Going to war could generate up to 250,000 temporary positions as reservists leave their jobs to serve on active duty, some for as long as two years.

Challenger said that a war, by lifting certain industries in various parts of the country, could induce more job seekers to consider relocation.

Expanding opportunities afforded by relocation and reservist job vacancies will be especially helpful to the growing number of Americans who are experiencing long-term joblessness.

The number of unemployed workers grew by 148,000 in February to 8.45 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The average length of unemployment has climbed 45 percent since the recession began in March 2001, going from 12.8 weeks to 18.6 weeks in February. During the same period, the number of workers out of work for 27 weeks or longer has grown 172 percent from 690,000 to nearly 1.9 million.

Long-time job seekers may be able to take advantage of employers' need for workers to fill the void left by reservists called to duty, Challenger said. There are already 168,000 reservists and national guard members on active duty, a force that could grow to 250,000 if the United States invades Iraq, according to the Pentagon.

While the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act requires that companies reemploy reservists upon their return from active duty, the law does not prohibit employers from hiring temporary workers to replace them.

"Getting a foot in the door on a temporary basis to fill in for a reservist is the push long-time job seekers might need to reinvigorate their career prospects," Challenger said.

Many of these positions will be in small- to medium-size firms with fewer than 50 employees, where about 75 percent of reservists are employed, according to estimates by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.