The Riley Guide: Before You Search

Employment & Industry Trends

Info for the over-Fifty Worker || Government Reports and Surveys
Industry Surveys || More Ideas for Tracking Trends

Where Is My Job Going? Is it this job or is this a dying occupation? Is the industry changing, is it changing everywhere, or is it just moving out of my area? Checking employment and industry trends can help you plan a move to a secure occupation or industry, or at least tell you that what you are going through is just at your office, not everywhere.

Info for the over-Fifty Worker

The Age Advantage

...this site is dedicated to those who have more experience in the workforce. The title is taken from the book by Jean Erickson Walker, author and career consultant. Yes, you can buy her book, and some of you might want to do this, but what I liked best here was her Career Counseling Tips at the bottom of the front page, and her Online Newsletters. These are filled with interesting articles cover a variety of topics including the issue of age in the job search.

We also have job resources targeted to the 50+ group.

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Government Reports and Surveys

Occupational Outlook Handbook

This searchable guide includes basic information on how occupations are expected to grow or decline in the next five to ten years.

Occupational Employment Statistics US Bureau of Labor and Statistics

..."The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program conducts a yearly mail survey designed to produce estimates of occupational employment and wages. The OES program collects data on wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in order to produce estimates for over 750 occupations, in over 400 industry classifications." All kinds of very useful information, from wage and compensation data to occupational descriptions to employment projections.

U.S. Census Bureau

The Census Bureau has made much of the data from the last census available online, including building starts and industry/occupation information.

State Occupational Projections

This sites contains Labor Market Information from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Having it all in one database like this allows you to search for projected growth in any occupation across several states or to even compare different occupations within a single state. I recommend you start by selecting an occupation from the menu shown, then add in your state. Once you've seen the results, you can start altering your search to show more states or to filter your results using keywords. The short-term projections do not appear to be updated, but the more important long-term projections are being updated on a 2-year cycle, with the next update scheduled for May 2008.

Labor Market Information State by State

Labor Market Information is the statistics on employment, wages, industries, and other factors affecting the world of work. These links take you to LMI information for the individual states so you can see how the industry or occupation you are exploring is doing in Illinois, Maryland, or California. While BLS and the other Federal agencies gives us data based on national averages, you might find the state you are targeting to be in a different, uh, state.

Alabama || Alaska || Arizona || Arkansas || California || Colorado || Connecticut || Delaware || District of Columbia || Florida || Georgia || Hawaii || Idaho || Illinois || Indiana || Iowa || Kansas || Kentucky || Louisiana || Maine || Maryland || Massachusetts || Michigan || Minnesota || Mississippi || Missouri || Montana || Nebraska || Nevada || New Hampshire || New Jersey || New Mexico || New York || North Carolina || North Dakota || Ohio || Oklahoma || Oregon || Pennsylvania || Rhode Island || South Carolina || South Dakota || Tennessee || Texas || Utah || Vermont || Virginia || Washington || West Virginia || Wisconsin || Wyoming

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Industry Surveys

Best Performing Cities: Where America's Jobs are Being Created

"Want to know why President Bush won Florida? Political pundits might want to look at the Milken Institute’s 2004 Best Performing Cities Index, our annual survey of where jobs are being created in America." They list the 200 largest cities as well as the 118 smallest metros. It's an interesting list that can help you to decide if a relocation is in order. While the rankings are viewable online, the full report and printable ranking lists are in PDF format and require Adobe's free Acrobat reader.

HRLive Layoff Reports, JWT Employment Communications

... the Layoff Reports are updated weekly and are a good indicator of what's happening in various industrial and geographic sectors. When you review them, look for clues of what employee groups are being targeted for layoffs. You might be someone still needed despite other downsizings.

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More Ideas for Tracking Trends

Newspapers and Magazines

...check those that cover your target regions or your target industries and occupations.

Check the Sources for Local Jobs in the US

...look for more info on economic development in a particular area.

Career and Occupational Info Guides

...part of their service is to let you know what careers are up-and-coming and in what industries and which ones are slowing down.

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Jobs, Career Resources, & Articles from The Wall Street Journal

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RealEstateJournal -- advice on buying or renting a new home, apartment, or office.