Career and job-search news, trends, and scoops for job-seekers,
compiled by the staff of Quintessential Careers.
March 31, 2004
What are the hot industries for hiring -- and which are the ones that are not?
According to U.S. Department of Labor data reported in a recent issue of Business Week,
these are the industries that added jobs (from February 2003 to February 2004):
Is it time for a spring clean-up for your career or job-search? Use the traditional time of
cleaning and rebirth to evaluate your current career and career goals.
Read this interesting article from The Arizona Republic:
Spring
into Cleanup.
And don't forget this helpful article from Quintessential Careers:
10-Step Career Tune-Up.
March 22, 2004
Several recent reports show an increase in online recruiting activities, with job postings and
resume postings continuing to climb.
Have you search for a job or posted your resume on our job board? Do it today!
"People aren't getting laid off, but they also aren't getting hired," said David Wyss, chief
economist for Standard & Poors in response to the latest employment news from the U.S.
Department of Labor that new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week for the third
consecutive week, sending jobless claims to their lowest level in more than three years.
Specifically, the number of laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits fell by 6,000 to 336,000,
which some attribute to the slowing of job cuts. Other experts argue, however, that these numbers
may continue to support the trend of workers leaving the workforce for other opportunities,
and thus not included in these statistics.
March 16, 2004
In an amazing understatement, at a policy meeting today that announced interest rates
would remain unchanged, a Federal Reserve spokesperson also reported that new hiring
was lagging -- after its previous statement
(see March 12, below) had suggested some indicators were pointing toward job growth.
Here are the hot jobs for 2004 college grads, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an outplacement firm:
Global Marketer (with starting salaries for marketers around $36,000)
Human Resources Manager (with starting salaries of $32,000+)
Accountant/Auditor (with starting salaries ranging from $29,500 to $42,500)
Financial Adviser/Analyst (with starting salaries ranging from $37,000 to $42,000)
Nurse/Physical Therapist (with starting salaries for nurses around $41,000; physical therapists, $46,000)
Information Technology Consultant (with starting salaries from $29,000 to $50,000)
March 14, 2004
According to a recent survey of 186 executive recruiters conducted by
Exec-U-Net, the industries
expected to generate the most growth in the near future are:
1. Health Care
2. Medical/Pharmaceutical
3. Financial Services
4. High-Tech
5. Business Services
6. Consumer Products
7. Manufacturing
8. Communications
9. Electronic
10. Internet
The job functions expected to generate the most activity
during that same period of time are:
1. Sales
2. Marketing
3. Business Development
4. General Management
5. Operations Management
March 12, 2004
The chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve again made the pitch that "employment will begin to
increase more quickly before long."
"As our economy exhibits increasing signs of recovery, job loss continues to
diminish," Alan Greenspan told the House Education and Workforce Committee this week.
Greenspan said it was understandable that Americans felt a heightened job
insecurity given the loss of jobs and even in the current recovery,
job growth has been weak -- reflecting the fact that companies are
boosting productivity to increase output rather than rehiring laid-off workers.
March 11, 2004
The oddness of today's economic situation has caused a boom in self-employment. In the past
two years, the number of people starting their own business -- especially women -- has soared
in the wake of long-term joblessness, corporate restructuring (read: rightsizing and layoffs),
and a slow-moving jobless recovery.
And a recent study by the National Association for the Self-Employed found that 15 percent of
self-employed or microbusiness (companies with 10 or fewer employees) owners said they started
their businesses as a substitute for full employment.
While large companies have been downsizing and reducing their workforces over the last decade,
the engine that drove positive employment numbers in the U.S. were small businesses.
Unfortunately, a survey by an industry trade group reports that small businesses are retreating on
hiring plans. The number planing to hire employees fell to 13 percent in February, down from 17
percent in January.
And according to the National Federation of Independent Business group, for most of the past year,
many small businesses did not add employees.
To make matters worse, a recent Business Week reports that small businesses are
increasingly going out of business, extinguishing jobs rather than creating new ones.
The approximately 5.8 million small businesses in the U.S. employ about half the U.S. workforce.
March 9, 2004
Do you live in one of the "boom towns" where job growth is expected?
According to the cover story in the March 2004 Business 2.0 magazine, 20 metropolitan
areas with fast-growing companies in the economy's most promising industries
are expected to add 850,000 high-wage skilled jobs in the next four years.
Is a desire to learn one of your top skills? It's the top skill employers are
looking for in job-seekers, according to a recent study.
In a survey of 2,000 senior executives and managers across the U.S. conducted by
NFI Research, the top characteristic an overwhelming majority (87 percent) said they would look for in
employees they would want to hire within the next two years is a willingness to learn.
Other top characteristics sought in future employees are, in order: knowledge about the
business; trustworthy; technologically adept; balanced; willing to change; and loyal.
Job growth continues to be weak, according to the most recent employment numbers released by the
U.S. Department of Labor.
The U.S. economy added a paltry 21,000 jobs in February -- all from increased government hiring. The private sector added
no new jobs.
Wall Street firms had forecast a February gain of 125,000 jobs... and the Labor Department revised January job growth numbers --
revising the original estimated increase of 122,000 jobs downward to 97,000 jobs created in January.
The unemployment rate remained at 5.6 percent as almost 400,000 job-seekers dropped out of the
labor force.
An average of just 42,000 jobs have been created each month in the last three months, down from the 79,000
average of the prior three months. Economists say gains near 150,000 are needed each month just to keep
pace with labor force growth.
In addition, the report showed that the average length of time workers who had lost jobs stayed
unemployed climbed to its highest level since January 1984.
March 1, 2004
Lots of studies and predictions, but when will we see the jobs? Here are two more reports
of optimisim.
CareerBuilder.com reports in a new study that U.S. employers continue to show optimism in their hiring forecasts for 2004.
While 25% of hiring managers will be replacing workers who had left voluntarily or were laid off, even more promising is that
32% will recruit to expand operations, improve customer service or support the launch of new products and services.
What about college graduate hiring? CollegeGrad.com predicts an increase of 12.9 percent in hiring of college
seniors/recent grads in 2004 over last year.
Job Stuff, A Blog for Your Career, from Stephen Harris.
Stephen's blog is a great resource for those job-seekers who find yourselves in transition, searching for guidance
and reassurance.
The Occupational Adventure Blog, from
Curt Rosengren, a Passion Catalyst. Curt's blog is great for finding encouraging ideas (and resources) for moving forward with your career... a career
that lights your fire.
TrueCareers Career Blog, from the career and job site
dedicated to professional and college-educated job-seekers... where they say you get the real scoop on how to get the job you want faster --
with insider tips and more.
