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State of the Job
Market Columns |
April 30, 2003
By Brian McCullough, Head Writer,
ResumeWriters.com
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As always, this column and our data is provided by the
professionals at ResumeWriters.com.
Learn how we collect our data here.
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The war in Iraq looks to be ending...
or, at least, that's what the job market seems to believe.
For the first time in several months,
we've seen a stabilization in the majority of job markets. Many are simply
holding ground, but that can be seen as a very positive sign after several
months of drifting downwards.
It almost feels like the flood gates
are opening again... however slightly. For most of March and early April,
our clients were telling us that the job market was almost comatose. Not
only were jobs hard to come by, but it seemed like fewer positions were
being offered.
Then, as if someone turned a switch,
the situation improved in late April. Clients that found it nearly
impossible to land interviews over the past two months are reporting that
they are suddenly entertaining several offers.
It's impossible to say if this is due
to an improvement in the economy. It is likely that hiring that was put
off in anticipation of the war has finally resumed. If there is a backlog
of positions to fill (after months of waiting) then that might lead to
this sudden surge of activity.
We'll have to wait and see if this is a
longer term trend, or merely a quick bounce-back, now that the uncertainty
of the war is past us.
One thing that does bode well for
the future: the strongest gains this past month were registered in Information
Technology, including software and telecom.
Some notable job market segments:
The Aerospace/Aviation industry has
experienced a strong rebound now that bankruptcy worries are no longer
plaguing the major carriers. New hiring has yet to begin in any significant
numbers, but the job market in this sector is not nearly as apocalyptic as it
seemed even a few short weeks ago.
The
Customer Service/ Retail industry
has remained steady after two months of solid improvement.
The
Entertainment/ Hospitality industry
has sprung back impressively, now that the war in Iraq seems to have ended. It
might be that companies in this market segment are hiring in anticipation of
the summer season, and are hoping to make up for several months of slow
business.
As mentioned above, the job market seemed to
improve in the IT/ Tech Support,
Software/ Web Development and
Telecom/ Networking markets. This is an especially encouraging sign for
those in Telecom, which has been the weakest job market for quite a while now.
Our writers say that their clients are reporting significant new hiring across
the IT industry.
Biotech and Science saw a rare month of
relative weakness. We have seen a spike in volume from this segment and have
heard from several clients that rumors of coming layoffs are rampant.
The
above reporting is taken from polled evidence and personal impressions, collected from the career
professionals at ResumeWriters.com.
ResumeWriters.com does not collect or share personal data
from it's clients. Information reported is of a macro, and not personal
nature.
Learn more about how we collect our data
here.
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