ERMUSR MISC. ISSUES 01-13-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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8 Career Prospects Opportunities improve for managers and tech-savvy workers anv exciting career opportunities are going NEW KINDS OF WORK are emerging as technology im- to open up in the Years ahead, but workers proves, just as computers and the Internet spawned will need skills applicable to expanding jobs that did not exist just a few years ago, including fields. The days are gone when workers with limited webmasters,cyberlibrarians, network and voice sys- training could step into a job with regular pay raises, tems engineers, just-in-time supply-chain managers, periodic promotions and a pension at retirement. automation engineers and warehouse technicians. A New Work Environment Fields of Opportunity Future job secuirs sill be tied ic the employee's Although many occupations can expect growth in the skills and performance plus his or her ability to adapt years just ahead, some are likely to have stronger gains than others. Here is the outlook for some of the top performers. rift& MANAGERS of all types are going to be in demand, both specialists and generalists who are good at corn- municating, motivating coworkers and building coop- , erative teams. aNNISIt Global managers will be especially valued. There'll be great opportunities for all kinds of techni- cians and professionals who can work comfortably in languages such as Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. Being multilingual will be a major asset. Crisis managers and security specialists are ex- pected to be in JOBS RETURNING AT LAST to new technology and procedures. greater demand as More workers are likely to think of themselves as j governments and independent contractors, even when they are not. ° businesses pay more They will be more likely than workers in previous -200 attention to poten- generations to change employees and professions. A00 - - -- tial threats to their The rise of 401(k)s and similar portable savings plans _ __ tar ag i infrastructure and in place of traditional pension plans will give workers °"`"°""""`) information systems. greater mobility. Employee loyalty is going to hinge more and i000 2001 2002 2003 - SCIENTISTS AND more on what the employer can offer in the way of �°""e5 a`S'"'D""g" ENGINEERS are sure opportunities for growth, not just pay and benefits. to do very well in the global economy. Biochemists Increasingly, Americans are competing in a global and molecular biologists are going to find plenty of labor market affecting not just workers in manufac- work in research and development in the growing turing, but professionals as well. biotechnology industry. Electrical engineers and computer scientists can THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY is being felt by all work- count on lots of openings in microelectronics, nano- ers—those who adjust, learn new skills and prosper technology and computer sciences. AND those who don't. The latter will have a hard Environmental engineers will be needed to deal time earning a good wage. with ever more-stringent regulation of air and water For every type of low- or moderate-skill position pollution. that is reduced by technology, more and better jobs Civil engineers are also likely to see increased de- will be created in design, manufacture, marketing and mand for improving and replacing aging infrastruc- distribution using advanced technology. ture in the U.S. and for working on new projects in WHAT'S AHEAD FOR 2004 117