other administration officials repeatedly have made statements conspicuously more gloomy than would have been expected from the objective economic indicators.

Sales are slightly better, profits are down sharply and growth of the company is relatively slow. That's Giant Food today, after a year of economic recession and stiffened competition among the food retailers.Giant's report in midweek was its most disappointing in years. Annual profits fell by almost $32 million, more than 25 percent. Sales forged ahead just over 4 percent for the year. The severest blow, though, was the final period -- 17 weeks instead of the usual 13 weeks -- in which profits tumbled 38 percent even though turnover rose nearly 9 percent, thanks to an extra week in this year's reporting period.

BIG CITIES and small towns alike across the country are beset by many of the same problems: deteriorating infrastructures, crime, weak to dying economies.All of the candidates, including President Bush, talk about the need to create "jobs, jobs, jobs" in general terms. But little is said specifically about the need to revitalize the economies of the cities and small towns.Enter the nation's mayors. They have a plan they say would create 280,500 jobs this year and help lift the nation out of recession.

Maryland's economic development secretary didn't mince words last week: the state remains mired in a prolonged recession that shows few signs of lifting soon. In the near term, Mark L. Wasserman said, growth will be "slow, very slow."Those aren't comforting words, especially for Mr. Wasserman's boss, Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who desperately wants to see an upturn in time for the issuance of next year's budget. Yet it appears a realistic assessment. Mr. Wasserman didn't attempt to sugar-coat his message.