In his new book "The Coming Jobs War," which comes out Oct. 4, Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton reports on what we've learned from all of Gallup's data around the world. His overarching takeaway -- "what the whole world wants is a good job" -- is the linchpin for a series of inter-related, actionable strategies leaders can use to create jobs by tapping into the true potential of workplaces, schools, cities, entrepreneurs, and more.
The outcomes -- after global terrorism and global economic turmoil and a global war for jobs -- are not set in stone. That's why we're measuring everything we can think of. Our measures ebb and flow, documenting progress and lack thereof. All too often they remind us it's the 7 billion people of the planet -- not punditry nor prediction nor predetermination -- that will decide what happens next.
3 Years, 10 Years, 100 Years
We've marked two anniversaries this month of events that changed the world. One, of course, is the 10 year anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The second is the three year anniversary of the sudden jolts that sent the global economy into crisis. Both were "once in a lifetime" sort of events that changed countries, cities, businesses, and individual lives.
It's the impact of these types of events -- and countless much smaller ones happening every day in every city in the world -- that Gallup seeks to measure and track with scientific precision. Our long-term trends, daily tracking, and global polling allow us to measure changes happening at the ground level, to equip leaders with the knowledge they need to change things for the better.
Three years since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, U.S. economic confidence is hovering around its 2009 lows, having erased the improvement seen in late 2009 and 2010. Consumer spending is nowhere near where it was in 2008. Thirty-nine percent of Americans now call unemployment the most important problem in the U.S. -- compared with the 6% who mentioned it August 2008. You need no further evidence that the U.S. economy is far from recovered.
Ten years after 9/11, Americans' level of worry about the imminent threat of terrorism is near its record-low point, but they are divided on whether we are winning the war on terrorism. Two wars in and more than one trillion dollars in debt, Americans view the federal government more negatively than ever and estimate it wastes 51 cents of every dollar. The U.S. remains the runaway world's economic leader, butits own people give China that title. It is clear that classical economic indicators are no longer enough to get the fully story.
Globally, many of the world's citizens are struggling or suffering, as opposed to thriving. Political change can often be found where the percentage who are thriving is declining, even in the face of economic progress. Gallup found exactly that in Egypt and Tunisia, and is on the lookout for rumblings of the next revolution.
The world's problems are big and they won't be solved quickly. That's why we at Gallup are committed to measuring exactly what's happening, all over the world, for at least 100 years.
We're tracking it for you and bringing new findings every day on Gallup.com.
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