Another Take on the Recession

Over last couple of weeks I've come to the conclusion that the economy can't possibly be as bad as the news would have us believe. Sure, there are industries and occupations that aren't doing as well as they once were, but there are obviously others that must be doing very well.

This month I needed to hire developers for two projects I'm working on. Project A is pretty specialized, so I contacted a half-dozen developers whose work has impressed me in the past. Of those six, three didn't bother to respond—for a job that could earn them five figures.

Project B, on the other hand, was only a mid three-figure job. I put the project up for bid on Elance.com and invited a number of qualified providers, including one who has done work for me before, to bid. (This in addition to the nearly 100,000 providers on the site who could have bid.) Once again, I received only three responses—only one of whom I invited.

Okay, what's up? Is everyone so busy that they can't take the time to decline, let alone take on a new job? If so, the economy isn't as bad as we've been told.