Where the Jobs are a new paradigm

Herman Trend Alert: Where the Jobs Are and Will Be January 28, 2009

Though the media in the United States is filled will news of layoffs, what is not being widely reported is some companies are still hiring---notably Whole Foods, Boston Consulting Group, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Fuld and Company, Scotts LawnService, URS, and more. The company that made it to the top of Fortune's "100 Best Places to Work" list this year, NetApp, which sells innovative storage and data management solutions, is also hiring.

The other companies that are hiring are in a wide variety of fields. Convenience stores like 7-Eleven which is looking for employees in operations, accounting, information systems, merchandising, and marketing.

Do you love animals? Here is an employer for you. Banfield, the largest general veterinary practice treating pets in the world, is currently looking for veterinarians, pet nurses, office managers, and client service coordinators.

If you are job hunting, there are two sectors that stand out---insurance and healthcare. State Farm, HealthMarkets, and Farmers Insurance are all looking for employees. Farmers is particularly looking for bilingual associates, while State Farm seeks a wide range of candidates including people to work in claims, underwriting, and systems/information technology. HealthMarkets, a nationwide health insurance provider, is recruiting agents to sell to self-employed individuals and their families.

In the realm of healthcare, Gentiva Health Services, a provider of home care services, is looking for a range of highly skilled employees, including nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and other clinicians; as well as sales, management and administrative support professionals. Sutter Health, a group of doctors, not-for-profit hospitals, and other healthcare service providers, is also seeking a variety of people to provide bedside care, implement lifesaving technology, and take administrative positions.

Since we value our mobile phones more highly than our laptops. (See http://www.hermangroup.com/alert/archive_3-19-2008.html.), it will come as no shock that the sales of cell phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) have not diminished significantly. Verizon and AT&T continue to hire sales people and store managers, especially those with language skills.

The only employers seeking unskilled workers right now are in the insurance and call center areas. Our forecast is highly skilled workers will continue to enjoy opportunities, no matter how high unemployment goes. Next week, we will cover the Green Job opportunities