             UNDERSTANDING  THE  REAL  JOB  MARKET

There are a number of approaches to the job market.  Some approaches
can be very effective, while many approaches miss the best jobs.  To
better understand the available approaches to a new job and the
effectiveness of these approaches, let us first take a look at the
forces that effect and form the job market.  We will then look at
the employer's perspective.  The real job market, and the best
approaches to successfully getting a job.

During the last 15 years, foreign competition in the manufacturing
sector has drastically effected the manufacturing output of the
United States.  Many products are no longer being manufactured in
this country.  The job market has been, and still is, changing from
large manufacturing companies to small service companies.  With
these economic changes come fewer unskilled jobs and more technical
jobs.  Eighty eight percent of new jobs are with firms of less than
20 employees.  These small firms also have greater economic up and
down cycles resulting in more hiring and layoffs.  Hence, employees
will be changing jobs more frequently.  A person typically changes
job positions every 3.5 years, with job turnover being greater at
the beginning of a person's work cycle.

In the newer small business economy, job seekers will have to
approach many small businesses rather than simply going to a few
major corporations as they might have done in the past.  One major
effect of working for the smaller employer is generally lower wages
(typically 10 to 15%) than larger firms of more than 2,500
employees.

The security provided by large firms has also been decreasing during
the last decade due to 1.) foreign competition in many industries,
2.) automation of production, 3.) companies downscaling and
reorganizing, and 4.) company mergers and takeovers.  Typically, a
person will need to find 8 new jobs during his/her lifetime and will
make 3 career changes.

The higher a person's educational level the lower his/her
unemployment rate.  In 1992, the unemployment rate for people 25 to
64 was 11% for those without a high school education, 6% for high
school graduates, 5% for those with one to three years of college,
and less than 3% for college graduates.


For the next step, select "How long will it take to find a job?"
from the submenu.
