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CNN Live Saturday
Interview with John Challenger
Aired November 08, 2003 - 12:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD CNN ANCHOR: So, let's focus on the employment market and recent boost in jobs over the past three months. Is this just the beginning of an endure surge?
Lets talk with John Challenger in Chicago. He is the CEO of Challenger Gray and Christmas, an outplacement group that monitor's work places trends. Good to see you.
JOHN CHALLENGER, CEO, CHALLENGER, GRAY AND CHRISTMAS: Nice to be here, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, the president is energy guides. He says the rest of the nation ought to be energy guides, too. He's crediting, in part, tax cuts.
What's your theory?
CHALLENGER: Well, certainly tax cuts and interest rate cuts that allowed homeowners to buy homes have given a lot of stimulus in this economy. It grew at 7.2 percent in the third quarter. That finally began generating jobs after six months of declining jobs this year.
WHITFIELD: Three month job growth. Many people are applauding that, but there are an awful lot of folks still out of work, saying, I'm looking for the help wanted signs. Where is this job growth being seen?
CHALLENGER: The job growth is occurring in areas, like technical services. That was an area we saw growth this last month, computer people for example, but also in health care, education, retail. Areas like that.
WHITFIELD: And especially as we head into the holiday season, you talk about retail. Often times it opens up a lot of opportunities for people, for part-time work, seasonal work, so to speak. Do you see this momentum of the past three months moving into a fourth month and fifth month as we enter the new year?
CHALLENGER: Certainly that is the big hope. The economy has been moving in fits and starts throughout much of the last two years. It would get stimulus from the government, it would move forward a little bit and fall back. Now, it's take an big jump forward. The question is, will it start to gain momentum and become self-propelling. We need the job creation, the steady job creation and business spending to create an economy, a growing economy that sustains the job growth over the next year and into 2004.
WHITFIELD: While Americans are encouraged to hear this news, there are still an awful lot of folks still out of work. If I could, just ask for your advice now, that you could shed on a lot of people out there.
What do they need to think about as they head into the holiday season looking for jobs?
Where might they be able to find those opportunities to take advantage of perhaps a charitable mood many employers are in?
CHALLENGER: It's very important to go out to all of your friends and acquaintances, methodically, when you talk about a holiday gift, Christmas gift you could get, the best thing they could do for you, to introduce you to three other people in businesses, people who could introduce you to the next boss you'd have at that given company.
WHITFIELD: So, don't take a gift, instead, perhaps take a job referral as a gift.
CHALLENGER: That's the best gift you could give to one of your friends you know who's out of work. Go to as many parties as you can at Thanksgiving and Christmas during the holiday season. You don't want to buttonhole someone and ask them nor a job, certainly, you can set up a lot of interviews?
WHITFIELD: John Challenger of Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Thanks very much. Appreciate it.
CHALLENGER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 8, 2003 - 12:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD CNN ANCHOR: So, let's focus on the employment market and recent boost in jobs over the past three months. Is this just the beginning of an endure surge?
Lets talk with John Challenger in Chicago. He is the CEO of Challenger Gray and Christmas, an outplacement group that monitor's work places trends. Good to see you.
JOHN CHALLENGER, CEO, CHALLENGER, GRAY AND CHRISTMAS: Nice to be here, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, the president is energy guides. He says the rest of the nation ought to be energy guides, too. He's crediting, in part, tax cuts.
What's your theory?
CHALLENGER: Well, certainly tax cuts and interest rate cuts that allowed homeowners to buy homes have given a lot of stimulus in this economy. It grew at 7.2 percent in the third quarter. That finally began generating jobs after six months of declining jobs this year.
WHITFIELD: Three month job growth. Many people are applauding that, but there are an awful lot of folks still out of work, saying, I'm looking for the help wanted signs. Where is this job growth being seen?
CHALLENGER: The job growth is occurring in areas, like technical services. That was an area we saw growth this last month, computer people for example, but also in health care, education, retail. Areas like that.
WHITFIELD: And especially as we head into the holiday season, you talk about retail. Often times it opens up a lot of opportunities for people, for part-time work, seasonal work, so to speak. Do you see this momentum of the past three months moving into a fourth month and fifth month as we enter the new year?
CHALLENGER: Certainly that is the big hope. The economy has been moving in fits and starts throughout much of the last two years. It would get stimulus from the government, it would move forward a little bit and fall back. Now, it's take an big jump forward. The question is, will it start to gain momentum and become self-propelling. We need the job creation, the steady job creation and business spending to create an economy, a growing economy that sustains the job growth over the next year and into 2004.
WHITFIELD: While Americans are encouraged to hear this news, there are still an awful lot of folks still out of work. If I could, just ask for your advice now, that you could shed on a lot of people out there.
What do they need to think about as they head into the holiday season looking for jobs?
Where might they be able to find those opportunities to take advantage of perhaps a charitable mood many employers are in?
CHALLENGER: It's very important to go out to all of your friends and acquaintances, methodically, when you talk about a holiday gift, Christmas gift you could get, the best thing they could do for you, to introduce you to three other people in businesses, people who could introduce you to the next boss you'd have at that given company.
WHITFIELD: So, don't take a gift, instead, perhaps take a job referral as a gift.
CHALLENGER: That's the best gift you could give to one of your friends you know who's out of work. Go to as many parties as you can at Thanksgiving and Christmas during the holiday season. You don't want to buttonhole someone and ask them nor a job, certainly, you can set up a lot of interviews?
WHITFIELD: John Challenger of Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Thanks very much. Appreciate it.
CHALLENGER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
