I'm Louise Fletcher. As President of 
Switching Industries ... which is best?
If you switch industries, which is best and why? (nationally speaking ... the big picture)
Here's an example: Construction employment declined 5.4% nationwide in the 12 months ending April 2008 BUT long term historical growth has been strong AND the BLS projections to 2016 are strong AND Construction will gain market share by 2016. However, construction is not recession-proof - every 7 to 10 years employment dips by about 14% and the dips last about 5 years. Therefore, switching to the Construction industry is not recommended short term and can "maybe" be recommended long term if you don't mind the periodic dips during recessions.
The table below shows our recommendations for switching industries as of April 2008. These recommendations will change over time.
Short Term recommendations are based on recent employment growth trends.
Long Term recommendations are based on historical employment growth trends AND the growth projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to 2016 AND how much an industry is projected to gain or lose market share by 2016 AND how the industry has performed during recessions.
"Maybe" (along with details, graphs, and an analysis of each industry) is explained at http://www.jobbait.com/switch.htm.
| Industry | Short Term | Long Term |
| Natural Resources and Mining | Yes | No |
| Construction | No | Maybe |
| Manufacturing | No | No |
| Wholesale Trade | Maybe | Maybe |
| Retail Trade | No | Maybe |
| Transportation and Warehousing | Maybe | Maybe |
| Utilities | Maybe | No |
| Information | No | Maybe |
| Finance Insurance and Real Estate | No | Maybe |
| Professional and Business Services | Maybe | Yes |
| Educational Services | Yes | Yes |
| Healthcare and Social Assistance | Yes | Yes |
| Leisure and Hospitality | Yes | Yes |
| Other (auto repair, laundry, etc.) | Maybe | Yes |
| Government | Maybe | Maybe |
The rest of the story
Construction employment may have declined 5.4% nationwide in the 12 months ending April 2008 BUT it grew 4.3% in Houston (adding 9,000 new jobs) AND grew 2.7% in Seattle (adding 2,500 new jobs). This is why targeting your job search is so important.
Great information as usual!
Posted by: Sabrina | May 07, 2008 at 06:51 PM