Is it just me, or is it the economy?

I read the new job numbers in the Citizen today, in an article that sites 79,100 new jobs across the country in November. (Of course, Ottawa being Ottawa, and the Citizen being the Citizen, the sub head also notes that the numbers "dip" in the Ottawa area. Ottawa is being affected by a drop in government jobs, apparently.)

I was also at a party this week, hosted by my friend Lisa Courtney Lloyd, for her (incredible) network of women marketers. The consensus around the room is that something is happening, that the economy is picking up. In fact, there were a couple of anecdotal tidbits:

• Several of us have seen an increase in the open jobs and posting that are circulating around.  Recently, in my inbox, I've seen several jobs for senior communicators, in the private and public sector.
• Many of us have had a surge in our consulting businesses, beginning in late October or November. A couple of us shared our sense that consultants see the up-ticks and down-swings in the economy first. (Consultants, especially marketing consultants, are often the first to experience the pain of budget cuts. The flip side is that companies often hire consultants as a first step when rebuilding marketing efforts, before deciding whether or where to hire new staff.)
• Several of us also shared a sense that Ottawa is moving away from two very separate economies, one for entrepreneurial tech companies and another for government and quasi government.  More of us are bridging that gap in our businesses. In fact, my friend Margo Crawford, a tech company founder herself, was talking about the work she does with her NGO (non governmental organization) clients, getting them to act more like businesses, and often convincing them there is excellent private sector talent they should be going after.

I realize that none of this is backed up with hard data, and so it may mean nothing.

Still, at the beginning of November, I was looking at one client going into maintenance mode, and was having to hustle to chase what looked to be a small amount of work in December.  Since then, client number one has express an interest in keeping things going at the current level, I have signed a second major client (my first non-tech, quasi governmental client in more than a decade), have inked a contract for a small coaching gig, and have had another friend ask me to write a proposal for some writing work.

© Photographer: Kts | Agency: Dreamstime.com

I am hearing the same noises from my friends, including Francis Moran, Karen McNaughton, Susan Odle, and more.

So, is it just me, or is there something bigger afoot?  How's business for you? Let me know what you think in a comment. 

Comments

[Peter Childs]

Individual consultants should see more work because this recovery is going to be about part-time/contract engagements not full time employment.

All part of a broad shift to networked companies based on core values inside co. and everything else delivered through trusted relationships.

HBS likely due to two trends - at the upper end large customers consolidating on a few suppliers big enough to be world experts in all services - at the bottom end by competition from individual consultants who typically cannot command the per Diem, but typically (in aggregate) have more responsiveness and closer expertise than cos.

[LYnda Partner]

On Peter's comment, we marketers don't always walk our talk. I have interviewed about a dozen consultants looking for great graphic design and am dismayed at how many of them describe a staggering breadth of expertise in many areas - all from one person! We need to be honest here, specialty is a good thing, if I'm talking to you and not a big shop it's cause I want a specialist. The more a consultant focuses on a specialty the better they can differentiate themselves from the dreaded "grey zone" in the middle of the pack.

[Dennis Van Staalduinen]

So is the age of the large Ottawa "full service" ad firm - so dominant at the turn of the Millenium - drawing to a close? Possibly. But if it is, then we small fries had better get organized to respond.