You're already a member of LinkMe because you care about your future and wish to actively manage your career. You know that as part of this process it's important to be aware of future trends and developments in the job market so that you're adequately informed about issues that may impact your career or future career decisions. Information on economic trends and developments can be found in a myriad of sources from the internet, newspapers and other media, through your working environment, colleagues and friends. Following is a brief summary of the latest research on employment trends.

Overview:

According to a recent survey commissioned by Mercer the outlook for the economy is positive in the short to medium term (1-5years). Consequently it's anticipated that generally demand for labour will continue to grow strongly. It's also forecasted that over the next five years the labour force is expect to grow by up to 6% rising from 11 million to 11.7 million, with the number of workers aged 25-55 increasing by 5% and workers aged 55+ increasing by 14% by 2012/13.

Predicted hot jobs:

According to Mercer more than half of Australia's employment is concentrated in five industries - manufacturing, construction, retail, property and business services and health. These five industries are expected to require the majority of employees by 2012/13.

The construction industry is expected to be a major beneficiary and is predicted going forward to have one of the strongest annual growth rate on the back of significant investment in infrastructure some of which were announced in the most recent federal budget as well as investment to deal with environmental degradation including green house gas emissions, water supply and land management. The Master Builders Australia forecasts that there'll be an increase from 950,000 to 1,200,000 people in the construction industry but warned of labour shortages across all categories of workers with a chronic shortage of project managers and foremen/supervisors. Growth in construction engineering is expected to continue and demand in general for engineers is expected to be strong.

Findings from a recent survey by Hudson indicate the buoyant economy has created strong demand for accounting, legal and consulting professionals. Strong growth is also predicted in the accommodation, café and restaurant sector as well as in property and business services. Employment is also expected to grow in the telecommunications industry, IT and its expected there'll be high demand for marketing, advertising and media professionals. With significant growth expected in private hospitals and aged care facilities it's anticipated that there'll be a strong need for professionals in this industry.

The following occupations have good job prospects according to government figures - IT systems analysts, motor mechanics, sales assistants, child care workers, bookkeepers, cooks, chefs, electricians, fitness instructors, psychologists, hospitality workers, school teachers to name but a few (for a full listing visit www.jobsearch.gov.au/joboutlook ).

So all in all it would appear that employer optimism continues across several key industries. But there are some industries or sectors not so optimistic!

Not so hot jobs:

Employment in the electricity, gas and water sector is expected to decline by up to 30% over the next five years, largely as a result, according to Mercers of productivity and efficiency gains over recent years. Similarly employment in communications is also expected to decline by 20%. Although the mining and resources sectors are still buoyant recent indications are that the commodities boom may be subduing somewhat after a period of explosive growth and as a consequence we can expect to see a flattening in the growth of these sectors going forward. Employment is also expected to drop by 2% in manufacturing and 5% in the finance/insurance sectors.

Moving forward:

The employment market is sensitive to prevailing economic conditions and future outlook; this is true at the state, national and international level. As employees the key is to be prepared and ready to seize opportunities as they arise. How do we do this? The answer is straightforward - we need to ensure our ongoing employability, maintain career resilience, and always have an up to date resume. Life long learning is essential, so seize any training opportunities you can, and remember to keep your finger on the employment pulse and network, network, network!