Some industries, such as health care, will always be booming. Other paths are not as obviously fruitful. “Predicting job growth is like predicting where tornadoes will form,” says Rich Milgram, CEO of the job-posting website Beyond.com. “You can have all the charts and data in the world, but it’s not an exact science.”
Milgram says it’s all about “looking for trends that can help inform how the job market will fare long-term.” We got some help from industry insiders.
The industry: Real estate
“Even after five years of a challenging real estate market, employees of real estate companies are extremely happy with their jobs,” says Doug Claffey, CEO of Workplace Dynamics. “The entrepreneurial nature of the industry gives employees a great deal of control over their own destinies and success.”
The industry: Retail
Talent acquisition company iCIMS pores over data to learn who’s receiving the most applications and doing the most hiring.
“At the end of 2012, iCIMS evaluated the data and noted which industries were experiencing an increase in applicant submissions for open positions,” says CEO Colin Day. “Retail, transportation and health care all received the largest number of open position applications, with retail ahead in the volume of submissions.”
The industry: Biosciences
While 2013 might not be a big year for biosciences and pharmaceuticals it’s an area worth watching. “We don’t think there’s much room for growth with the large pharmaceutical companies,” says Chuck Pappalardo, managing director of Trilogy Search. “This sector is too important for us not to keep a close eye on it, but the coming year — and possibly even the next five years — won’t be its finest hour.”
