THERE ARE JOBS OUT THERE— AND YOU CAN GET ONE

As you already know, most of the economic news today isn’t encouraging for job seekers—but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a job. You can! Despite the drastic cutbacks and layoffs, which began early in 2001 and accelerated after September 11, workers still are needed in all the major professional categories. Employers still are hiring, and new areas of increases in employment emerge every day—such as defense manufacturing, military contractors, security and other protective services, real estate, health care, and pharmaceuticals, to name a few. And even New York, which was hit hardest of all, is emerging from the terrorist destruction. Businesses affected by the horror are regrouping and reopening, if not in New York City then in nearby New Jersey and in New England states.

REAL JOBS FOR REAL PEOPLE
Despite the fact that our employment world has altered dramatically— many high-tech workers and financial wizards have been shocked to find their jobs eliminated—there are real jobs for real people. Information technology jobs, which rank among the five fastest-growing occupations, will stage a major comeback because they are the future of our economy, as were the manufacturing and agricultural jobs that preceded the current information age. Yet computer-related jobs aren’t the only ones with a promising future, though they seem to get the most attention because they often revolutionize not only the way we work but also our personal lives. Openings for the more familiar occupations will continue to grow as the economy regroups and recovers:

Building custodians.

Cashiers.

Construction workers.

Mechanics.

Paralegals.

Registered nurses.

Salespeople.

Secretaries.

Teachers.

Truck drivers.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE LABOR MARKET
Before you can even start looking for a job in today’s challenging labor market, you have to understand its structure. The economy is divided by the federal government into two sectors:

You will be the one to get the job because you will be better informed than your competitors.
1. Service producing.
2. Goods producing.

The Service-Producing Sector
Let’s look at service producing first, which is now in a decline but is expected to be the first to recover. It’s expected to grow the fastest, add the most jobs, and account for virtually all of the job growth. This sector includes communications, public utilities, wholesale trade, retail trade, finance, insurance, real estate, government, and services. Now, here’s where the analysis of the economy gets a little tricky. Included in the service-producing sector is the services division, its largest section with the most jobs and the most opportunities. Though the similarities of “service producing” and “services division” can be confusing, what you need to know is that the U.S. Department of Labor projects industries in the service-producing sector as a whole will account for virtually all of the job growth to the year 2008. Jobs in the services division, which I like to call “helping” professions, include:

Automotive services.

Business services.

Educational services.

Health services.

Legal services.

Personal services.

Social services.

Most of the jobs available today require brains, not brawn. And one of them has your name on it.

The Goods-Producing Sector
This government grouping is made up of agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, manufacturing, and construction. Jobs in this sector, except for construction, have continued to decline. That’s not expected to change, although if the country continues in a war economy manufacturing certainly will grow. In fact, manufacturing industries in the goods-producing sector that are expected to show some gains are international exports, miscellaneous plastic products, business forms, newspapers, chemicals, and commercial aircraft. Still, this sector is largely unpredictable because of the chaotic times we live in. Who would have ever predicted that manufacturers of American flags would have such a bonanza, or, more sadly, that suppliers of fire fighting equipment would have more business than they could ever handle?

THE FASTEST GROWING INDUSTRIES
The 10 U.S. industries expected to have the fastest wage and salary employment growth from 1998 to 2008 have been researched and analyzed by the U.S. Department of Labor. (See Table 1.1.) Their projections were released after the events of September 11, 2001, and the good news is they remain unchanged despite the economic upheavals since that date. The fact that zoological gardens is a fast-growing industry is good news for my son-in-law, Kevin J. Bell, who is CEO and director of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Though jobs in most of the goods-producing sector are on a downward swing, there still are jobs available, so if this is the area that attracts you the most, don’t write it off.

THE FASTEST GROWING OCCUPATIONS
The government also has analyzed the 10 occupations it expects to grow the fastest in the decade of 1998 to 2008. What’s telling about the projections is they underscore the fact that manufacturing no longer is the leading light of the U.S. economy: All 10 occupations are in the service-producing sector. (See Table 1.2.)

Check out the industry you want to work in or already are employed in and see whether it’s growing. Table 1.1 The Best Industries Industry Percent Growth New Jobs Computer and data processing services 117% 1,872,000 Health services 67% 809,000 Residential care 57% 424,000 Management and public relations 45% 466,000 Personnel supply services 43% 1,393,000 Miscellaneous equipment rental and leasing 43% 111,000 Museums, botanical gardens, and zoological gardens 42% 39,000 Research and testing services 40% 247,000 Miscellaneous transportation services 40% 94,000 Securities and commodities brokers 40% 255,000

OCCUPATIONS WITH THE LARGEST JOB GROWTH
Here is a list of the 10 occupations with the largest anticipated job growth in real numbers rather than percentages:

Cashiers.

Computer support specialists.

General managers and top executives.

Office clerks (general).

Personal care and home health aides.

Registered nurses.

Retail salespersons.

Systems analysts.

Check out the fastest growing occupations and see whether yours is one of them.

Teacher assistants.

Truck drivers (light and heavy).

EMPLOYMENT BY MAJOR OCCUPATIONAL GROUP
The government also lists jobs by major occupational groups. Table 1.3 shows how many people are expected to be working in the nine different occupational categories by the year 2008.

Use these labor force projections to figure out how good your chances are to get the job of your choice. Under this listing, three occupations analyzed are in the goodsproducing sector. THE FORT KNOX OF INFORMATION Detailed information on the best jobs is available in Chapters 9 and 10—more helpful information from the Feds. The U.S. Department of Labor is the Fort Knox of information about employment. That’s why I always pay attention to it—and you’d be wise to do the same. Its Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) summarizes the projected job picture from 1998 to 2008 as one in which employment will increase overall by 14 percent. Though this growth rate is slower than the 17 percent growth from 1988 to 1998, what I want you to see is that even though the job market is tight, job opportunities are growing in many fields, not decreasing. The BLS emphasizes, however, that manufacturing jobs are projected to decrease by 89,000—yet productivity is expected to increase. Manufacturing has gone so high-tech that employers can do much more with much less. The service-producing industries will account for virtually all of the job growth, and various occupations within them will provide excellent opportunities for employment:

Health services, business services, social services, engineering, and management are expected to provide almost one of every two nonfarm wage and salary jobs.

Professional specialty jobs will increase the fastest and add 5.3 million jobs by 2008.

Service workers are expected to add 3.9 million jobs.

Whether you’re a highly skilled professional or an entry-level worker, there are jobs for you. But having an education is better.

The latter two areas—one with the highest educational requirements and salaries and the other with the lowest— are expected to provide 45 percent of total projected job growth.

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