Gone. The way of the Dodo bird, milkman and two Martini lunch.

The traditional concept of job security has ridden off into the sunset like the protagonist in a sappy Western film. Of course this is not news to anyone who has been awake for the last few years.

The US economy shed 8.8 million jobs in the great recession. Since the bottom of the recession, optimists estimate that the economy has added back about 1.9 million jobs, though many of these are lower paying service sector jobs. Our unemployment rate is stubbornly persisting above 9%, with most economists predicting years before it returns to pre-recession levels of 5.8%. I assert that it will never return to these levels, for three primary reasons:

1. The private sector has unlocked productivity and requires fewer employees than in the past. It turns out that all the talk about Lean, Six Sigma, process improvement and countless other productivity drivers were more than hot air after all.
2. The world flattened out driven by the rise of emerging nations, the Internet, and the shift in power from large manufacturers to mega retailers.
3. An awakening on the part of the populace and ergo our politicians, about the insane levels of Government debt and deficit spending. Add to this the reduced tax revenues in a low growth economy, and the previously rock-solid concept of public sector job security imploded.

Those individuals who are fortunate to be employed inside of this new normal job market can choose to respond in any number of ways. They can be paranoid that they will be next out the door, and so become timid, low-profile and heads-down. Or they can get angry at being overworked and under-appreciated, so they whine, complain and act-out. Either of these approaches assures a fast-track to the unemployment office.

The better response is to skill-up and stand out. Remember that with fewer employees doing more things, employers de facto need people with broad skills and the willingness and ability to continuously add to their skill set. People who are not afraid to try new things, take chances and occasionally fail…because that is how we grow. People who keep their heads up, scanning the horizon for the next big opportunity to drive sales or increase productivity. People who can partner with others, because there are fewer supervisors, and understand the multiplying effects of technology. In short, people who are bold.

Job security as we knew it is gone forever. Accept it and move on. Leave it to others to decry this new reality and pine away for the good old days. While they are busy lamenting what was, take full advantage of what is.