Telecom Jobs ... They're Baaaaack!

I attended my share of job fairs in the late 90's. Two things were always a given at these job fairs:

1. Job fair attendees showed up in droves (like the children of Israel following Moses).
2. Half of the attendees swore they'd never return to Telecom.

SmartMoney.com reports that, year to date, telecom companies have more than doubled the 13% return of the broader market.

Is that good enough to satisfy today's tech-savvy job-seekers?

Of course it is. Even if our beloved boomers (of which I'm a card-carrying member) have long memories and hearts too faint to ride another feisty telecom wave, the job-seekers of 2007 will have a different perspective; one that's fueled by the opportunity to dive head-first in to the cool technology proffered by today's telecom.

Is that why investors have plowed over $450 million into telecom exchange-traded funds this year? Maybe. In fact, the telecom industry — phone companies, wireless providers and all the firms that support them — is the leading ETF sector in 2006, returning 27% so far, according to State Street. Coming in a distant second is energy, with a 15% return.

I think Telecom is back. And I'm glad I'm in a business that's supporting this growth.

Are you?

Check out SmartMoney's complete article (The Return of Telecom) HERE.

Dennis Smith
T-Mobile USA
WirelessJobs.com