Quick-hitter article here from HotJobs.com – Good-Paying Jobs Are Ample, But Training Is Critical.  The article is a fast read and worth your time, but here is what caught my attention:

The job market is always churning. About 7 million workers lose or leave jobs each quarter and, when the economy is growing, more than 7 million are added to payrolls. Companies hiring right now include makers of aircraft and medical equipment, shipbuilders and refiners of petroleum and sugar. At the same time, losses continue to sock the textile, apparel, auto and other industries.

7 million jobs churn each quarter.  That is a staggering number and helps to define what a large economy we have been blessed with here in the US.  But our economy is slow right now so where does this leave us?  From the article (my editing):

The current slowdown is expediting a trend in play for decades: a shift from jobs that produce goods to those that provide services, which are up to 80% of the total.

You can bet there will be lots of good jobs. They’ll be in health care, engineering, management consulting, accounting, education and legal services. Also needed will be sales representatives, executive assistants, carpenters, auto mechanics, truck drivers, nurses, office managers and more. On average, many will pay as much or more than those in manufacturing.

Three decades ago, earning a high school diploma was enough to land a job in a steel mill where a person could move up the ladder to a $30 an hour job. Only 41% of jobs were filled by workers with some college or a college degree.

Today, 60% of jobs are filled by those with more than a high school diploma, and that share will rise to about 70% by 2020.

Education will be the first step, specialized training will be the second.  Finding the right person for the position will be the same as it ever was (to quote the Talking Heads).

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