Major Employers Market Research

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Job seekers in 2018 should see reasonably strong hiring and rising wages, if the low unemployment rates seen in early 2018 continue, and if confidence remains reasonably high for both consumers and business leaders.  Nonetheless, total growth of the U.S. economy has been disappointing for several years, and this relatively slow growth has a negative effect on hiring and wages.

Job seekers who want good positions with good pay should prepare well for the search.  A large part of the preparation requires meaningful research into prospective employers and the industries in which they operate.  The fact remains that several million Americans consider themselves underemployed, and many of them will be looking for better jobs.  Competition for highly desirable positions will remain fierce.  Many companies receive hundreds or even thousands of resumes for every job opening.  Simply sending in a resume and hoping for the best is nowhere near enough for a successful job search.

The good news is that a select set of employers and growth companies will offer superb job opportunities.  Sectors such as cloud computing and health care will continue to grow and hire.  A few companies with exciting new technologies or cost-saving services will see terrific growth.  Salesforce.com, a highly innovative provider of online business services, has been a good example.

Solid companies that do a terrific job of providing the day-to-day needs of consumers and business will continue to hire—Costco, Amazon.com and Southwest Airlines are good examples.  Other industry sectors that fall into this category include insurance firms, such as USAA and The Progressive Corporation, along with online services and apps that provide efficient or new ways for consumers and businesses to make purchases, gather data or view entertainment and news.

Growing numbers of consumers prefer to buy from firms that sell goods and services online, offering savings of time, money and car travel.  This boosts companies like Amazon.com that offer low prices combined with deep selections and great customer service.  Virtually all major retailers, including giants like Wal-Mart and Home Depot, are working hard to provide better online services and choices to their customers.  Meanwhile, traditional department stores and many other types of traditional store-front retailers are in a long, painful period of decline.

The travel industry has been enjoying tremendous growth in revenues over the past few years.  Airlines are in much better financial shape than they were in the recent past.  Many have shed debt through bankruptcy and successfully reorganized as more financially stable companies.  Hotels are enjoying high occupancy rates.  Meanwhile, travel has become one of the most successful sectors at selling products and services via the internet, creating vast numbers of new job opportunities.

The automobile sector is booming as well.  New cars have been selling very well, and hiring has been strong at car dealers and manufacturers alike.

Americans who find themselves in the market for a job will need to understand the changes surging through the economy in order to determine which companies to pursue and which to avoid.  The U.S. employment market has evolved dramatically, and job seekers must be both knowledgeable and nimble in order to position themselves to find promising careers.

America’s job market is looking better than it has in recent years, and job seekers, including new college grads, should see a reasonable level of job openings.  There will be good opportunities for those who are diligent in seeking top employers in most business sectors.

It is vital for the job seeker to use the best reference tools possible in order to seek out employers that offer a reasonable balance of financial stability, opportunities for advancement and good pay.  Excellent job opportunities always exist if you know where to look.

Thousands of companies will need significant numbers of new hires over the near term.  In particular, companies that offer products or services that save time and/or money will prosper—for example, many types of companies that offer services that help businesses operate more efficiently, will be hiring.  Meanwhile, large companies that are not increasing their overall numbers of employees will nonetheless be hiring on a regular basis due to normal attrition—that is, the loss of employees due to retirement, relocation or other personal circumstances.  Massive companies like Walgreen’s or Kroger typically need to hire tens of thousands of workers yearly due to normal attrition.