Time for Embracing Career Change
by Michael L. Thurmond Georgia Commissioner of Labor
Barrow County News
September 5, 2004

Labor Day 2004 provides American workers with a much-needed opportunity to relax and enjoy the final days of summer. However, this year’s holiday celebrations are tempered by economic uncertainty and a growing sense of uneasiness among many American workers.

An array of mixed economic signals has forced corporate leaders and business owners to delay new hiring and postpone capital investments.

After three years of economic recovery, corporate profits have improved, but wage gains are failing to keep pace with inflation. Slow job growth is making it difficult for 200,000 unemployed Georgians to find a job.

As a result, 44% of those who qualify for unemployment benefits are exhausting their claims without being able to find employment.

Fundamental economic forces are buffeting America’s workforce and the effects are likely to be pervasive and permanent. Outsourcing to cheaper foreign labor markets continues to consume thousands of American jobs. Information technology and automation have increased productivity, making obsolete many jobs once thought to be secure.

Tens of thousands of jobs in manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, and communications that were once the mainstay of many Georgia communities have disappeared. Replacement jobs are fewer in number and often lower in pay. These are the painful symptoms of “structural unemployment.” Put simply, structural unemployment occurs when workers are displaced because the skill sets they possess are no longer in demand. This is a generally unrecognized but growing problem in today’s economy.

For those who are structurally unemployed, there is no turning back. When the occupation a worker is accustomed to is eliminated, that worker must find a way to transition a new career that is in demand.

Fortunately, many of the skills required for the worker’s previous job can be transferred to a new one. And, with upgraded or newly acquired skills, a successful transition to a new career in an expanding occupation or industry can be made.

Healthcare is an excellent example of an expanding industry. Last year, this industry created 300,000 new jobs. This increase was driven by demographic shifts associated with the aging of the population. Tax preparation, public relations, account collections and survey research are among other expanding occupations.

If you are unemployed or looking for a new career, take this Labor Day as an opportunity to assess prospective industries. Determine your career interests by recognizing and understanding your interests, skills, values, and personality. Then ask yourself, “What is my career mission in life?” Because this is not always an easy question to answer, you may want to jot down a list of career interests based on your assessment.

Visit your Georgia Department of Labor career center or web site at www.dol.state.ga.us for job search resources and information on career transition. Additional related information is also available at local libraries, career development offices of local colleges and universities and online at job search sites. A wealth of information is available to support you in your new endeavor.

Happy Labor Day and best of success in finding your new career path!