The outlook for teacher employment in public education is important to current and future teachers and policymakers of elementary, secondary, and higher educational institutions. The number of teachers needed is dependent on several factors including: (1) population of school-age children; (2) number of existing teachers; (3) age of the existing teacher population; and (4) class size. Changing geographical population distributions and areas of teaching specialization are additional factors that affect prospects for employment. This paper describes demographic characteristics of teachers and students as well as characteristics of the job market to reveal current and potential teacher shortages. The primary source of demographic information was the National Center for Education Statistics. The investigation reveals shortages of teachers in various fields and geographic regions. Suggestions for policymakers and prospective teachers are provided. Five tables summarize data on teachers. (Contains 6 references.) (Author/SLD)