September 5, 2023 - Kivo Daily

Jobs market turns up with great results in 2023

Brandon Foster on September 5, 2023

Jobs – On Friday, the American jobs market once more proved its resilience and outperformed forecasts.

Market growth outperformed forecasts by more than three times, rendering recessionary estimates absurd.

What happened

Analysts anticipated that the US economy likely generated 185,000 jobs in January in a joint estimate that was published last week.

The news is positive because the amount would have been higher than the pre-pandemic average.

But as it turned out, the economy was erratic, replacing it with almost 500,000 new jobs.

The report

American economists were shocked to learn on Friday morning that the country gained 517,000 jobs in January.

Experts anticipated a slight increase in the unemployment rate.

As opposed to that, it dropped from 3.5% to 3.4%.

Furthermore, the economy as a whole is still performing well despite high-profile cutbacks in the media and technology industry.

Other significant changes include:

A rise in employment across the board, particularly in the hospitality and leisure sectors.
After the changes, the number of jobs added in the US in 2022 was 4.8 million, which was 300,000 higher than anticipated.
It was more than anticipated that wages rose by 4.4% from a year earlier.

A weakening recession forecast

Because it seemed like the economy was headed in that direction in 2022, everyone was troubled by recessionary fears the whole year.

Today’s experts and economists claim that they overestimated the forecasts.

Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, said:

“Any concern the economy is in recession or close to a recession should be completely dashed by these numbers.”

Many people were concerned about the Federal Reserve’s attempts to lower inflation by reducing the amount of currency in circulation.

Regulations frequently make a recession more likely by stifling business growth (or, in some circumstances, stopping it altogether).

Despite the rising inflation, the Fed’s actions have not caused the labor market to tremble.

“Last year involved the biggest mis-reading [SIC] of the economy in the labor market,” Justin Wolfers, an economist, tweeted on Friday.

“The recession talk spiked to new highs, even as the economy recorded a rate of job growth that any real economist will tell you spelled ‘BOOM.'”

The pandemic has compelled economists to break from the ordinary, although in the past they have relied on a range of models to make their forecasts.

“My meta-theory of why so many people have been wrong about the economy for so long is that many economists (and econ journos) are incapable of acknowledging that sometimes, good things happen,” said Wolfers.

The Feds and hiking rates

The news will be positive for the workforce, but Wall Street isn’t as excited.

Stocks fell on Friday morning as a result of investors’ surprise at the jobs report, a hint that high interest rates, which lower corporate profitability, aren’t going anywhere soon.

The Fed made it apparent that it will maintain raising rates in an effort to reduce inflation to its objective of about 2% and drain the economy of excess liquidity.

Inflation has been falling since last summer, when it peaked at 9.1%.

The PCE index, the Fed’s preferred method of gauging price increases, increased from the previous year in December.

The labor market’s strong tolerance for the Fed’s most aggressive policy in recent memory demonstrates that the institution is free to keep interest rates high without causing unemployment and widespread job cuts.

However, the economy is not entirely safe.

The rising interest rate makes it difficult for people to make loans, which is bad news for anybody trying to finance a company, purchase a home, or take out school loans.

Sung Won Sohn, director of SS Economics and a professor of finance and economics at Loyola Marymount University, said in a message on Friday:

“A rolling recession – where various sectors of the economy take turns contracting rather than simultaneously – is in progress.”

Workers market

According to the most current job data, early signs indicate that it is still a worker’s market.

In December, there were 11 million more opportunities available than expected and since July, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), which was published on Wednesday.

Due to the pandemic, office occupancy has been falling for the previous three years, but it has just just started to rise.

Office occupancy rates in ten major US cities have reached 50% for the first time since March 2020, according to Kastle Systems’ security-card swap data.

NASA’s DART Mission Completes Maneuver to Make Contact with an Asteroid

Alice Blake on September 5, 2023

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Many films have featured a brave group of astronauts on a trip that might mean the difference between life and death, with asteroids serving as their customary foe.

Some examples of these movies include Deep Impact and Armageddon. Moviegoers observe as the heroes blow a nuclear bomb to prevent the asteroid from crashing with Earth.

Contrary to common assumption, experts do not believe that a massive quantity of boulders traveling at a speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour or more could be totally shattered.

The solution, according to experts, is to simply steer a piece of space rock off course using a tiny spacecraft. This method is safer and gentler than other handling methods.

And this past week, NASA accomplished that when one of its spacecraft slammed an asteroid. Before the asteroid eventually destroyed the equipment, its photographs were captured and transmitted to the head office.

Dimorphos is an asteroid that was reached by NASA’s device.

The idea worked, the crew said, and it would only be a matter of months until they would know whether or not they had successfully diverted the asteroid from its course.

Elena Adams, the mission’s systems engineer, claimed that the individuals directly involved in the mission were overwhelmed with ecstasy and horror as soon as the craft eventually collided with Dimorphos.

The mission is a phase of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), initiated by NASA seven years ago.

To test humanity’s ability to defend the Earth against space debris headed for a collision with our planet, the $300 million initiative put the spacecraft into orbit in November of last year.

Before the team saw the desired outcomes, scientists predicted it would take two months.

The mission is successful if the asteroid is deflected off its route. If it proceeds in the same direction, though, NASA will need to come up with another technique.

“This really is about asteroid deflection, not disruption. This isn’t going to blow up the asteroid,” said DART’s coordination lead, Nancy Chabot.

Changing the orbit of Dimorphos

With a distance of 7 million miles from Earth, Dimorphos is completely inhospitable to life. It’s more intriguing that Dimorphos, a 525 feet wide rock, is orbiting another asteroid, albeit a larger one.

According to NASA, DART won’t alter Earth significantly enough to put life at risk.

“There is no scenario in which one or the other body can become a threat to the Earth. It’s just not scientifically possible, just because of momentum conservation and other things,” Thomas Zurbuchen from the NASA science mission directorate stated.

DART’s objective is to change the amount of time it takes Dimorphos to complete an orbit around the larger asteroid.

According to statistics, the smaller asteroid turns once every 11 hours, 55 minutes. Dimorphos ought to now complete a full orbit every 11 hours, 45 minutes, assuming the DART mission is effective.

“The bottom line is, it’s a great thing. Someday, we are going to find an asteroid which has a high probability of hitting the Earth, and we are going to want to deflect it. When that happens, we should have, in advance, some experience knowing that this would work,” explained the Asteroid Institute executive director, Ed Lu.

NASA should work more

Since they know how important their work is, DART experts at NASA put forth more effort to advance the research.

“We’re moving an asteroid. We are changing the motion of a natural celestial body in space. Humanity has never done that before. This is stuff of science fiction books and really corny episodes of Star Trek from when I was a kid, and now it’s real. And that’s kind of astonishing that we are actually doing that, and what that bodes for the future of what we can do,” stated a DART program scientist, Tom Statler.

“It’s something that we need to get done so that we know what’s out there and know what’s coming and have adequate time to prepare for it,” added Lindley Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer.

Photo Credit: NASA

Source: NPR

Digital Driver’s License Now Accepted in Arizona

Alice Blake on September 5, 2023

Photo: Apple

iPhone users with an Arizona driver’s license or state ID can now upload them to their Apple Wallet. This is the first time a US state has supported digital versions of identification.

Arizona residents with TSA PreCheck can present their digital driver’s license or state ID using their iPhone or Apple Watch at select Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

But the residents will still need their physical IDs to fly home when traveling to a state not accredited in the Apple program, which is every other state in the country.

Even in Arizona, physical IDs are also still needed to, for example, enter a bar, get documents notarized, or show law enforcement. However, Apple has previously announced that it is testing ways that people can use digital verification in the future.

Last year, Apple hinted that it was working with several states on the digital verification initiative, including Georgia, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah. The initiative was supposed to launch last year, but the company told CNN Business that it required a more complicated process to implement and that they are trying to make it available as soon as possible.

On Wednesday, Apple announced plans to introduce the feature to Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and Puerto Rico.

Digital verification is part of Apple’s agenda to enhance its digital Wallet. The company already offers digital credit cards, movie tickets, car keys, boarding passes, and gift cards, which all offer convenience and push iOS users into its ecosystem of services.

The user will be required to take a selfie to authenticate the ID after scanning and uploading a picture of their license or their state ID card and complete facial and head movements — not different from how Face ID is activated. Apple explained that the upload would be “securely provided” to the state for verification.

Once activated and approved, users can tap their iPhone or Apple Watch on the identity reader at the security checkpoint, and the agent will see the information required to fly. It works similarly to how people use the Wallet to make purchases at card readers.

Users will be shown which specific information is requested by the TSA on the user’s iPhone or Apple Watch. The user will have the option to provide that information with Face ID or Touch ID. The information is shared digitally, so users do not need to show or give their devices to authorities.

Apple previously said information on the IDs is “encrypted and protected against tampering and theft.” Biometric authentication is also used to ensure the proper person is using the phone or watch.

Driver’s license and state ID support on Apple Wallet is available on iPhone 8 or later running iOS 15.4, and Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 8.4 or later.

Great Britain Strengthens Law against Phone Use While Driving

Dillon Kivo on September 5, 2023

Photo: Getty Images

Great Britain will no longer be able to evade punishment for using their phone while driving after a loophole in the law was closed.

A fine of up to £1,000 may be implemented, and the driver may receive six points on their license for scrolling through their handheld device.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the government was taking a “zero-tolerance approach”.

Devices can still be used hands-free while driving if secured in a cradle.

The change in the law extends an existing offense that includes making phone calls or sending text messages. However, it does not apply in Northern Ireland.

In July 2019, a man dismissed a conviction for filming a crash by saying he was not using his phone “to communicate.”

Following that decision, two High Court judges criticized the law on phone use while driving, saying that the law did not evolve with technology.

The Department for Transport (DfT) says that 17 people have been killed and 114 seriously injured in vehicular accidents involving a driver using a mobile phone.

The DfT added that drivers can still use their phones if their vehicle is stationary. This is particularly useful in contactless payments, such as in drive-through restaurants.

Shapps said, “I will do everything in my power to keep road users safe, which is why I am taking a zero-tolerance approach to those who decide to risk lives by using their phone behind the wheel.

“I’m ensuring anyone who chooses to break this vital law can face punishment for doing so, and we’ll continue our efforts to ensure our roads remain among the safest in the world.”

Phones behind the wheel: the law

The law requires drivers to take note of the following:

Using a handheld mobile phone while driving is illegal
Any hands-free devices should be fully set up before driving
Police still have the power to stop a driver if they think the driver is distracted
The law still applies even if stopped in traffic or queueing at lights
Penalty points, a fine, and/or a driving ban may apply if the law is broken

The Automobile Association welcomed the changes, saying they want handheld phone use while driving to be “as socially unacceptable as drunk driving.”

Edmund King, the organization’s president, said, “This is a much needed toughening of the rules to help make our roads safer.”

He continued that “playing” with a phone secured in a cradle would still leave drivers open to cases of careless or dangerous driving.

81% of respondents had supported the move in a public consultation, pushing the government to adjust the law.

7 Ways Successful Salespeople Prepare for Finalist Meetings

Jerry Cooper on September 5, 2023

Take care to prepare — or dare to go nowhere.

By Alex Dripchak

Successful salespeople know that preparing for finalist meetings is serious business. With everything at stake and do-overs not an option, the choice is clear: Take care to prepare — or dare to go nowhere.

So what are these sales stars’ secrets? Start with these seven tips.

Plan ahead for the hard(est) questions.

The last thing you need in a finalist meeting is to be stumped by a question. So rather than try to pray it away, play it awry: Simulate the hardest questions that could be asked and then battle-test your responses. In planning ahead, you’ll not only take weakness off the table, you’ll be ready with cogent responses that showcase strength.

Look for prior ties to your company.

Find out if your prospect might have worked with your company through a former employer. You can start by checking your CRM system against their LinkedIn profile, and then if there is a past connection, asking their account manager about the relationship. If they were a satisfied client, see if they’d consider putting in a good word for you. And if they weren’t, get to the bottom of what went wrong, lest you walk into a firestorm in the finalist meeting.

Enlist your internal champion’s involvement.

You can talk up your market presence all you want, but it’ll have a lot more weight if your internal champion agrees to tout it for you. Additionally, if they happen to have a use case or peer study, ask them to share it firsthand. Bottom line, the more you can position yourself as the director behind the camera rather than the star of the show, the better off you’ll be.

Focus on your delivery as much as your content.

No matter how revolutionary your product or service may be, it’ll get lost inside a long, monotonous soliloquy. So work on really energizing your delivery, particularly on your key differentiators, and then practice it a few times. Personally, I like using something I’ve dubbed the PET technique, which accentuates the power of pauses, emphasis, and tone.

Also, if you’re presenting as a team, be sure to mix in new voices with different speakers. You can do this to introduce or highlight specific information, as well as wake up any attendees who may have tuned out, especially if you’ve lapsed back into a soliloquy.

The point being here is that how you deliver your messages is as important as the messages themselves.

Agree on the agenda in advance.

Fact is, you can spend hours on crafting a powerful presentation, but it’ll be all for naught if you fail to align your agenda with your prospect’s priorities.

Now, you’re probably thinking that you’re perfectly capable of creating a meeting agenda, and moreover, that your own priorities are important, too. Even so, make sure to agree on the agenda in advance and then prepare your messages and materials accordingly.

Arrange for some uninterrupted setup time.

More often than not, your setup time is probably co-mingled with participant arrivals, introductions, and the requisite chitchat. But the problem is that this can compromise your attention to detail, leading to hiccups (e.g., technical issues or disorganized handouts) during the meeting.

The good news is that there’s an easy fix: Simply arrange for some uninterrupted setup time with your internal champion. Even a few extra minutes on your own can go a long way toward a polished presentation.

Take extra precautions when videoconferencing.

Chances are, some of your finalist meetings are taking place via videoconference, especially given the current pandemic. So when that’s the case, work to head any technology or connectivity issues off at the pass. For example, dial in with your phone in case your computer acts up, and temporarily disable pop-ups like scheduling updates or meeting reminders.

Also, consider the full range of potential problems in advance, including issues with lighting, sound, resolution, or your background. Heaven forbid, for instance, that your audio or video is wonky (and thereby distracting) or that you unwittingly have something embarrassing sitting out where everyone can see it.

Finally, as the legendary NCAA basketball coach John Wooden said, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” So when it comes to your finalist meetings, take care to prepare — or dare to go nowhere.

*****

Alex Dripchak is a sales and career-readiness expert based in New York City. His professional experience includes serving as a relationship manager at Mercer, a global HR consulting leader, and a sales manager and outside producer in HR software at the tech giant Oracle. He is the author of “100 Skills of the Successful Sales Professional” (Business Expert Press, 2021) and

the co-founder of Commence, a breakthrough college-to-career skills development program.

Twitter still hasn’t released severance offer to laid-off employees

Scarlet Logan on September 5, 2023

Twitter: An employee whose job has been terminated or laid off may get monetary compensation or a severance offer from their employer.

It frequently serves as an avenue for the business to support the worker financially during the adjustment time following the layoff.

Salaries, benefits, and other payments may also be included in severance packages.

Employees said they hadn’t yet gotten a formal severance package or separation agreement despite Elon Musk releasing them two months earlier.

On Wednesday, the final official day of employment for those affected by the original layoffs, a former employee said they expected to hear something.

The news

Early Thursday, the former employee said they never received any documents linked to the offer or severance agreement.

Other former employees made similar claims on Twitter.

One person asserted they had never gotten severance money or a written letter of termination.

No severance details had been sent to Shannon Liss-Riordan’s clients as of Thursday, a spokesperson for her said.

Her spokesperson, Kevin Ready, explained:

“There was some anticipation that they would be sent yesterday, but we haven’t seen that.”

Liss-Riordan, meanwhile, issued the following statement on Thursday:

“Yesterday was the official separation date for thousands of Twitter employees, and after months of chaos and uncertainty created by Elon Musk, these workers remain in the lurch.”

The layoffs

Elon Musk spent $44 billion to buy the social networking firm in October.

Staff members began to express concerns as he started reducing expenses and paying off mounds of debt.

One month later, Musk kept letting employees go in waves.

He turned away even more workers by making those who remained pledge to put in “hardcore work.”

Musk promised the discharged employees a three-month severance package during the layoffs.

The timespan took into account the 60-day prior notice that Twitter was required to share.

Severance agreements

Fortune published a report about Twitter’s intention to provide severance compensation to sacked employees on Thursday afternoon.

However, it was unclear when the agreements would be publicly disclosed.

Screenshots and an anonymous person supported the accusation.

Former US Twitter employees would have received one month’s base pay under the severance agreements.

Additionally, there would be a clause mandating that employees abstain from taking part in ongoing legal actions launched against Twitter.

Lawsuits

On behalf of the fired workers, Shannon Liss-Riordan submitted four proposed class action lawsuits against Twitter.

The accusations included claims that the business failed to uphold its commitments to provide consistent benefits and remote work.

Additionally, they received complaints alleging discrimination on gender and disability.

Furthermore, Liss-Riordan filed three complaints with the National Labor Relations Board against the business.

On Thursday, she added 100 more arbitration demands against the social media giant.

The demands came after the first 100 last month.

In December, the workers won an early legal battle.

Before asking them to sign separation agreements that include claim releases, a judge ordered Twitter to notify the ex-employees of the lawsuit.

References:

Two months after mass Twitter layoffs, affected employees still waiting for severance offers

Twitter sued by landlord for allegedly failing to pay rent

A Guide to Choosing Your Bridal Jewellery

Jerry Cooper on September 5, 2023

It’s your big day and you want to look perfect for the occasion. The dress, of course, is vital, as are your shoes, hair and make-up. But don’t forget the jewellery, because if you master this it will complement your hair and dress, and complete that dazzling look. Take care to pick the right jewellery styles, and prepare to look amazing as you walk down that aisle.

Match the jewellery with the neckline of your dress

If your dress has a high neckline then wearing any kind of necklace might not work, as it could look too busy. Instead, a pair of diamond earrings could be the answer to balancing out the look.

A luxury necklace would, however, look incredible on a strapless dress, where you can showcase this sparkling piece of jewellery.

If your gown has a plunging neckline, then a pendant might be the best option, taking care to choose a length that dips nicely into the V.

Less is more

You don’t want to overdo it on your wedding day. As well as stunning, a bride needs to look elegant, and too much jewellery could ruin the look. It’s the dress that needs to do the talking as you walk down the aisle, so going for beautiful stud earrings might provide you with the subtle, classy look you’re going for.

Choose your gemstones carefully

Yes, it’s about the look, but it’s also about the symbolism. Since ancient times, gemstones have been thought to hold special powers. People would wear them for love, luck, strength and many more reasons besides. Even today, it’s popular to have a gem that symbolises something important. On your wedding day, love might be the message you wish to convey, in which case you could go for a red ruby, which represents love and friendship and is a protector against misfortune. Equally, a green emerald might be a good choice, as it’s meant to aid fertility. If it’s luck you’re after, then try citrine – the success stone – which also promotes optimism.

Whatever you choose for your big day, make sure it’s something you adore and that you feel comfortable and beautiful in. Even if a particular piece of jewellery is technically perfect for your dress and look, you might decide it’s not for you. This is absolutely fine, as it’s your day, and you should always go for what makes you feel your best.