More than 3.6 Million Jobs Online Now. How You Can Get One.

Posted on | January 12, 2010 | No Comments

According to the Conference Board there were 3,642,000 jobs online in December.  No, that’s not enough jobs to get the 15.3M unemployed people back to work, but it’s plenty enough to get you back to work (It only takes one).  So how to do land one of the 3.6M+ jobs?

First, you need to know what’s out there.

The Employment Situation

The unemployment rate is 10%.  Employers are hiring, but they are also cutting jobs.  They are cutting jobs at a much slower pace than they were at the beginning of the recession, but the economy still lost 85,000 jobs in December 2009.  9.2M people are working part-time because they can’t find full-time employment and nearly 930,000 people were too discouraged to keep looking (Oh well, more jobs for you).

The construction (-53,000 jobs), manufacturing (-27,000 jobs), and wholesale trade (-18,000 jobs) industries are still in a downward spiral, so finding jobs in these sectors is still a bit of a crap shot.  The health care and temporary help industries are the only sectors adding jobs.  The health care industry has been the Energizer bunny of the recession, adding 631,000 jobs since December 2007.  While the temporary help industry fell off a cliff during the recession (employers pink-slipped temp workers, the flexible workforce, first), the industry added 47,000 jobs in December alone.

Where to Start Your Job Search

You don’t need to be a doctor or nurse to work in the health care industry.  Sure, physicians and nurses are in great demand, but it’ll take you a few (4-7) years to be ready for the market.  But, jobs in ambulatory care (outpatient clinics, physicians, X-rays, medical tests) and home health care services are the sweet spot in this industry.  Start here.

The temporary help industry is generally the industry of last resort for most workers.  It’s known for its staffing and temp agencies and low-paying, short-term, no “bennies” work.  But, the temp industry is changing fast and is about to be the epicenter of a major shift in the job market.  More on that later, but for now, think of the temp industry as a way of getting your foot in the door at a company, of testing out a new gig, or of easing back into the job market.

The professional and business services industry added 50,000 jobs in December and is a good bet for jobs now.  As their enterprises start to pick up, business owners and executives will start to contract the services of consulting, marketing and advertising firms and other business-to-business services (waste management, commercial cleaning, records management/retrieval, etc.).  You could be along for the ride.  These industries are heavy on opportunities for management and executive types and freelancers.  If that describes you, start here.

Throughout the year, Careersthatdontsuck.com will continue to feature the job listings (there are dozens in this posting alone), our popular “NOW HIRING” series (spotlight on individual companies that are hiring), job search advice and career management tips.  Careersthatdontsuck.com is the best place to start your 2010 job search.

Hear
this post

Related Posts

• Earnings And Hiring Is Up At These Companies
• Now Hiring: Discover, Christopher & Banks and More!
• More In-Demand Jobs
• Retail Therapy: Shopping is Good for the Job Market
• If You’re Qualified For One of These Jobs, You’re Almost Hired!

Comments