Info Bytes

Following are bytes of information about the economy, the work world, careers and trends. They illustrate socio-economic changes that are likely to have an impact on the way we do work. You may find some of the information not only interesting but also helpful in determining a course of action to your career.

Futurist, Tom Peters is predicting that "white collar robots" will eliminate humans from such occupations as stockbroker, car sales, mail service, insurance and real estate sales.
According to Money magazine the best places to live are economically vibrant cities that are also successfully managing their growth and providing an all around good quality of life. Portland, Oregon is the best large city and Sarasota, Florida is the best small city. Other regional "bests" include Providence, RI; Chicago, Illinois; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Families with 2 wage earners is now the norm. 51% of married couples with children have dual incomes.
Career opportunities in government are growing. Within the next few years, half of the 1.8 million federal workers will be eligible to retire.
73% of women with young children work outside of the home.
Business Week reports that Ireland, India and the Philippines are benefiting from the "farming out" of work previously done in America.
7 out of 10 business students think that they will end up as millionaires according to a survey by Ernst & Young.
President Bush earns $400,000 annually in his role as America's Chief Executive Officer. Of the previous 42 presidents, 31 earned more than Bush (adjusting for inflation).
Not just about cookies: Girl Scouts can earn badges by learning about civil and electrical engineering, plastics and the environment. 17 new badges help girls learn about science and engineering.
According to 61% of executives surveyed by Working Mother few of us will work traditional 9-5 workdays by 2010. Flex scheduling will provide more work options. Workers may share office space on alternate days, more employees will work from home, and it will be more common for days off to be other than Saturday and Sunday.
Women continue to make inroads into what were once traditional male professions. According to the American Bar Association, the number of women in law school is increasing steadily. In 1970 they comprised 10% of first year law students, in 2000 they were 49.4%. Current research indicates that 46% of new entrants in medical schools are women. And reported in USA Today, in 1970 men accounted for 70% of jobs in public relations, today women fill 70% of PR jobs.
Who works longest? South Koreans work 55.1 hours per week; Chinese and US workers average 42.2 hours; and French and Italian workers work 40.3 and 40.5 hours, respectively.

Source: Career Opportunity News and varied news media.