When choosing a career, jobseekers often want to know which occupations offer the best prospects. Generally, occupations that have rapid job growth, many new jobs, or many job openings--and good wages--promise better opportunities. This article shows how employment in particular occupations is projected to change over the 2008-2018 decade. The…

The economy's need for workers originates in the demand for the goods and services that they provide. So, to project employment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) starts by projecting the gross domestic product (GDP) for 2018. GDP is the value of the final goods produced and services provided in the United States. Then, BLS estimates the…

This article illustrates projected employment change from an industry perspective over the 2008-2018 decade. Workers are grouped into an industry according to the type of good produced or service provided by the establishment in which they work. Industry employment projections are shown in terms of numeric change (growth or decline in the total…

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Great Recession began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009. With a duration of eighteen months, this recession was almost double the length of the average post-World War II economic downturn. Although the worst recession since the Great Depression is now technically over, this analysis…

The labor force is the number of people aged 16 or older who are either working or looking for work. It does not include active-duty military personnel or institutionalized people, such as prison inmates. Quantifying this total supply of labor is a way of determining how big the economy can get. Labor force participation rates vary significantly…

Any audience of women contains a much higher percentage of those who consider themselves to be working women than the statistics indicate. Marketers who adhere to simplistic definitions of working women risk making mistakes in the placement of their ads and in the images of women in their messages. (JOW)

Provides a detailed look at the labor market situation during 1983. Gives a brief overview of the recovery compared with previous recoveries and discusses selected characteristics of the jobless and labor force participation rates. (SK)

Current Population Survey data indicate that 1 of 11 people in the United States is self-employed, much lower than the 1 in 5 immediately after World War II. Unpaid family farm and business work has virtually disappeared, whereas incorporated self-employment has increased. (SK)

Current Population Survey data show the largest gains in job growth in the highest paying occupations; some increases in relatively low-earning jobs; and declining employment in middle-paying occupations. Job growth was concentrated in managerial/professional specialty occupations and services/retail trade. (SK)

An analysis of the California Work and Health Survey indicates that people with disabilities have lower employment rates and less secure kinds of employment than those without disabilities. Once on the job, the two groups do not differ fundamentally in their working conditions. (Contains 19 notes and references.) (Author/JOW)

This look at changing patterns of employment within industries--Bureau of Labor Statistics projections of employment for industries and for occupations--includes tables depicting occupations with small, moderate, and significant increases or decreases, with reasons for changes in staffing patterns. (JOW)

Discusses the unemployment rate and earnings of Hispanics during the 1980s. (JOW)

The number of Americans working for themselves continues to increase, reaching 9.1 million in 1983. They tend to be older than other workers, and although they work longer hours, their earnings are lower. (SK)

Discusses cyclical and noncyclical components of unemployment. Examines demographic, occupational, industrial, and other sources of changes in the unemployment rate. (SK)

The experience of the classes of 1977, 1980, 1984, and 1986 shows that the college job market was fairly stable during this period. (Author)