Oct. 5--LONG BEACH -- It wasn't long ago that a career in international trade was seen as a ticket to financial success, job stability and a secure retirement.

When the International Longshore and Warehouse Union announced a lottery for 3,000 open positions in 2004, an estimated 400,000 hopefuls applied from across the country -- hoping for a shot at the lucrative wages and benefits the job offered.

At the time, annual growth in cargo volumes moved through Long Beach and Los Angeles had increased nearly 300 percent from 1997 to 2007, and the future seemed primed for more of the same.

Ships arrived daily packed with goods, trucking companies worked around the clock -- clogging local roadways in the meantime -- rail operators moved record volumes.

In short, record profits and unending growth seemed inevitable as the global economy boomed.

But then came the great financial meltdown of 2008, sending shockwaves through the global economy and devastating the once-powerful economic engine that is the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

By September, cargo volumes through San Pedro Bay had dropped nearly 20 percent since their 2007 peak, leaving longshoremen, truckers, warehouse workers and others underemployed or out-of-work.

And despite predictions to the contrary, a turnaround doesn't seem likely anytime soon.

"It's been one of the region's hardest-hit industries, and recovery is going to be slow and painful

for many," said Jack Kyser, President of the Kyser Center for Economic Research and an expert on Southern California's economy. "The financial meltdown, credit crisis, massive unemployment and resulting consumer spending pullback have made things much worse than we had anticipated."

Precise figures are unavailable, but reports from California's Economic Development Department show job losses in the international trade industry have been among the state's most severe for more than a year now, mirroring losses in retail, construction and tourism.

In Long Beach, San Pedro and Wilmington alone, surveys estimate several thousand jobs in trucking and dockwork have disappeared since early 2008, with many former workers moving on to less lucrative careers or leaving for states and regions with more opportunities.

Meanwhile, major global shipping companies have severely curtailed expenditures, shutting local offices, consolidating operations and laying off workers as they scramble to cope with declining revenues.