The long haul: Jobs with long-term potential still available
The long haul: Jobs with long-term potential still available
WANTED: A job that won’t disappear with the next round of bad news from Wall Street.
In flush times, people have more time and opportunity to find personally rewarding or high-paying jobs. In the middle of this recession, however, with the threat of layoffs and closings hovering over many sectors of the economy, the focus has shifted toward jobs with staying power.
“In general, manufacturing jobs tend to be more unstable than jobs related to various service sectors,” said Don Jud, professor emeritus at the Bryan School of Business and Economics at UNCG. “Economists think that jobs that people don’t have much discretion with — that they have to have because of ups and downs with various segments of the economy — are the most stable.”
There’s potential everywhere, from sales-management jobs to skilled technical work.
“We staff a lot of different industries,” said Larry Diana, president of Express Employment Professionals in Greensboro. “The one that seems to be consistent with job opportunities is health care.”
Becoming a medical transcriptionist or radiology technician isn’t the only ticket to job security in troubled times, however. Diana points to sales jobs, as well as logistics and transportation services. Jud adds to the list tax-related accounting work, teaching, auto maintenance, infrastructure improvement and government jobs — the latter two may see a boost under President Barack Obama’s plans for the economy.
“You would bet with increases in federal spending, the size of the federal government work force will probably increase,” Jud said. “I think government jobs look like a pretty good source these days versus the private sector.”
There are pockets of stability throughout the economy, including in the Triad, local observers say. Jud suggests looking for jobs that aren’t threatened by outsourcing or foreign competition. Diana advises job seekers to do their homework on potential employers.
“It really depends on the company and their sales activities and their service levels,” he said. “The best-managed companies in the Triad continue to have job openings. Companies have salespeople aggressively pursuing territory, good service levels to their clients — they’re still doing business. We can’t think everything is gloom and doom.”
Outside of health care, some of the greatest opportunity lies in skilled technical work, according to Joel Leonard, who began hosting the online Skill TV (plantservices.com/skilltv) as an outgrowth of his work with Greensboro’s MPACT Learning Center, a maintenance education and training facility.
“The majority of the skilled work force in the United States is comprised of 40 to 60 percent of people who will be retiring in the next five to 10 years,” Leonard said. “So what that means is there’s tremendous opportunities for future generations.”
Machinists are a rapidly dying breed, said Leonard, also mentioning plumbing and electronics as safe harbors for job seekers — “anything that requires technical skill sets.”
“Machines now work 24/7, 365,” he said. “It’s very difficult for executives to find people willing to work second and third shift. Those willing to work evening and weekend shifts and have high technical skills, those are the ones that will prosper despite the economy.”
