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Employers added a better-than-expected 195,000 jobs in June, as the labor market advanced despite huge federal spending cuts and tax increases, and a eurozone recession.
The unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.6%, the Labor Department said Friday.

Economists had estimated that 165,000 jobs were added last month, according to a consensus forecast.
Also encouraging: job gains for April and May were revised up by a total 70,000. April's increase was revised to 199,000 from 149,000, and May to 195,000 from 175,000. 

In June businesses added 202,000 jobs, while federal state and local governments cut 7,000. The growth was broad-based, with leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, retail, health care and finance all showing solid gains. 

Other barometers of the labor market were mixed. The number of temporary workers rose by 9,500. The addition of contingent workers typically signals more hiring of permanent staffers.
But the underemployment rate — a broader gauge of joblessness that includes people who stopped looking for work and part-time workers who prefer full-time jobs, as well as the unemployed — jumped to 14.3% from 13.8%. The number of so-called involuntary part-time workers increased by 322,000 to 8.2 million. 

The average workweek was unchanged at 34.5 hours. Employers typically increase the hours of existing workers before adding new ones. Average hourly earnings rose 10 cents to $24.01.
Leisure and hospitality led job gains with 75,000. Professional and business services added 53,000 and retailers, 37,000. The construction industry added 7,000 jobs while manufacturers cut 8,000.
The construction industry added 13,000 jobs. But manufacturers, still feeling the effects of a eurozone recession and the federal spending cuts, chopped 6,000.

Monthly payroll increases have averaged 202,000 this year, vs. 183,000 in 2012. "Employment growth continues to look more than strong enough to keep unemployment trending down," Jim O'Sullivan, chief U.S. economist of High Frequency Economics, said in a research note.
Last month's solid gains increase the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will begin dialing back its stimulus at its September meeting, RDQ Economics said in a research note. The Fed rattled stock and bond markets recently by saying it could rein in its monthly bond-buying later this year and end it by mid-2014, assuming the unemployment rate falls to 7% by then.

Expectations for strong employment gains were fueled by a payroll processor ADP's report this week that the private sector added 188,000 jobs in June. 

Yet the economy has been mixed lately. Home sales have hit pre-recession levels and consumer confidence has surged for three straight months. But reports have shown consumer spending and manufacturing weakening. And last week, the government revised down its estimate for first-quarter economic growth to an annual rate of 1.8% from 2.4%. 

Some analysts worry that $85 billion in across-the-board federal budget cuts and a January increase in payroll taxes may still inflict their most severe damage to the economy this summer.

When you think of a cheerful job, you probably don’t think of loan officer, warehouse manager, or accountant. But it turns out these are some of the happiest careers in America, according to online jobs site Careerbliss.com.

CareerBliss compiled a list of the 20 happiest jobs based on analysis from more than 100,400 employee-generated reviews between February 2011 and January 2012. Employees were asked to rate 10 factors that affect workplace happiness, including one’s relationship with the boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks, and control over the work one does on a daily basis.

The employees valued each factor on a five-point scale, and also indicated how important it was to their overall happiness at work. The numbers were combined to find an average rating of overall employee happiness for each respondent, and then sorted by job title to find which occupations had the happiest workers. A minimum of 50 employee reviews was required to be considered for CareerBliss’ 20 Happiest Jobs in America, and executive level jobs, like chief executive, were excluded from the study.

“Since we tend to spend more waking hours working than doing anything else, our work happiness is a huge factor in our overall happiness,” says CareerBliss’ chief executive, Heidi Golledge. “Nearly every person has a desire to feel valued and content, and a workplace or a career that provides that for its employees is key to not only happiness for the employees but the long-term success of the business.”

The happiest job of all isn’t kindergarten teacher or dentist. It’s software quality assurance engineer. Professionals with this job title are typically involved in the entire software development process to ensure the quality of the final product. This can include processes such as requirements gathering and documentation, source code control, code review, change management, configuration management, release management, and the actual testing of the software, explains Matt Miller, chief technology officer at CareerBliss.

With an index score of 4.24, software quality assurance engineers said they are more than satisfied with the people they work with and the company they work for. They’re also fairly content with their daily tasks and bosses.

These professionals “typically make between $85,000 and $100,000 a year in salary and are the gatekeepers for releasing high quality software products,” Miller says. Organizations generally will not allow software to be released until it has been fully tested and approved by their software quality assurance group, he adds.

Golledge says, “In past studies, we have noted that the long hours and intense demands on software engineers’ time caused them to rank as less than happy.  However, we are happy to report that software quality assurance engineers feel rewarded at work, as they are typically the last stop before software goes live and correctly feel that they are an integral part of the job being done at the company.”

Tied for the second most blissful job is executive chef and property manager; both earned an index score of 4.15. Executive chefs, also known as chefs de cuisine or head cooks, do everything from menu creation and staff training to ordering and purchasing inventory. They cite the work that they do and the people they work with as the main drivers of their happiness.

Property managers plan, direct, or coordinate the selling, buying, leasing, or governance activities of real estate properties, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Workers in this profession are most satisfied with the people they work with and the work that they do.

“Many of the happiest jobs have some component with working with people,” Golledge says. “Folks who work with others tend to rate their happiness higher on our site.”

Bank teller and warehouse manager round out the top five happiest jobs in America, with index scores of 4.14 and 4.13, respectively.

“The roles that we did not expect to see were teller, accountant and financial analyst,” she says. “Even though all three of these positions ranked low on compensation, they all ranked very high on ‘the company you work for’ and ‘the people you work with.’ Clearly, working with likeminded folks who share a love for calculators and numbers drive their happiness.”

A few support roles, like customer service reps and administrative assistants, also made the list. Why? “Through our research we have seen that many people who take on these roles are typically happy supporting or servicing other people, and are therefore fulfilled in their jobs.”
Golledge adds, “We have also noticed that happiness definitely does not align with pay, and once someone’s basic needs are met, the additional money on the job is a nice perk but is not what drives employee happiness.”

CareerBliss also found that many people appreciate their jobs more in a down economy.  “As the job market is improving every day, we see that employees are looking to evaluate if they are happy in their current position and if their company is providing the type of culture they identify with,” Golledge says. “This year will be a very important year for employers as employees look at a possible career or job change to improve their satisfaction at work.”Click here for the complete list of the 20 happiest jobs in America.

Source Page : http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/03/23/the-happiest-jobs-in-america

Whether you’re full-time or part-time, a solopreneur or an independent contractor, a master of the gig economy or looking for a new career, you will find yourself in the interviewing process at one point or another.
In addition to coming prepared with the best questions to ask in a job interview, you my want to consider these weird interview tips.
[This is part of a series -- "30 Days of Freelancing": 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27]

Wear color

About a month ago, I made a new rule: I’m no longer allowed to buy black or gray clothes. The rainbow style makeover has had an unexpected impact: People respond to me more positively. It seems that when you wear color, people think you are happy.
Meditate strategically
In reality, the interview isn’t about you — it’s about them. Are you a good fit for their company? Spend 15 minutes before you leave for your interview mentally projecting yourself into the mind of the person who’ll be interviewing you. This will push you out of narcissism and into empathy. What will make them hire you?
Create a character
I used to be on TV. Initially, the idea of being on TV made me very anxious. I dealt with that by creating a character. What character would your future boss hire? The creative wunderkind, the risk-taking strategist, the marketing genius? Decide what that person looks like, talks like, acts like. Be that person for the duration of the interview. You can go back to being you afterwards.
Pick a time
According to this Glassdoor post, the best time to interview is 10:30 a.m. on a Tuesday. On the other hand, this post on ScienceDaily suggests you’re best off being the first in line, scoring subconscious privileged status. The worst: the start of the day on Monday, when hirers want to get to work, and the end of the day on Friday, when they want to go home.
Grow an inch
My biggest asset in a job interview: I’m tall (6’1″). Statistically, taller people make more money. Before we open our mouths, we’re conferred more power, greater self-confidence, and higher status. Wear shoes that make you taller. Do yoga to stand straight. Don’t slouch — unless you want to be assumed less worthy.
Make ‘em laugh
If there’s one thing I’ve done in nearly every interview, it’s make the interviewer laugh at some point. The interviewing process doesn’t have to be dry, formal, and stressful. Laughter creates an emotional bond between you and the person you’re trying to get to like you.
Look smarter
The College of Optometrists claims glasses make you look smarter. Of course, they’re biased. Those who seek to overcome a bias — you’re young, you’re blonde, you’re inexperienced — can score extra perceived IQ points by donning a pair of specs.