The occupations with the largest projected increases over the next decade can be found in the healthcare,
business, education, and hospitality industries.
According to the recently released 2008-09 edition of the Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook,
the occupations with the largest numerical increases in employment through 2016 are:
1. Registered Nurses
2. Retail Salespeople
3. Customer Service Representatives
4. Combined Food Preparation and Servers
5. Office Clerks
6. Personal and Home Care Aides
7. Home Health Aides
8. Postsecondary Teachers
9. Janitors and Cleaners
10. Nursing Aides, Orderlies, Attendants
11. Bookkeeping, Accounting, Auditing Clerks
12. Waiters and Waitresses
13. Child Care Workers
14. Executive Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
15. Computer Software Engineers, Applications
The Handbook, renewed and released every two years, features information on more than 270 jobs,
and is a great research tool for career exploration. Go to the Handbook.
April 18, 2008
Unemployment claims surge in the U.S. as more big-name employers announce even more job cuts.
The Labor Department announced yesterday that applications for unemployment benefits
increased by 17,000 from the previous week to a total of 372,000. The four-week average for claims
was reported at 376,000, down only slightly from 376,750, the previous week.
These numbers are some of the highest seen since the economy's last recession in 2001.
In related job news, bot Citigroup and AT&T announced major job cuts. Citigroup announced
another 9,000 jobs will be cut -- on top of the 4,200 cuts announced during the previous quarter.
AT&T, meanwhile announced that will eliminate about 4,650 employees as part of a "streamlining" effort.
It's amazing the different names companies give to laying off employees -- downsizing,
rightsizing, correcting, smartsizing, brightsizing, and now streamlining.
In the end, it's actual people whose lives are
adversely affected, but the names given the cuts tend to cover the human side of
firing and eliminating actual people.
April 16, 2008
Here's a look at the states with the best unemployment rates -- and the worst
unemployment rates.
In an analysis from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for February 2008 -- the latest
data available -- of civilian employment, here are the top five states with the
least amount of unemployment, as well as the five with the worst amount of unemployment.
States with the lowest unemployment levels:
South Dakota - 3.1 percent
Nebraska - 3.2 percent
Utah - 3.3 percent
Wyoming - 3.4 percent
New Mexico - 3.5 percent
States with the highest level of unemployment:
Michigan - 7.8 percent
Alaska - 7.8 percent
Rhode Island - 6.7 percent
Kentucky - 6.2 percent
California - 6.1 percent
California is by far the most volatile state for unemployment, with eight
metropolitan areas with greater than 10 percent unemployment
(Bakersfield, El Centro, Fresno, Hanford-Corcoran, Merced, Modesto,
Salinas, and Yuba City) and several below five percent unemployment
(Napa, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, and
Stockton).
April 8, 2008
More than 2 million people could lose their jobs before the U.S. economy recovers.
With the news of almost a quarter-million lost jobs in the first quarter alone,
economists are now predicting continued bad times ahead, with job losses trailing
even after the economy recovers. Some expect the unemployment rate to hit
around 6 percent before things get better.
Industries that seem in decent shape -- that may even see job growth over the next year --
include healthcare, education, environmental sciences, and security. Even with rhetoric about
smaller government, governmental bodies have added many, many jobs over the last year -- and
many expect that trend to continue.
Industries that are hurting -- and will continue to hurt and lose more jobs -- include construction, real
estate, financial and banking, and manufacturing. Hospitality and retail are also weak and could
see more job losses.
Your options are to continue to do all you can to make yourself a valued and productive
member of your employer's team while building your personal brand and keeping in constant
touch with your network about other opportunities. If you have career interests than the one you are in,
especially if it is in one of the growth fields, consider making a gradual career change to
get more fulfillment -- and more job security.
April 4, 2008
Recession? Employers in U.S. cut jobs for the third straight month as unemployment
reaches nearly three-year high.
What most people have seemed to acknowledge for several months, government leaders
are finally daring to admit -- the triple effects of a housing collapse, a credit
crunch, and a financial system in turmoil -- have led us to an ugly economic situation
that has resulted in a weak job market with limited prospects.
The Labor Department announced today a net loss of 80,000 jobs in March, which
marks the third straight month that jobs have fallen -- the longest period of losses
since early 2003 -- and now estimates that the economy has lost 232,000 jobs in
the first three months of this year.
Job losses were widespread across professions/occupations, with the construction sector
losing 51,000 jobs, manufacturing 48,000 jobs, business
and professional service 35,000 jobs, and retail employment 12,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate jumped to 5.1 percent from 4.8 percent in February -- the highest
level since May 2005.
Some economists expect the job losses to continue through at least August while
others say that job losses could easily continue into 2009.
The other issue is the number of people who are only working part-time who want to
work full-time, but cannot find full-time employment... and those numbers have also
spiked in the last few months.
The news is not all doom and gloom, as there are pockets of positive job growth, but
the overall weakness of the job market affects employer outlooks and future hiring.
Increases in jobs were found in education, healthcare, leisure and hospitality,
as well as in government hiring.
April 3, 2008
Jobless claims in the U.S. surged last week to the highest level since September 2005, just after Hurricane Katrina.
According to the Department of Labor, applications for unemployment benefits spiked to
407,000 -- up from a revised 369,000 claims the previous week. Economists had expected jobless claims to fall to
365,000.
The continuing bad labor news comes the day before the Labor Department announces last
month's employment report -- which most expect to show another month of job losses,
perhaps as high as 60,000.
The most shocking element of this week's jobless claims is that these reports always
under-represent the number of people who are unemployed and have given up on seeking
benefits.
April 2, 2008
New hiring over the next several months is predicted to be weak, at best.
In a new hiring survey released this week, 29 percent of managers plan
to increase hiring during th second quarter of 2008. About 6 percent expect
to decrease their staffs, while 59 percent expect no change in staffing.
Larger companies appear more likely to hire than smaller firms, with 33 percent
of companies with 250 or more employees expecting to increase their staffs, 32 percent
of companies with 51-250 employees increasing, and only 22 percent of firms with
50 or fewer employees hiring more employees.
The survey results come from a pool of more than 2,700 hiring managers and
human resource managers polled by Harris Interactive for USA Today and
CareerBuilder.com.
April 1, 2008
Unfortunately, it's no joke: More than 200,000 banking jobs may be cut over the next year or two as
mortgage crisis weakens entire industry.
In an announcement Tuesday, financial research firm Celent said the cuts will occur as a result of a
trickle down effect of the subprime mortgage crisis.
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.
Blue Sky Resumes Blog, from career
expert Louise Fletcher, a general career and job-search blog that covers all aspects of the job-hunt.
