Review of What Color Is Your Parachute? 2019

The Job-Hunting Landscape

The 2019 edition of this constant bestseller says that the world has changed significantly for job hunters. Since the 20o8 recession, the average length someone stays in a job is shorter – the majority of job tenures run fewer than five years. By 2020, this manual says, freelancers and part time workers will make up 40% of American workers. 

Companies seeking lower labor costs prefer short-term workers. Despite the hype, the authors – writing under the banner of the late Richard Bolles, who originated this classic book of advice – believe that technology will displace only between 5% and 19% of the workforce. But, the days when one job would carry you to retirement are gone. Today, they assert, you must be good at job hunting. Or as they explain flatly, “Job hunting is no longer an optional exercise. It is a survival skill.”