CNN Money ran an article this week, Less Pay. More hours. Unhappy workers saying that the majority of workers that are still employed are dealing with longer hours and less pay and this make for unhappy and unmotivated workers. Which means the unemployed aren’t the only group that is feeling the recessions. And what about those that were laid off, and have picked up a new position simply for the paycheck, and not becaue they love the job? This group seems to have felt the recession from both angels.

The article gives this quote by Domnick Eger, an information technology specialist in Phoenix, Ariz. “You can’t help but just do the bare essentials to keep you from being fired.” He goes on to talk about how he feels stretched to a breaking point in his current position, but is unable to find a new job.

Feeling unhappy at work should not be taken lightly. In a book by Chad Foster, it claims that the average person works 86,000 hours in their lifetime, and most of us eight-to-fivers work anywhere from 40-50 hours a week. This is the majority of your time (the majority of your week) spend at a place where you may not feel challenged, may not enjoy, and according to this CNN article, you might just be miserable.

According to a recent survey by the Workforce Institute at Kronos, 40% of employees at organizations affected by layoffs say productivity has been negatively impacted, and two-thirds of them say that morale is suffering and that employees are less motivated than before.

My question is. When will this change?? When can we expect this to turn around? When will people to start be happy and fulfilled in their jobs again?  When will the economy improve enough so that people feel secure enough to leave their jobs to find new ones that motivate and stimulate them again?

When are we going to get some good news? And once we do, how long will it take things to really turn around??

PR Newswire encourages us to energize our job search in this tough economy because companies are still searching for qualified candidates even as the country faces these economic uncertainties and a tighter labor market. Nearly half of HR managers are saying they have had to broaden the circle in which they look for qualified candidates in order to bring new talent in the door.  According to the the 2008 PR Career Guide, on the agency side, executives say that the softening of the economy has had it’s effects on the job market meaning new opportunities to bring on board the right staff. Maybe it’s not a loose loose situation after all.

Yes, we hear comments and new statistics everyday about what the economy is doing to the PR job market, “people are looking for work… the quantity of resumes is greater than I’ve seen in some time.” – Jason Maloni VP, Levick Strategic Communications. But the truth is, despite this economic slow down, there ARE jobs out there, certain companies ARE still looking, and the challenge is not WHERE to find a job, but HOW to find the job that does exist.

PR Newswire suggests the following four steps to get us started.

1. Get online now
2. Network Network Network
3. Keep your ears open for opportunity at your current employer
4. Call on the professionals — ask your professional network for referrals