Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 10, 1994                   TAG: 9402100240
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: CHICAGO TRIBUNE                                LENGTH: Medium

A PROMISING DECADE FOR MINORITY JOBS

One is the demographics projected for this decade.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 15 percent of new hires in the 1990s will be white men, a figure that reflects a dearth of workers ages 16 to 25, the typical entry-level years.

What the projection means is that because of a decreasing pool of white men, employers will have to interview all qualified job candidates, regardless of race.

And hire them.

It's happening already. The buzzwords "diversity," "diverse work force" and "new diversity" describe the impact of women and minorities on today's labor market.

In fact, of the 55.8 million workers expected to enter the U.S. labor force between 1990 and 2005, 7.2 million will be African Americans.

The influx of black workers is shown in the fact that in 1992 there were 13,891,000 African Americans in the labor force, compared to 2005, when there will be a projected 17,395,000 - an increase of 25.2 percent.

Another hopeful sign is the shortage of highly trained and skilled workers. If the new demographics create a more level field of job opportunity, and if you are prepared, you will be able to get a job and move ahead.

Nothing is more important than education. Ninety percent of all jobs created in this decade will require education beyond high school.

Jobs will go to those who are skilled, regardless of race. That means a college degree or technical or vocational training will be basic requirements for most of the jobs with a future.

What's more, in order to keep skills up to date and achieve the flexibility demanded by a technological society, workers must have a strong commitment to continuing their educations.

Though there are indications that job opportunities will expand for African Americans, do not rely solely on the hope that employers will finally become colorblind and judge job applicants solely on the basis of ability.

U.S. businesses still prefer to hire and promote white men, as evidenced in the 1993 unemployment rates for white men (7 percent) and black men (12.9 percent). Black women also suffer from that preference. A University of Pittsburgh study, based on census figures, shows it takes 10 months for black women to earn what white men make in six months.

\ FORCES SHAPING JOBS IN THIS DECADE\

Almost half of all new jobs will be in the highest-skilled groups: managers, technicians and professionals.

Because of a rapidly growing information highway, computer-related technical jobs are the fastest-growing occupations, projected to be up more than 70 percent by the end of the decade.

Ninety percent of the new jobs will be in the service sector. High-paying manufacturing jobs are declining.

Smaller companies are doing the hiring, not Fortune 500 firms, which will continue to downsize.

There will be competition for jobs with workers from all over the world. But the up side is that minorities are a plus in a global economy, as U.S. businesses are discovering.