Tales of a Confusing Academic Job Market: Up or Down? Actually, Both.

Inside Higher Ed today posts a review of the confusing and mixed picture in academic job openings in various fields. Among the findings as you can see below - this will anger some folks! - the job market for economists is much improved but for historians it remains dismal.

Job Freefall, Job Recovery (excerpt)
Jan. 3, 2011, Scott Jaschik

There has never been a single academic job market: variation among disciplines, institutions and regions has always mattered. The reality of radically differing job markets may be especially clear as 2011 begins with disciplinary associations gathering for job interviews at annual meetings and releasing data on the number of available positions. During the 2009-10 academic year, the number of positions listed with the American Historical Association dropped by 29.4 percent, according to a study the group will release today. That follows a 23.8 percent drop the year before. Last year, the association announced that the number of listings it received -- 806 -- was the smallest in a decade; this year's total of 569 marks the smallest number in 25 years.

But in data also being released this week, the American Economic Association is announcing that its job listings in 2010 recovered from a 21 percent decline in 2008. Further, the number of academic jobs exceeded the number in 2008. (Economics job listings include positions in the finance and consulting industries, in addition to academic slots.)

Association job listings don't have every open position, and many jobs at community colleges or adjunct positions aren't included. But the association listings tend to be a reliable barometer on the job markets in the respective disciplines -- especially for the tenure-track or other full-time positions most sought by new Ph.D.s...

Full article at http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/03/history_job_openings_fall_economics_positions_recover