Job Market

Dear Joyce: I worked my way up to assistant manager of a well-known bank. But I don't have a college degree, much less an MBA. At 43 and out of work for 14 months, I am beginning to despair of ever cloning my former job. What avenues are open to me? -- W.R.T.Dear W.R.T.: Your predicament warns others of the dramatic changes the American job market is undergoing. In the past, working your way up the career ladder without credentials was always delightful as you rode the employment express.

Thomas Booker, 17, has been looking for a summer job for months. He has applied to McDonald's, Taco Bell and other fast-food restaurants. He has followed up with phone calls. He has sought news about openings from friends who do have jobs. Still, he is unemployed. So yesterday, he put on a suit and tie - typically reserved for church on Sundays and school presentations - and headed to a job fair in Baltimore City. He and about 400 other teen-agers. "I started in December looking for jobs, and I still haven't gotten one yet," Booker said.

If University of Maryland senior Christine Perez were to write an advertisement for her ideal job, it would read something like this: Wanted - A challenging but fulfilling entry-level position in government intelligence or in the communications office of a political organization. Seeking professional development and advancement opportunities. Great benefits, such as tuition reimbursement, are a must. "I started my job search a year ago," said Perez, who's set to graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in government and politics.

Tiffany Burgess, 15, is just finishing her freshman year at Aberdeen High School, but she has already set her sights on an advanced degree. When a Harford County company offered a free business literacy course, she jumped at the chance. "I already know that I am a people person," the aspiring law student said. "I like helping people solve problems. The course helped me with communication skills. " Burgess and 11 other teen members of the Aberdeen Boys and Girls Club said they feel more prepared for the workforce after completing Career Launch, 14 weekly sessions at Rite-Aid's Mid-Atlantic Customer Support Center in Aberdeen.

Liz Jones had been sleeping fitfully. She suffered headaches and a tightness in her shoulders. Then one morning as she drove to work, her lungs suddenly became congested, her breathing shallow and labored. She knew the cause -- she was working too hard. She also knew it was time to get help.In the past, therapists viewed complaints of job stress as a cover for other emotional problems -- something easier to talk about than home-life worries or childhood hurts. But in the last year or so, an increasing number of people have sought counseling claiming job stress -- and meaning it.Clearly the ailing economy weighs heavily on the lives of the nation's 8.89 million unemployed.

Many parents who beamed with pride at their child's graduation this spring now are facing a new problem.After decades raising your child, you probably dreamed of the day when that young adult joined the working world and you had more money to spend on yourself.Not so fast. With today's tough job market and companies lopping off workers like a hairdresser snipping split ends, you might find the freshly minted graduate isn't exactly packing up a suitcase to leave the nest.Now you may well have to do something tougher than pay tuition bills -- you have to help your child go off on his or her own.It's common to help children when they start working.

What are recent college graduates looking for most in a job? A flexible schedule? Opportunities for creativity and personal growth? High salary? None of the above. Instead, these 20-something workers are most interested in advancement opportunities and job security, at least according to research by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The group surveyed 19,000 people from 370 schools nationwide. It asked them to rate 15 job attributes in terms of importance and then asked them to rank one attribute against another.

Disabilities lawIf you haven't already encountered it as an employer, you may face a decision like this one soon: Two job candidates qualify for one position. But one candidate, who has a disability, cannot perform the tasks without some modifications of the work area that would cost money.Whom would you hire?If you chose the non-disabled candidate for no other reason but convenience and cost, you may be liable in court come July 26. That's when employment provisions of the new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

More than half of the 167 students who received diplomas from Villa Julie College yesterday aren't worried about the sparse job market. Many already have jobs or are going on to graduate school."

Mahlon Straszheim, the economist who annoyed Gov. William Donald Schaefer by predicting a recession for Maryland in 1990 -- accurately, as it turned out -- yesterday said the state has finally hit economic bottom.Dr. Straszheim, who has since been hired by the governor to provide economic analysis for the state government, said he foresees "slow, sustainable growth over the next 18 months, with the recovery gaining momentum" probably by 1995.Dr. Straszheim told a group gathered for a University of Maryland showcase of its business partnership programs that improvement in sales tax collections and other statistics indicate "this year will be the year the economy turned around in this state."