Take, for instance, the trend predicted over a decade ago--that small business will reign. The prediction is clearly on target. Look at the U.S. Census figures showing that out of nearly 21 million businesses in the U.S. in 1999, only 98,087 had more than 100 employees.

Most people don't think of the other 99% of businesses because they're not big, household names that you read about. Yet, when you do the math, these small businesses are the biggest creators of jobs in the country.

These businesses are in various sectors. Some industries have a larger concentration of a small businesses than others. A recent Fortune article showed that in a list of America's Fastest Growing Small Companies, 19 are technology firms, 18 are financial, 16 are health care, 13 are industrial and 12 are energy companies.

Sixteen businesses run the gamut from gourmet pasta maker and socially conscious coffee roaster--to toys and sporting goods producer and stocker of casino slot machines.

Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing company list put 4Kids Entertainment as number one. And this toy licenser company only has 119 employees.

The Fortune ranking, by the way, is based on stock performance and earnings and revenue growth over the last three years. There are many other small companies that are not public.

In addition to this trend of small business domination, you should also look at the statistics that show which business sectors are ramping up their hiring.

For instance, according to a survey by Manpower Inc., companies in manufacturing, transportation and public utilities, wholesale and retail trades, finance, insurance and real estate, construction, services and public administration plan to add employees.

Manufacturing leads the pack with the services sector following a close second. The National Federation of Independent Business says manufacturing business activity rose for the fifth straight month, according to the Institute for Supply Management.

Specifically, Manpower's Employment Outlook Survey says that of the nearly 16,000 firms interviewed, 27% plan to put up Help Wanted signs in the third quarter, compared to 21% in the second quarter.

And while you're looking at statistics and the way things seem to be headed, don't stop there. We are in a global economy. That means many jobs are available outside the U.S.--from Nepal to the Netherlands and Austria to Argentina.

A new source for finding these jobs is the International Job Finder (Planning/Communications), by Daniel Lauber and Kraig Rice. You'll find 1,200 of the best online and print resources for discovering jobs worldwide. Positions can range from those at non-profit organizations and pharmaceutical firms to ones in education or engineering.

When you look at overall trends, things in this country do seem to be improving. Believe it or not, the pace of corporate layoffs is down about a third from last year. Investment in high tech equipment is starting to come back. Slowly but surely, jobs are being created. You'll want companies to know you exist as opportunities materialize. So now is the time to get busy and throw your hat in the ring.

© by Andrea Kay