---

Unfortunately, Philadelphia is feeling the impact of the economic downturn in the same way as other metropolitan areas: There’s a chill in the job market, with companies proceeding slowly with their hiring plans for 2009.

“Many companies are being very cautious or have put in a hiring freeze,” says Kay Durkin, president of recruiting firm Phoenix Partners, based in Ardmore, Pa. “This all happened very quickly and it has caught companies by surprise. They are still hiring but they are being cautious. They are taking longer and they want to see more candidates.”

Rose Jackson concurs. She’s branch manager for recruiter the Sapphire Technologies office in the city, and says that while her office experienced an increase in demand for full time workers in 2008, that demand’s slackened more recently.

“Companies seem to want to wait for 2009 to see what is going to happen to the economy, and consequently their budgets, before hiring full time staff at this point,” says Jackson.

The economy is impacting other aspects of the tech workforce, as well. Kulicke & Soffa Industries, a maker of semiconductor-assembly equipment based in Fort Washington, Pa., is cutting salaries across the board by 10 percent – more for senior executives. The company also plans to eliminate 240 jobs.

Corporate caution is spurring a demand for contractors. Durkin, who has been recruiting for in IT since 1987, says requests for contract workers are increasing daily. No matter what’s happening in the economy, companies still need to get their work done, “so they are hiring contactors because … they need someone right away,” Durkin says.

While Jackson says the Philadelphia market isn’t as strong as it’s been in the past, mergers and acquisitions are creating opportunities for IT professionals who can integrate company systems. Plus, certain verticals – specifically the high technology and healthcare sectors – need people to complete essential projects.

The key industries that tend to drive Philadelphia’s IT market include banking, insurance, telecom, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. (Indeed, despite the tumult in the financial world, Jackson says some financial companies continue to hire.)

On Dice, job postings in the city dropped during 2008, from 3,142 in January to 1,920 in December. Still, Philadelphia has a need for certain IT skills. Demand for .Net and Java skills remain hot, along with mainframe technologies, such as Cobol, says Jackson.

Durkin also can’t seem to find enough .NET expertise, and needs Java and SharePoint talent as well. Web developers, programmers, data center managers, system administrators and IT security expertise is also in demand. Large companies need storage experts, she says.

Source: http://career-resources.dice.com

Forget the presidential election of 2008! It appears there’s an even bigger election coming up in the next few days. Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, a small burg with much history is looking to elect a new mayor. Among the candidates are 1-3 humans, and about 12 different animals including a poodle, cat, Collie and a miniature donkey named Higgins. Amazingly the humans are all in dead last place in the voting so far.

The previous mayor of Rabbit Hash was a black Lab dog named Junior who was elected in 2004. Junior sadly passed away this past June, leaving Rabbit Hash leaderless. Currently, Toby a Springer Spaniel is in the lead, but Higgins the mini donkey isn’t far behind!  You can read more about this and find out voting info by going to RabbitHashUsa.com

The organization that I work for has been selected to receive a prestigious award at the end of October. Yay!  Article below:

Project Dragonfly wins global award; introduces new master’s programs

Miami University’s Project Dragonfly will receive the Outstanding Service to Environmental Education by an Organization at the Global Level Award from the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) on Oct. 18.

Project Dragonfly has engaged millions of children, parents and educators worldwide through its award-winning learning media, public exhibits and education programs.

Originating in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and now in the department of zoology, Dragonfly has involved faculty, staff and students from every Miami division. The project, which champions public engagement in science and conservation, began with Dragonfly magazine – the first national magazine to feature children’s investigations.

In 1998, Project Dragonfly partnered with TPT television in St. Paul, Minn., to turn the magazine into a national PBS children’s series. Funded by the National Science Foundation, “DragonflyTV” reaches more than 20 million people a year and recently won two Emmy awards.

In 2003, Project Dragonfly joined the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden to create Earth Expeditions, a global conservation initiative linking scientists, educators, community leaders, Miami students and others at conservation hotspots in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Earth Expeditions is now the foundation for a new Miami master’s degree called the Global Field Program. A second new master’s program, the Interdisciplinary Science Program, allows a customized course of study. The two programs allow either an MAT degree in the biological sciences from the departments of botany, microbiology and zoology or an MA in zoology. Applications are being accepted for summer 2009.

Directed by Miami professor Chris Myers and Lynne Born Myers, Project Dragonfly continues its work on environmental education nationally and internationally to promote voice, conservation and global understanding.

Miami’s Lynne Born Myers, Jamie Bercaw Anzano and Jill Korach will accept the award at the NAAEE conference in Wichita, Kan.

Source