04 Jun 06/04/2020
If you’re looking to find success on a new career path, your decision should probably come from evaluating where the current job market is and where it’s headed. When we initially began drafting and developing this article on jobs in mid-February, the economy had positive momentum, with no indicators that the job market was about to take a nosedive off a cliff. In January 2020, employment rose throughout the month, with jobs added in construction, healthcare, transportation, and warehousing—and in these fields, the average hourly income rose by 0.2 percent as well.
Well, if only we could have hit the pause button in February. In early 2020, the world changed. The coronavirus pandemic began spreading across Italy at an alarming rate in February and then across the U.S. in early March. By April, it had upended so many people’s lives that at the time of this writing, there are over 26 million people who have become unemployed in only five weeks due to shutdowns and quarantines.
So, you might be asking yourself, why is MCR Safety, a company that manufactures and sells personal protective equipment (PPE), writing about jobs? First, without people at work, MCR Safety has fewer people to protect, which means keeping up with the job market and the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is critical. While no one can predict the future in these very uncertain times, we figured we would share some of MCR Safety’s insight into jobs: who’s hiring, the future job market, the monthly jobs report, the PMI Index, etc. In this post, we’ll spend some time highlighting jobs within the industries that were performing well before the coronavirus sent the world into the Twilight Zone. Also, we share a ton of quick links to occupations and companies with open positions.
For those of you who do land a job in the coming months, we hope you remember MCR Safety when it comes time to select your PPE. Whether you’re a nurse, manufacturing manager, welder, construction worker, engineer, geologist, chemist, or work in countless other professions, we want you wearing only the best PPE. Why? Because we want you protected and safe at work! And, at this point, ANY kind of work done outside the home may require some level of PPE – certainly far more than we traditionally think of as needing such protection.
Did you ever play The Game of Life as a child? Players spend lots of time choosing a path—either the college or the career path—and the rest of the game builds off that decision. But is this an accurate depiction of what life is actually like? In terms of spending time determining your path in life, yes. Significant consideration should be given to thinking about the future and planning how to achieve your vision of that future. However, as happens in The Game of Life, the fickle wheel of fate can spin at any time, and you may draw some unlucky cards and find your path pulled out from under you. Consider the changes that have taken place in science and technology in just the last 25 years. Since the Internet took off in the 1990s, we are in the midst of drastic change that affects the way we live and work. With the increased development and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), the world teeters on a monumental precipice of change. A long-term consideration of your life and career path should come with even greater analysis than a board game move, but also with the understanding that things may change and plans may be upended. Being able to adapt will bring you the most success in the real-life game of life.
In contemplating jobs and employment options, there are multiple things to consider. For example, entry-level positions get you the quickest access into the workforce; however, many of these jobs are disappearing with the use of advanced technology like AI. And it’s these entry-level positions where MCR Safety products are often used the most, hence why we focus on the job market. We pay attention to the ever-evolving job market so that we can monitor the protection required for the new jobs taking shape across the economy and ensure MCR Safety is ready to meet those needs. Regardless of what jobs are evolving in the market, people will always need to be protected! One example of the shift in PPE needs that we have seen is the increased interest in our touchscreen gloves and our blue light filter safety glasses for working around electronic equipment.
Some occupations offer the opportunity to attend a trade school where you learn all the skills needed for a particular vocation. Trade schools typically provide students with a certification in two years or less, striking a balance between immediate employment vs. having to get a four-year degree. The school of thought over the past half-century has been that a four-year college degree should be the goal of those wanting a more lucrative career. However, trade school enrollment is on the rise, increasing from 9.6 million students in 1999 to more than 16 million in 2014. Some see this rise as a reflection of the new economy, which requires more technical and mechanical skills rather than four-year college degrees. Many of these mechanically-inclined jobs are where PPE is needed to protect workers.
Just what skills can you acquire at a trade school? You can learn the skills you need to get a job like one of the following:
Your career choice, like in The Game of Life, will have a great deal of impact on your life’s path. Some paths lead you to a four-year university, and others lead you to a vocational school or an apprenticeship. It’s all about choices and what’s right for you and your vision for your future.
Additional Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Resources:
BLS Industry Information
BLS Apprenticeships
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Occupational Employment Statistics
Employment Projections
Education Required
Projected Job Growth
Occupational Requirements
With record unemployment numbers in the U.S. currently, you may be asking yourself where the jobs are? Believe it or not, companies are hiring right now. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects that between 2018 and 2028, we will see an increase of 8.4 million jobs, bringing the total to 169.4 million jobs. But where? As with anything, the more data you have, the more optimal your decision-making becomes. It’s generally a good rule of thumb to check which industries are projecting growth. Our first image below shows a snapshot of which industries employ the most people now, and their projections for 2028. For a strategically-minded person, healthcare seems like an excellent choice.
Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Within these industries, here are the top 20 U.S. Occupations:
Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
And, of course, we want to highlight the top occupations that require wearing the most personal protective equipment (PPE). As we head into the next phase of this pandemic, this list may grow exponentially and include occupations that may not previously have required any sort of PPE.
Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
According to the BLS, here are the top five of most new jobs created in the U.S. currently:
And here are the occupations projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in a 2019 report, to see the most growth between 2018 and 2028. You shouldn’t be surprised to find some overlap between these two lists, but you will notice a new number 1 and number 2:
We know it’s a lot of data to consider, but keep in mind: AI uses data better than anyone, and AI is what you may be competing against in the next decade. So, you might want to consider reviewing that data one more time before you make your decision. At MCR Safety, we are looking at that data. Both the future number 1 and number 2 occupations will need excellent cut protection when installing solar equipment and servicing wind turbines. We will have you protected, no worries.
It's in your best interest to review this article, and all the data shown, a couple of times before choosing your next job.
Additional Resources:
Industries That Make America Great
Top 100 Ranked Jobs
You will hear us reference Indeed.com a lot in the next several sections. Indeed.com has become one of the most popular websites for job seekers. An Indeed.com job search provides access to millions of job openings, all in one spot. First, you may want to try searching for “Jobs near me” to get a quick look at opportunities in your area. You can continue searching in this way for any of a number of types of jobs: part-time jobs near me, full-time jobs near me, seasonable jobs near me, or warehouse jobs near me. This type of job search helps you quickly find job openings and begin the resume submission process. We also provide a list of quick links below for those only looking for specific types of jobs.
Indeed.com Quick Links:
Full-time Indeed jobs – quick link
Part-time Indeed jobs – quick link
Weekend Indeed jobs – quick link
Seasonal Indeed jobs – quick link
Entry-level Indeed jobs – quick link
Also, you can learn about resumes, application processes, company reviews, and more on the Indeed.com website. For those of you who are not yet tired of data, as we’ve hit you with a lot, Indeed.com has a blog that provides insight and data trends for job openings.
Our next two sections highlight the two top industries where you will find MCR Safety products: construction and manufacturing. After that, we come back to highlighting numerous companies and occupations that are hiring. Throughout all these sections, we provide multiple quick links to Indeed.com.
While manufacturing and construction jobs are often readily available, these are not the only jobs in high demand. The following companies and occupations are some of the largest employers of workers and industries in the country, employing many job seekers.
Top Companies:
Top Occupations:
You also can find a career path and a vocation working in the public sector in a government or state job. There are many hiring paths you can take to match your background to find a career to match your talents. Whether a veteran, military spouse, federal employee, student, or recent graduate, there’s a path to find the right career for you.
Within the public sector, you can find jobs in fast-growing industries such as cybersecurity, information technology management, and nursing. Some positions may require very precise training, while others begin training you after you’ve been hired.
In every state, between 10 and 25 percent of the workforce is employed by the government at the local, state, and federal levels, and there are many immediate employment demands that need to be met. There are careers to be found in all kinds of industries, including fire protection, health, higher education, highways, hospitals, natural resources, public welfare, and more.
You can find a federal government job that fits your particular skill set by clicking here.
Each quarter, the BLS releases its U.S. Jobs Report, which provides estimated information on employment and unemployment numbers throughout the country by industry. Wall Street firms, corporations, and investors use this information to gauge the overall health of the economy. This report also affects how interest rates are set. When the numbers are good, the employment report can also instill a level of public confidence in the economy—which also impacts future business decisions, like hiring.
How do jobs look right now? As you know, the world has changed dramatically in just the last month. However, we are going to take this blip on the radar out of our answer.
Throughout 2019 and into the beginning of 2020, America has been working. Just in November, the country saw an increase of 266,000 jobs—which was even better than expected. Unemployment fell to 3.5 percent by the end of 2019, which is the lowest it had been since 1969. Where did this growth happen?
There’s a certain security in jobs in manufacturing and healthcare—even when the outlook is uncertain. In March, employment fell by 701,000, but through all this, there were still industries that saw increases and maintained job security. While March 2020 did not see growth, on the whole, manufacturing jobs still managed to increase by 6,000 positions over the month.
At MCR Safety, we can take the data presented in this jobs report and anticipate the rise in need for personal protective equipment. It’s helpful to us, and if you’re looking for a job in a growing industry, we believe this information can be beneficial to you, too.
How is the jobs report calculated? On the first Friday of every month, the BLS releases the Employment Situation Summary, also referred to as the Jobs Report. It is considered by many as the most critical health barometer of the overall economy. To establish a monthly job report number, the BLS collects data from its monthly CES survey, which covers approximately 697,000 worksites. For more on how the survey is prepared and the results calculated, be sure to check out the BLS technical notes. We also recommend reading this article for specifics on how to calculate it.
In our next couple of sections, we dive into two of the top U.S. industries employing workers, along with the sectors where you find a lot of MCR Safety products worn.
Construction can be a highly physical task with some risk of danger. Even so, construction workers must continue to work to keep up with economic demand. We follow the economic trends to maintain a constant, available supply of PPE for construction workers.
There are over 6 million workers employed in the construction industry. These workers don’t merely work in construction—they have specializations across all kinds of activities, including carpentry, plumbing, concrete work, and road construction. Why does all this matter?
For one, construction is the second-largest industry to which MCR Safety sells PPE. But, in addition to that, construction impacts our whole lives, from our homes and offices to the roads we drive on and the buildings we rely on like schools, hospitals, and churches. Construction, like manufacturing, is an excellent indicator of the health of the economy, with jobs aplenty when the economy is thriving. Economic recovery for the entire country is almost always tied to the improvement of the housing market, and construction is crucial to state economies.
What kinds of jobs can you find in the construction industry? Here are some of the top ones you’ll find at a jobsite:
Trends in construction are a reliable indicator of economic health here in the U.S. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics closely monitors job openings and labor turnover rates for that very reason.
Manufacturing may not be where it was in the U.S. at its height during the 1980s; however, the industry still employs over 12 million people. At MCR Safety, we work closely and predominately within the manufacturing field. It’s one of the industries where you will find all of MCR Safety’s products represented, from thin general-purpose gloves to safety glasses and protective FR clothing.
Graph showing manufacturing employment since World War II and the 1940s.
So, what kinds of jobs are available in the manufacturing industry? Some jobs within the manufacturing industry require a degree or certification. In contrast, others offer on-the-job training. However, in all kinds of manufacturing, as work becomes more and more mechanized, having a good grasp of technology and technical skills is becoming increasingly crucial.
Here are the kinds of jobs you will find throughout the manufacturing industry:
We keep a close eye on the economy so we can always keep up with the demand for personal protective equipment for the people working within the manufacturing industry.
We have one more area to cover where data and stats are involved. Manufacturing is typically where recessions begin and end. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) focuses heavily on manufacturing, which has earned it a secondary reference as the PMI Manufacturing Index. PMI is one of the most prevalent and reliable economic indicators that summarize market conditions. It is created from surveys sent out to companies by the Institute for Supply Management. These survey questionaries are sent out monthly to around 400 purchasing managers, asking direct rather than opinion-based questions. The survey captures hard factual data across the following five indicators at equal weights:
Those responding to the survey are asked questions regarding whether something has changed and in which direction. They must answer in one of the following ways: it has not changed, it has increased, or it has decreased. The final PMI number calculated is from 0-100.
A result of over 50 means expansion is occurring in the economy, where under 50 means contraction is occurring. As the PMI numbers decline, it often means jobs are also decreasing.
PMI trends from 1948 to 2012. You can see how it goes hand-in-hand with market conditions, like in 2008.
Every quarter, PMI has an 85 percent correlation with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If you want to know how strong the job market is projected to be in the coming months, keep your eye on manufacturing and the PMI. By paying attention to the PMI month over month, you will be ahead of the curve and know where jobs are most likely headed in the coming months.
For additional info on PMI, check out Investopedia and Wikipedia’s PMI page.
Visit the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) for the most recent PMI report.
At MCR Safety, we think a lot about the choices we make, too—choices to keep you safe from harm. Once you’ve chosen your career path and occupation, we work to help keep you safe and protected on the job. In all the jobs mentioned above, our goal is to provide the right PPE for the right number of workers, and that’s why we keep such a close eye on the jobs market. We know that when you’re seeking an in-demand job in a booming field, you’re looking for a lifetime occupation, and it’s our mission to keep you safe throughout your entire career.
For over 45 years, MCR Safety has proven to be a world leader in gloves, glasses, and garments. Whether it’s on the shop floor, an oil rig, or a construction site, we are there providing solutions to workplace hazards. It’s all part of our commitment to protect people.
No matter your industry, we have the personal protective equipment you need.
Learn more about MCR Safety by checking out our most recent video. For more information, browse our website, request a catalog, find a distributor, or give us a call at 800-955-6887.