The Employment Outlook for 2010

Today, phrases like "turning the corner" and "leveling off" never sounded better. Though the
signs of an improving economy are very subtle, experts say that we have begun a recovery
from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Alan and Brian Beaulieu of the
Institute for Trend Research predict a U-shaped recovery - with a wide, bottomto the U, and
a very gentle upslope. Unemployment is edging down, and according to theBeaulieus, it will
continue to come down slowly, slipping to about 8% by mid 2011. Employers will remain
cautious about hiring. When the increases in demand are sustained and hiring picks up,
employed individuals may feel confident enough to look for new positions.

According to the Institute for Trend Research, several industries are doing well during the
recession:

1. Energy - including traditional sources like petroleum and natural gas, electric
power, coal, nuclear energy, and alternative sources such as hydroelectric, wind
and solar.

2. Environment - sustainability initiatives gain momentum and individuals begin to
learn about the opportunities of "green careers."

3. Medical - pharmaceuticals rather than health care eservices; also, medical
instrument production has remained relatively steady throughout this recession.

4. Food - agricultural production and processing, regulation, manufacturing, research
and development, as well as organic farming, the local food movement, food defense
and genetically enhanced crops.

5. Security - homeland, corporate, and personal security.

Overall Employment Projections
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment increases in the decade 2008-2018
will occur in the services sector rather than the goods-producing sector. The industry sectors
that will see the most growth are business and professional services, as well as health care
and social assistance. Nursing will add the most jobs, followed by home health aides and
customer service representatives. Topping the list of fastest growing occupations are
biomedical engineers, network systems and data communications analysts, financial
examiners, medical scientists and physician assistants.

The Federal Government
Significant numbers of teachers and federal government workers are still on track to retire in
the next 5 years. According to the organization, Partnership for Public Service, the federal
government will be hiring more than 270,000 workers for mission-critical jobs by
September, 2012. In addition to these positions, there are many non-mission-critical
administrative openings.

Most hiring will be concentrated in medical and public health, security and protection,
compliance and enforcement, legal, and administrative/program management areas. The
three federal organizations that will hire the most people are the departments of Homeland
Security, Veteran's Affairs, and Defense. This and other vital information can be found on the Partnership's website, Where the Jobs Are.

The Education Sector
Finally, there are opportunities in education. The American Association for Employment in
Education reports the greatest demand for math, science and special education teachers.
The newly updated Occupational Outlook Handbook, a Department of Labor website, also
identifies a need for bilingual, English as a second language, and foreign language teachers.
On the other hand, there is an adequate supply of general elementary education, physical
education and social studies teachers, so expect intense competition for these positions,
especially in desirable school districts. Would-be teachers may have to be flexible if they want
to be employed right now, since inner city and rural schools are most in need of qualified
teachers. From a geographic standpoint, there are an overabundance of teachers in California,
the Northeast and the Great Lakes states, and a demand in the Southeast.

Related articles:

Working for the Federal Government

3 Essentials for Strategic Networking

Hot Jobs in a Cooling Economy

Emerging Career Fields

8 Steps to Marketing Yourself in Today's Economy

© Copyright 2009, Career Vision. Article may be reprinted with permission.

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