Glimmers of hope are emerging on the job front as the economic recovery starts to kick in. The job market for most 2009 grads remains bleak, but jobs are being created and it’s only a matter of time before everyone who wants to work will land a job–but not necessarily in their preferred fields of interest.
Latest job reports show an encouraging decline in unemployment filings, which give a hit for turnaround in the job market. And Media Life Magazine notes improvement in the advertising economy which also bodes well for marketing and PR.
The U.S. government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics says PR jobs will grow “faster than average” over the next several years. For individuals pursuing careers in PR, the Bureau of Labor Statics publishes excellent online job outlook overviews for most professions. Click here for the PR outlook report.
Earlier this year, Fortune magazine ranked PR as one of the “hot careers” of the future. Starting with Bureau of Labor Statics projections for 2002- 2012, Fortune eliminated blue-collar and relatively “uncommon jobs” with fewer than 1,000 people nationwide to come up with a list of “hot careers.” Here’s how PR ranked with a sampling of other “hot careers” that scored a 20% or projected growth rate by 2012:
- Environmental engineers: 54.3%
- Personal financial advisors: 36.3%
- Biomedical engineers: 27.8%
- PR specialists: 27.8%
- Systems analysts: 24.9%
- Marketing and sales managers: 21.3%
- Media and communications specialists: 20.4%
- Lawyers: 20.4%
I found this post very informative, not to mention comforting, for students seeking a future career in PR. Thank you!
-Leah Zuber