Some of the Better Post-Recession Job Opportunities

The good news: The recession is winding down – or up, depending on your outlook. The bad news: The job market does not immediately recover at the same time. A number of factors contribute to a continuing malaise in the job market at the end of all economic slowdowns.

A primary factor overrules all others. Contrary to the print and broadcast media, the end of a recession does not immediately equal a recovery. Noted economists look at the business world differently than executive management and employees. Economists evaluate numerical “indicators” to generate opinions (not to be confused with pure facts) that a recession has ended.

Conversely, business owners and management deal with what they see and project results from a historical and expert prospective. The indicators they use are based on data concerning their industry, their products, their company, and other “hard” information they receive. Few corporations dive headlong back into a hiring mode based on some complex statistical formulae used by economists. The risk is much too great.

Therefore, while prices may stabilize, consumer confidence may increase, and other popular indicators may turn positive, most companies stand on the sidelines with hiring activities until they become convinced a recovery has started. Accept this reality and try to profit from it. It is unlikely, regardless of how outstanding an employee you may be, that you will change this common trend.

It is smart, however, to plan your activities and be ready to take advantage of a strong job climate when it begins. Here are some post-recession job opportunities that project to be numerous and active in the near future.

Some Lucrative Post-Recession Employment Areas

Teaching.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is injecting around  $90 billion  into education. While overall education jobs have suffered serious setbacks with local and state governments, losing large sums of tax income and many colleges and universities enduring major losses in their endowment funds, this infusion of dollars by the federal government should allow education providers at all levels to seek teaching-related professionals in large numbers.

Environmental engineering at all levels. After years of ignoring the environment and its challenges, businesses and individuals around the globe have adopted all manners of “green” activities. Along with the movement to a “green economy,” the new “green collar” worker opportunities are projected to reach a 50% growth factor by around 2016. This projected result is around four times the growth rate of all other business sectors  combined. Along with a general “green” mindset, business on its own initiative and with monetary help from the ARRA, with provisions for many new jobs involving energy and environmental issues, should create many new job opportunities.

Marketing, advertising, public relations, and branding.  There is a long standing business cliché that “marketing and advertising are the first to go in a recession and the first to come back in a recovery.” Like most clichés, this is most often a truism. As businesses try to take maximum advantage of a post-recession recovery, marketing-related jobs should be plentiful.

Medical-related positions.  While the need for more doctors and nurses continues, a post-recession economy will require specialists in Information Technology (IT), data manipulation, statistics, and many other medical-related activities. These jobs, some in heretofore non-existent categories, should be both plentiful and lucrative.

Temporary and temp-to-perm positions.  As noted above, most companies tend to be quite conservative in hiring activities at the beginning of a post-recession recovery. Layoffs and downsizing activities take a toll on management just as they do on staff. Until management is very confident that a real recovery is underway, most employers will resist the temptation to hire massive numbers of people. However, temporary jobs and temp-to-permanent positions should be available in large supply. Many of these short-term opportunities will become long-term career makers.

Along with considering these projected lucrative job categories, use top employment search firms that  have years of successful experience in both hot and cold economies.  They have earned long-term respected relationships with many of the best employers by locating superior candidates, like you, for lucrative job openings.

Even if your primary experience, education, or knowledge base is not concentrated in any of the above-noted areas, you should have lucrative opportunities in your preferred industry. You may also enjoy the chance to switch career focus into one of the coming “hot” new career paths. Make your action plans now. Don’t wait for the recovery to fully escalate. Start your search now and become an attractive candidate for these new opportunities as they develop. As the dark days of a recession give way to the bright light of recovery, position yourself to take advantage of these conditions, just as the best companies do.