Flip-flops and laptops

Forty percent of workers say they stay in touch with work while on vacation, according to a recent survey by CareerBuilder, an online job site.

But that can get in the way of the fun and stress reduction vacationers are seeking, experts say.

To really enjoy a vacation, work management consultants advise workers to come up with a time-off plan that minimizes telephone calls and e-mails to the office.

Work force shrinking

Working women and baby boomers boosted the growth of the labor force in the 1970s, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But that growth has since been on the decline and is expected to continue shrinking through the first quarter of the century.

The biggest part of the slowdown is expected to occur from 2015 to 2025 as baby boomers retire. The youngest members of that generation hit 65 in 2025.

Online connections

Show biz is a notoriously tough industry to break into, especially if you don’t have an uncle at one of the studios.

The connection-challenged have a new Web site to help them. JobsintheBiz.com offers job-hunting and career-management advice and lists jobs ranging from the executive suite to the mail room.

The site was launched by Brad Marks International, a Los Angeles executive search firm that caters to the entertainment industry.