JOB SECURITY
Current Trends
With the U.S. economy in a mild recession, and after the 9/11 tragedy and the Enron diaster, corporate profits are weak or negative. Layoffs have increased. The table below contains recent data collected by The United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistic.
| Year | Qtr1 | Qtr2 | Qtr3 | Qtr4 | Annual |
| 1996 | 250,718 | 226,499 | 198,398 | 397,643 | 1,073,258 |
| 1997 | 189,283 | 274,712 | 183,073 | 297,247 | 944,315 |
| 1998 | 194,834 | 337,855 | 241,212 | 342,010 | 1,115,911 |
| 1999 | 267,214 | 286,436 | 237,777 | 310,954 | 1,102,381 |
| 2000 | 232,874 | 277,114 | 209,903 | 374,320 | 1,094,211 |
| 2001 | 305,227 | 371,708 | 349,866 | - | - |
The still somewhat "overheated" stock market, in combination with the recession, is putting great pressure on publicly held companies to maintain or improve earnings (or even meet reduced forecasts). One revenue hiccup can cause rapid and steep declines in the stock price. Companies have to cut costs. One way to do this is to layoff employees.
In General
Many "experts" have said that, in the near future, your typical job will only last for five years (see table below for recent trends).
| Age | 34-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | |||||||
But what about workers who don't want to be moving on every five years (mothers with little kids, small town folks with little opportunity in that town or older workers with established roots in a community)? It will be especially difficult for older workers to cope with the five year job cycle since getting a new job gets much more challenging with age. Can you imagine how difficult it would be for a disabled older worker to get a new job every five years? All of these workers need ongoing help with keeping the job they already have and maybe even advancing 1 in that job.
The American Association of Retired Persons Web Site touches on job security for older workers and the very difficult time many of them have in getting it. Many older workers are temps (consultant if you get paid more) without any benefits. This is one extreme of NO job security.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Some web sites have info on helping one find his/her place in the work world by pointing to resources which assess your personality, talents and interests. The working premise is; if you really "know" yourself you will take on a job which is a good "fit" , do very well and therefore keep it as long as you want to. The Work Site page of Amby Duncan-Carr's Web Site, Amby's Directory of Resources points to a wealth of these resources.
A web site devoted to helping you find a job suited to your personality is; Match Your Personality Profile To a Career Path. This site was created by James Sofia Ph.D. who is a psychologist and offers an assessment questionnaire which you can send away for ($29.50 US) fill out and send back to him. He will then send you your individual career assessment.
An interesting site created by Al Siebert, Ph.D. is THRIVENET "Your resource for learning about resilience, thriving, and how to gain strength from adversity.". Dr. Siebert established the Practical Psychology Press and writes self help books oriented toward surviving, coping and thriving which can be useful in the contemporary work environments.
CAREER STRATEGIES
Some serious thought has gone into ways of obtaining some degree of career stability (continuity) both in academia and the private sector. One good one is an essay by Arthur E. Sowers, Ph.D. Contemporary Problems in Science Jobs which has first hand information about what it takes to get ahead (or hang on) in academia. But getting ahead can be considered job security, especially if you can gain tenure. Of course a private college (university ) can go out of business. Are tenured staff immune from downsizing; viz. your whole department is eliminated?
Another interesting Web site is A Hitchhiker's Guide to Job Security by Tupper Cawsey Ph.D, Gene Deszca Ph.D and Maurice Mazerolle Ph.D. They fully recognize the transient nature of today's jobs and develop the concept of the "Portfolio Career" as a way to gain continuity of employment albeit with many different employers. In this career you develop a portfolio of skills which you sell to a portfolio of clients. It is your responsibility to polish and add to these skills to maintain your marketability. This approach is certainly much more Pro Active than trying "to hang" on with one employer for more than five years.
Joan Holman wrote an interesting article on How to create job security in a dejobbed world. She points out that in today's job climate one needs to work on creating jobs for yourself. Very interesting premise!
The same web site Gary Johnson's Brave New Work World & NewWork News has current job related news and contributors opinions. There seems to be something for everyone here.
I have not found any career strategy web sites yet for the government sector. If you know of any please send me the info.
JOBS AVAILABLE AND RESUME POSTING
Some Web sites have extensive listings of available jobs and allow you to post your resume for employers to search through. You can also search their database of job openings posted by employers. Most have resume composition help and other resources to help you in your search for the next job. A few of the more interesting sites (with links to other ones), found in the North America are:
1 A note of caution. In industry, if you get too far ahead, you you may have advanced beyond your abilities, (it may take the company 2 to 3 years to discover this) and you could then lose your job. So moderation is the watch word, if you want longevity.
© Weir Associates Inc. 2002