Carreer Choices
Social Influences
Your job search should start with various demographic and geographic trends influence employment opportunities. Demographic trends affecting the job market include the following:
- An increase in the number of working parents expands the demand for food service and child care.
- An increase in leisure time among some segments of the population results in an increased interest in personal health, physical fitness, and recreational products and services.
- An increase in the number of older people raises the demand for travel services, health care, and retirement facilities.
- An increased demand for additional employment training increases career opportunities for teachers and trainers within business organizations.
High interest rates. price increases. or decreased demand for goods and services can reduce career opportunities. While you cannot eliminate the effects of economic factors on employment trends. these factors affect some businesses more than others. For example, high interest rates reduce employment in housing-related industries, since people are less likely to buy homes when interest rates are high.
Trends in lndustries and Technology
Two factors have caused a decline in manufacturing employment in our economy. First. increased competition from companies in Asia, Europe, and other regions has reduced demand for American-made products. Second. automated production methods have decreased the need for manual workers and other entry-level employees in factories.
Employment stability has a strong influence on a person's financial situation for both the shon and long term, For example. workers in various technology fields. where scientific advances can quickly make products (and jobs) obsolete. must be ready to cope with personal financial uncertainty.
While career opportunities have dwindled in some sectors of our economy, opportunities in other sectors have grown. Service industries that are expected to have the greatest employment potential for the 21 st century include
Computer technology-systems analysts. computer operators. website developers. network operations managers. and repair personnel and service technicians for data processing equipment.
Health care-medical assistants, physical therapists, home health workers, biotech analysts. laboratory technicians. registered nurses. and health care administrators.
Business services-web consultants. foreign language translators. employee benefit managers. operations consultants. and research data analysts.
Social services-child care workers, elder care coordinators, family counselors, and social service agency administrators.
Sales and retailing-web promotion producers. marketing representatives. and sales managers with technical knowledge in the areas of electronics. medical products. and financial services.
Hospitality and food services-travel agents. resort and hotel administrators, food service managers, online customer sen'ice representatives. and meeting planners.
Management and human resources-clerical supervisors. recruiters. interviewers. employee benefit administrators. and employment service workers.
Education-corporate trainers. special education teachers. adult education instructors, educational administrators. and teachers for elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools,
Financial services-risk assessment managers. actuaries. e-commerce accountants, investment brokers. and others with a knowledge of accounting and taxes.
Business demands in the 21st century will include expanded reading and communication skills, More and more employees are being called on to read scientific and technical journals and financial reports and to write speeches and journal articles. Your career success is likely to be dependent on communication skills. computer skills, and the ability to communicate in a second language.
