The national unemployment rate has reached 9.4% on what looks to be an invariable procession to somewhere north of 10%. This number has only been exceeded one time (in 1982) since 1948. More people are out of work and looking for a job than has been the case for 25, soon to be 61 years.
If you are currently employed as you read this, consider yourself lucky. But by all means, please, don’t kid yourself into thinking that you are secure. If you have not realized it before, let me assure you that the concept of “job security” is extinct. Like the dinosaur, Dodo and Dodge. Dead.
Fact is, it has been for a long time. You just didn’t realize it. By my reckoning, the beginning of the end aligned just about perfectly with the rise of global competition and the big box retailers. These events conspired to change the face of American manufacturing and shift our country to a service economy. The problem arises when the need for services ebb and flow, directly impacting the need for employees. “Jobs for life” were replaced by “jobs for as long as we need you.”
It does not matter if you see this as a good thing or a bad thing, because it is a sure thing. But rest assured that you are not without recourse, floating like driftwood caught in the riptide. You have a choice. You can sit back and wait for your turn in the unemployment sweepstakes, or you can aggressively work to build your greatest asset, your skills.
Think of it as investing, except that you are investing in a special type of capital, your intellectual capital. The more of it you possess, the greater the likelihood that you will weather the economic downturn. No matter if you are blue collar or white, you are more valuable to your current and all future employers with a broad set of relevant skills.
Your choice is simple. You can skill up, or prepare to ship out. I can not advise you as to the specific skills you should add. You need to figure that out for yourself. I can advise you unequivocally though, that more is indeed more.