As the unemployment rolls top six million people (plus the uncounted and totally discouraged), we have to face a couple of facts:

1. quite a few people do not have the skills for today’s knowledge economy

2. our education system doesn’t equip students with employment skills

We live in an Outsourcing environment. Companies are downsizing, but are also hiring contractors and consultants to fill needs and get projects done. We are moving to a world of Freelancers.

This is scary for many people because there is no job security in freelancing. There are no vacation and health benefits. And you have to sell yourself! That’s the scariest part. It’s like being on job interviews all the time.

Let me tell you something: as a W-2 (employee) you don’t have job security either. But you do have the illusion of it that let’s you sleep at night. Benefits are even being cut to the retirees! What? you put in your 20 years and along comes a benefits cut! BAM! What now?

Americans rely on the state and federal governments for too much. And the taxpayers get mad when the budget skyrockets. The government back stops insurance, banking, education, infrastructure, the military, etc. It can’t do that forever. You will need to take some responsibility for it yourself.

As we move into the Era of Freelancers, you will need to keep current on your industry as well as on skills. For instance, as a web designer you have to keep up on CSS, Java, PHP, .NET, etc. As a graphic artist, you have to keep up on Adobe products, but also mobile web sizing.

Many businesses will be relying on the skills of freelancers – consultants, contractors, 1099′s – for long term and short term projects, goals and skills.  The soon you get used this idea the sooner you can start planning for it.

1. What marketable skills do you have (what’s your cash machine)?
2. How will you market those skills?
3. What training do you need to stay current (or certified)?
4. What conferences do you need to attend to stay current and noticed?
5. What are you passionate about?
6. How will you Crush It?
7. How do you become a Linchpin in your niche?
8. Think about the Brand Called You!

While reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It, I realized that he wasn’t the first to say Brand Yourself. In fact, Tom Peters wrote “The Brand You 50: Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an ‘Employee’ into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!” in 1999. Ten years ago!

Fast Company magazine published Tom Peters article titled The Brand Called You in August 1997 and a follow-up article called Brand You Survival Kit here in 2004.

In addition, Joe Calloway wrote Becoming a Category of One in 2003.

Moreover, Seth Godin has been writing about being unique (a Purple Cow) since 2003.

Seth’s latest book, Linchpin, is about becoming indispensable at the office. To add value and distinction at the workplace so that you can get some pleasure out of your W-2. In a way, that’s about branding yourself too, because you are talking about affecting how others perceive you. And you are thinking about how others perceive you. A brand is the sum total of experiences, thoughts and emotion associated with a person or company.

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Copyright 2009-2010 by Peter Radizeski, the Marketing Idea Guy. All rights reserved. Must have written permission of the author to copy.

CFO’s don’t think 2009 will be the year of recovery – “83 percent predicting we won’t see relief until the first half of 2010 or later,” according to the TechJournalSouth.

Options CFO’s  are considering or using to avoid layoffs include:

1. Redistribution of responsibilities;
2. elimination of bonuses;
3. restructuring;
4. reduced payroll and
5. options to telecommute.”

Reduced payroll can include: shortened work weeks; no overtime; mandatory time off; pay cuts. Although employees get disgruntled with these measures, a frank discussion with employees should help everyone understand that it is far better to take a little less now than to be unemployed altogether.

In reports I am seeing, companies are refraining from touching health benefits but are suspending 401K matches and other monetary benefits.

And here are twenty more from TechRepublic‘s article “Layoff: A Four-Letter Word in Any Economy,” by Steven Martin, president of Profit Professionals of Business Solutions – The Positive Way.