In real estate, the three most important factors determining the value of property are "location, location, location." In determining the employment outlook for 1999 graduates, the watchwords are "the economy, the economy, the economy."

Although the 1999 job market could be as good as it was in 1998--which was the best on record for the 1990s--it could also be dampened by an ailing global economy. In this annual examination of career opportunities for chemists and chemical engineers, C&EN finds an overall optimistic outlook for both industrial and academic hiring. However, on the industrial scene, the robust recruiting occurring currently on college campuses is tempered by the realization that a further downturn in the economy could cause some of the companies to pull back on hiring plans. The academic job market will continue to gather steam as retirements, relocations, promotions, and department expansions open up slots. In academia, however, the cost of bringing a faculty member on board could hamper hiring and leave positions unfilled.

Although the employment outlook is largely encouraging, some data raise concerns about the long-term health of hiring. For example, even though salaries of individual chemists and chemical engineers are growing at a median rate of 4 to 5% per year--more than twice the rate of inflation--the overall employment situation as revealed by American Chemical Society surveys has slipped. And the big advantage that chemists once held over the overall U.S. workforce in terms of lower rates of unemployment has eroded substantially.

In addition to salary and unemployment data, this year's Employment Outlook special report also has a virtual roundtable discussion of people sharing their experiences on their first jobs in the chemical sciences. Another feature examines the dual career ladder aimed at balancing opportunities for career growth and company needs.

On-campus recruiting for industrial chemists and chemical engineers is robust, but the health of the industrial job market for chemists and chemical engineers graduating in 1999 will depend heavily on the course of the economy in the next few months. Meanwhile, the academic job market continues to gather steam.

The past 12 months have been an unusually active time for the surveying of chemists and chemical engineers for information about their salaries and job status. Salaries of individual chemists and chemical engineers are growing at a healthy pace, but there are signs of erosion in the job market for chemists as evidenced by a higher unemployment rate.

A new graduate can expect to hold six to 10 jobs, usually for three to five different organizations, during a career. But the first job is very important because it can set the tone for other positions in a lifetime of employment. Chemical scientists holding their first job share their experiences and offer tips for making that all-important first decision.

Recognizing both employee and corporate needs, companies have developed compensation and career systems that they hope will attract, retain, and motivate employees. What many have put in place are called dual career ladders or tracks. Companies design these to provide career paths for technical professionals separately from those for managers or administrators.

The Internet has increased the availability and the amount of job search and career-planning information available to a point where it can seem overwhelming. This section is a guide to some of the sources of job and career information best suited to chemical scientists seeking jobs or changing careers.