(MONEY Magazine) – DESPITE THE COOLING ECONOMY THAT MANY forecasters, including MONEY's Michael Sivy, expect for '96, the job outlook remains reasonably positive. Few prognosticators figure unemployment will rise (or, for that matter, fall) more than a few tenths of a percentage point from its recent 5.5% rate.

Isolated layoffs will continue to affect selected companies and industries--MCI, for example, will have dismissed 3,000 workers by early next year and Chase Manhattan Bank expects to let go 12,000. But the era of massive job cuts seems finally to be passing as more and more companies reach their ideal fighting weights. On the other hand, don't get giddy.

Overall job growth is likely to be a tepid 1% next year, down from 1.9%, and, according to MONEY's projection, wage increases are expected to hover at a puny 2.8%. That is about the anticipated rate of inflation.

To be sure, job and promotion seekers will do better in some industries than in others. Biggest winners: health care and computer science, which account for nine of the 12 jobs with the best overall prospects for '96. (For the complete list, see the table below.)

The reasons these two fields predominate are straightforward. In health care, the first wave of aging baby boomers turns 50 next year, which means the need for health-care pros--including physicians, nurses and medical technicians--will rise 40% over the next decade. "We're also seeing an emphasis on in-home and preventive care, which means that the historical fast growth of the health-care industry will continue," says U.S. Department of Labor economist Theresa Cosca.

In computer science, high-level expertise will be in demand as companies of all stripes race to stay competitive. Large outfits will troll for specialists who can upgrade their computer systems and design electronic networks to increase efficiency. Smaller companies are likely to hire computer pros more rapidly and aggressively to compete. Meantime, because the home computer is now such an educational and entertainment tool, that market will continue to sizzle--sales are expected to reach close to $22 billion next year, up 12% over '95. As a result, industry leaders such as Compaq Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Intel will be adding hundreds of computer designers and marketers.

As for salaries, they'll be greatest at the most highly skilled ends of health care--despite doctors' fears about the impact of managed care on their incomes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and industry data, 1996's biggest bucks, on average, will go to physicians in general ($163,000), with surgeons who have a decade or more experience garnering even more ($208,000). Other top earners include airline pilots ($99,700) and stockbrokers ($93,800).

In an otherwise drab year for pay increases, hard-driving computer science employees will lead the way. According to a salary survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a New York City market research firm, the typical computer worker--whether a software developer earning $73,300 or a programmer earning $40,000 annually--will get the biggest raises next year, at least half a percentage point above the national average. Workers in business services, such as graphic designers, custodial management and security personnel, will fare almost as well over the next 12 months. "Companies in those industries are growing faster than average," says economist Malcolm Cohen, visiting professor at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, "so they can afford to give meatier raises."

Here are four factors to keep in mind as you manage your career next year:

When job hunting in 1996, think small. "These days, aggressive companies with fewer than 100 employees can turn into global businesses overnight," says David Birch, an economist with Cognetics, a research firm in Cambridge, Mass. "New technology can give them an edge over larger firms faster than ever." Corporate downsizing has also favored small businesses. Across the country, myriad independent contractors and small service firms have sprung up to supply streamlined corporations with skills ranging from graphic design to bill collecting and executive recruiting. The message: Fortune 500 firms aren't the only places to build fast-track careers.

Consider relocating to a region that needs workers. Regardless of your line of work, you're likely to find more open doors next year in midwestern and southeastern states such as Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Georgia and North Carolina. "A lot of the labor force moved from those areas to the West and North for jobs in the early '90s," explains Mitchell Fromstein, president of Manpower, a temporary- employment agency in Milwaukee. "Now manufacturing has picked up and there's a shortage of qualified workers."

Don't rule out the Northwest for a job hunt, though. Home to fast-growing pharmaceutical research-and-development firms as well as high-tech companies, Idaho, Oregon and Washington offer excellent prospects for chemical and software engineers, scientists and biologists.

Stay ahead of the curve at your current job. If there's one New Year's resolution to make--and keep--it's to take control of your career over the next 12 months. For instance, be certain that your on-the-job education doesn't stop until you retire. Clearly, you'll be more valuable to your boss and future bosses when you know more about getting the job done. Last year, almost 20% of companies that cut jobs offered some kind of job training, up from only 10% in '93. About 72% of medium-size and large employers offer partial or full reimbursement for job-related classes.

But stay tuned: Congress is considering tax legislation that includes proposals to define the value of some or all company-paid classes as income next year. If that happens, says Percy Williams of the trade group Society for Human Resource Management in Alexandria, Va., "Employers will still offer the educational benefit, but employees may find themselves taxed on the tuition reimbursement they receive."

To become an even more valuable staffer, try to attend several professional conferences or trade shows next year. Becoming a smarter employee gives you ammunition to ask for a generous bonus. Getting around has other benefits: "Now that employers don't provide any job security, the key to building your own kind of security is networking," says John Challenger, executive vice president of Challenger Gray & Christmas, a Chicago outplacement firm. Networking will help develop and strengthen contacts that may prove vital as you build your career.

Always be on the lookout for your next job. Keep your resume updated and your options wide open, especially if you're in a field such as banking or entertainment, where mergers and downsizing are rife. "Planning for the next job," advises Challenger, "should begin almost immediately after starting a new one." And be flexible about the sorts of moves you are willing to consider.

Sometimes a lateral job switch can prove smarter than taking a small step up the corporate ladder. For instance, if you're a mortgage banker, you may be able to use your knowledge to snare an ultimately more lucrative or rewarding post in, say, real estate or property management. And getting that plum job, after all, should be your employment goal in 1996--or any year.