I was talking to a friend of mine who is looking for a new job. He has been looking for a long time, and not coming up with very many opportunities. Fortunately he is currently employed and is not in any danger (that he knows of) of losing his job, he just feels that he is qualified for a better one and deserves more money. In this economy, finding any new job that pays well is going to be a real challenge. Unemployment is very high, and many companies are reducing their labor forces. All of the new jobs that I’ve seen advertised in the paper (etc) have been low paying jobs.  Many companies that hire for the Holiday Season are not even doing that – they have decided to just “make do” with their regular staff.  This is not a good time to be looking for work!