This post has nothing at all to do with my blog, But it us timely and based on my experience as an economic security editor of AARP publications. Future blogs will cover “coming to Alaska.”
As bad as the jobs market is for all Americans, with a national unemployment rate at 8.1 percent, young people have been hit the hardest.
Nearly 14 percent of workers in their early 20s have been unable to find a job, according to the Department of Labor jobs report released Sept. 7. Teen job seekers 16-19 have been hit even harder—more than 24 percent of them are unemployed. But they manage to muddle through by choosing to go back to school or wait for better times. They are young enough to do drop out. insert Youth unemploymenr rate (Atlantic Magazine)
Unlike teens, 20-somethings can’t drop out. Many have crossed over into the realm of the self-supporting, with rents to pay, loans to repay and often families to support. Burdened by new responsibilities, they are asking, “where are the jobs?” And so far it looks like the jobs market will not change until after the presidential election. For young job seekers, this means another two months of trying to read the crystal ball as they plan their lives.
One recent study provides a peek into the future. Laurence Shatkin, author of 150 Best Jobs for Your Skills, culled his statistics to come up with a list of the best jobs for young people, published in Forbes magazine. Not surprisingly, half the list was related to health-care, the fastest-growing sector of the economy today. Many of the jobs offer flexible hours, decent pay — and require less than a bachelor’s degree. Fortunately, health care is a broad category and incorporates an enormous range of job opportunities, from the obvious physicians, clinicians and lab assistants to to self-enrichment education teachers, fitness trainers and coaches.
Other growth sectors include retail, service industries (restaurants, hotels, travel), technology and somes areas of government,
The ebb and flow of top job sectors is nothing new — the U.S. economy periodically is spurred by social, economic and political forces. For example, during World War II, women entered the labor market — and never left. The Gold Rush brought development West. The Depression expanded government and resulted in huge construction projects. Technological advances led to an entire new hiring sector.
Finding a job in the current market is no easy task. Job seekers have to plan, prepare, network, realistically assess their abilities and, perhaps, readjust their expectations to find success in that crystal ball.
