The year ahead is veiled in uncertainty: Has the financial crisis run its course? Have the markets bottomed out?

Will more jobs be lost? Could yours be one of them? And if it is, will you be able to find work?

Parting the veil to peer into the unknown is the task of professional futurists such as Richard Worzel. A year ago, he foretold: “The biggest potential story of 2008 will be the U.S. economy and the risks in the American credit markets.” (See “The Next Crash?” archived at futuresearch.com)

Casting his sights on 2009, Worzel sees some indication that the banking system is returning to normal.

But even if the worst is behind us, he says, “We still have to deal with the aftermath. This won’t be over quickly ..... I think this is going to be a two-year recession and then the recovery is going to be very slow.”

These are scary projections for everyone, of course, but especially workers and the unemployed. “Job losses tend to lag rather than lead the process,” Worzel says.

In other words, brace yourselves: we have months and probably years of workplace turbulence ahead.

Worzel foresees government debt dampening government assistance programs. He expects many mature workers to postpone retirement plans and stay in the workforce. “The predicted skill shortages may be postponed,” due to lack of interest,” he says.

Up-to-date skills will nonetheless be in demand and opportunities will still exist as people move in and out of jobs. The competition for openings may be pitched, however. “People will have to be more concerned about how they can add value to an organization,” he says.

If you’re currently working, “Ask yourself: What can I do to make myself as valuable as possible, professionally, personally, interpersonally, teamwork wise?” Worzel suggests.

“Your organization will not always recognize it, but you’ll be a lot better off if your boss would be reluctant to let you go.”

Watch for the writing on the wall, however. “Sometimes even if you’re valuable and personable and customers love you, your number can come up,” he says.

Have a plan B. “Think about what else you could do and for whom,” Worzel advises. “Look at your customers, suppliers, at everybody in the industry you’re in.

“Look for people who would like to have your talents and abilities, who like what you do, who really enjoy dealing with you. Keep yourself in front of these people.”

You may also need a plan C. “Think about what you will do if nobody hires you. What else can you do? What does the market need? Some people are involuntary entrepreneurs who invent their own jobs when they can’t find one.”

And when looking for work, be strategic. “Don’t send out 100 résumés and wait for something to happen,” he cautions. “You may get lucky and send the right résumé to the right person at the right instance in the unfolding of the universe, but it’s not likely.

“Consider the job you’re applying for and rewrite your résumé, completely if necessary, to appeal specifically to that job. You may think this is a lot of work, but so is sending out 100 résumés and not getting any replies.”

Futurists are not prophets but planners, Worzel maintains.

While he admits that no one can accurately predict the future all the time, he is certain about one thing. “Everything will continue to change,” he says. “Maybe you’re going to stay with your current employer, maybe you won’t.

“But either way you’re going to have to constantly reinvent yourself and take responsibility for creating your own path.”

Copyright 2009, Janis Foord Kirk.