According to Stepstone we're heading not just for war but a cold war on talent. They've carried out an interesting survey finding that while unemployment is rising it's a difficult as ever to recruit and retain talent. 53% of executives said it was increasingly difficult to recruit top talent. 

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Personnel Today are running with an article comparing the slump in jobs between the US and the UK. It shows that we're following the same pattern as the US only three months later. The good news is that things are settling in the US and fewer employers cut jobs in the last quarter there. Does that mean it'll all be over be Easter.

Probably not. While reports like this are useful to give a generalised view of the market there's so much variation across the market that there's no road map for everyone. Some industries such as power generation haven't slowed at all. While others such as automotive probably aren't going to recover in the UK to anything like where they once were. Even the same sector I'm speaking to recruiters who are having really busy quarters while others are having their worst quarter ever.

The reality is that it might not be bad as we thought but individual mileage may vary.  

Punk Rock HR legend Laurie Ruettimann advocates quitting when faced with sexual harrassment. 

It's a controversial approach. But I have to say I agree to some extent. I'm not advocating that hostile work environments should be left unchallenged. In fact it's the opposite. Talent is expensive. It costs a huge amount to recruit someone. It costs even more for them to build the same organisational knowledge as you. You're imposing one of the most expensive penalties you can on an employer.

The job market is tight in a lot of areas right now. But talent is a rare commodity and a strong currency. Ask whether it's worth trying to reform your old work environment or put your energy into new challenges and new opportunity.