Like most of us you’ve probably heard about the new IPhone 4 which has already sold over 3 million devices despite some complaints about cell phone signal quality. Oh, did I mention that Apple’s best product launch ever, the Iphone 4, is taking place while the economy is down - still somewhat in a recession? Or at least the tail end of the Great Recession. So what does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Well how about jobs? That’s right, with Apple’s Iphone 4, Motorola’s Droid X and now the Droid 2, the mobile technology market is not only keeping people on the payroll but adding more head count.

So from the looks of economic and consumer buying trends it looks like the Information Technology Industry is poised to be the next economic savior. Sorry Construction and Housing industry you had the last wave, sit back relax and let the good folks in Silicon Valley make things happen. Of course, Google is a key player in the growth of the mobile industry as well as a huge employer. Right now with Google’s success in the Android operating system (Android 2.2 has just landed) coupled with Google’s interest in broadband infrastructure, you can expect the hiring trends in Technology to continue.

So needless to say if Information Technology is how you make your living you’re probably smiling from ear to ear. If not, guess what? This is a perfect time to consider IT as a career choice. With unemployment levels still stubborn in many states, there’s still a wealth of grant funds available to cover most if not all of training to enter IT as a new field. One best kept secret is the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program which is sponsored by the Feds but administered by your state of residence. So even though the economy is stubborn at the movement, sales are up for the Iphone 4 and the Droid series of phones. So no more excuses. With Google, Apple, Motorola, Microsoft and others on the move, the mobile technology market is where it’s at which invariably means jobs, jobs and more jobs.

The million dollar question, especially for the unemployed - is it time to get back to work yet? Is the economy finally on track for a rebound? Are employers starting to hire in gross numbers again? Whoa Cowboy, that might be just a tab bit Pollyanna-ish. On the other hand, the latest job market indicators show a big increase in jobs added to the payroll, about 142,000 or so - to be a stickler for detail. So what's the big deal about 142,000 jobs when well over 15 million are still unemployed. Moreover, more than 40% have been unemployed for 6 months or longer. Well the 142,000 jobs added in March, in of itself, should be enough to rave about considering the seemingly endless bad news month in and month out about job losses.

With good news like the March job report, it just begs the question is it real or a false alarm? Can we expect more good news on the job market front in the months to come? Well, first off the fact of the matter is that 142,000 new jobs added in March is a little misleading, since just over 40,000 of those jobs relate to the US Census project. In case you didn't know the fast majority of those hired for the US Census project are part time and/or temporary positions that will expire before years end. A few will convert to permanent roles but most won't. Nonetheless, the March job market news seems good enough to light a spark on the Wall Street DOW which is looking to cross the 11,000 marker, fueled (at least partially) by the up beat job market news.

So it looks like the old adage hold true, in that - we will have to "wait and see" if the Wall Street and job market rallies will prove to be a huge prosperity wave or just a teaser wave. Of course, the more than 15 million unemployed are more than eager (rightfully so) to ride a new wave of prosperity. That is especially true, since Congress decided that the 200,000 plus job seekers who lost their benefits as of April 5th, 2010, weren't important enough to push an unemployment extension bill through before going on spring break. So while Congress goes on spring break with their families, eat and be merry - 200,000 plus unemployed get to go and pander around with a soup can. Oh and you can thank Senator Coburn for blocking the unemployment extension bill. So once again, is it time to get back to work? Well i think everyone would overwhelming say yes. The question is does the job market agree? We shall see.

As the year ends making way for a the New Year, the social media showdown heats up for the few job openings on the market. For starters, more and more job seekers are opting for the greener pastures that social media sites promise. Conversely, traditional job boards and job search engines are struggling to hold onto the inevitable change in tide towards social media networking. So what's driving the mass exodus? Well for one thing social media networking is people oriented, whereas job boards and job search engines are object oriented (no pun intended). People prefer to engage with other people - especially where gainful employment is concerned. Moreover, job seekers are fed up with some job boards publishing meritless job postings with the sole intent of collecting resumes that simply get sold or otherwise included in a resume database somewhere.

Job Search social media networking, also, tends to be promising due to the concept of real time web search. Nowadays, a tweet job search via twitter will reveal what's going in the job networking world for a given skill set right now...as opposed to a job posting that's 10 or 15 days old. The same concept applies to LinkedIn and Facebook, job seekers can connect with employers real time with respect to current job openings or upcoming employment opportunities. A huge plus for employers is that even if a job seeker prospect doesn't appear to be a good fit, the employer can ask for a referral from the declining job seeker which most job seekers will happily provide. On top of that, most of time employers can obtain a referral simply for the asking, without traditional big ticket referral fees. So while there may only be a few job openings at the moment, the social media showdown between Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook heats up as the New Year approaches. You can expect the intensity to pick up as we cross over into the New Year which some seem to think will be a rather busy time for hiring. While the verdict is still out on how much hiring will happen, it's no secret more and more jobs will be networked through social media.