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Fastest Growing Careers: Top Thirty for 2008-2018

December 23, 2010 / Michelle Burton

Retail Sales

People from all educational backgrounds and varying skill sets might discover that what they’re good at (or could be good at) is probably one of the fastest growing careers for the 2008-2018 projections decade. Published by the U.S. Department of Labor, the top thirty careers for 2008-2018 list includes jobs that require as little as short-term on-the-job training to as much as a doctoral degree. So, if you are a recent (or not-so-recent) graduate looking for a job, and your preferred career field is slow-growing, you might want to consider a sure thing while you wait for your first choice to bounce back.

The thirty occupations with the largest employment growth for 2008-18, (In Thousands)

1. Occupation: Network systems and data communications analysts
Employment 2008: 292
Employment 2018: 448
Change: 53.4%
Source of Education: Bachelor’s degree

2. Occupation: Home health aides
Employment 2008: 922
Employment 2018: 1,383
Change: 50%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job

3. Occupation: Personal and home care aides
Employment 2008: 817
Employment 2018: 1,193
Change: 46%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job

4. Occupation: Computer software engineers
Employment 2008: 515
Employment 2018: 690
Change: 34%
Source of Education: Bachelor’s degree

5. Occupation: Medical assistants
Employment 2008: 484
Employment 2018: 648
Change: 33.9%
Source of Education: Moderate-term on-the-job training

6. Occupation: Management analysts
Employment 2008: 747
Employment 2018: 925
Change: 23.9%
Source of Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher

7. Occupation: Registered nurses
Employment 2008: 2,619
Employment 2018: 3,200
Change: 22 %
Source of Education: Associate degree

8. Occupation: Physicians and surgeons
Employment 2008: 661
Employment 2018: 806
Change: 21.8%
Source of Education: First professional degree

9. Occupation: Accountants and auditors
Employment 2008: 1,291
Employment 2018: 1,570
Change: 21.7%
Source of Education: Bachelor’s degree

10. Occupation: Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
Employment 2008: 754
Employment 2018: 909
Change: 20.7%
Source of Education: Postsecondary vocational

11. Occupation: Construction laborers
Employment 2008: 1,249
Employment 2018: 1,505
Change: 20.5%
Source of Education: Moderate-term on-the-job training

12. Occupation: Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants
Employment 2008: 1,470
Employment 2018: 1,746
Change: 18.8%
Source of Education: Postsecondary vocational

13. Occupation: Landscaping and grounds-keeping workers
Employment 2008: 1,206
Employment 2018: 1,423
Change: 18%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job training
14. Occupation: Customer service representatives
Employment 2008: 2,252
Employment 2018: 2,652
Change: 17.7%
Source of Education: Moderate-term on-the-job training

15. Occupation: Elementary school teachers, except special education.
Employment 2008: 1,550
Employment 2018: 1,794
Change: 15.8%
Source of Education: Bachelor’s degree

16. Occupation: Receptionists and information clerks
Employment 2008: 1,139
Employment 2018: 1,312
Change: 15.2%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job training

17. Occupation: Postsecondary teachers
Employment 2008: 1,699
Employment 2018: 1,956
Change: 15.1%
Source of Education: Doctoral degree

18. Occupation: Food preparation and servers
Employment 2008: 2,702
Employment 2018: 3,096
Change: 14.6%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job

19. Occupation: Security guards
Employment 2008: 1,077
Employment 2018: 1,229
Change: 14.2%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job training

20. Occupation: Truck drivers
Employment 2008: 1,798
Employment 2018: 2,031
Change: 13%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job training

21. Occupation: Carpenters
Employment 2008: 1,285
Employment 2018: 1,450
Change: 12.9%
Source of Education: Long-term on-the-job

22. Occupation: Executive secretaries and administrative assistants
Employment 2008: 1,594
Employment 2018: 1,799
Change: 12.8%
Source of Education: work experience n a related occupation

23. Occupation: General office clerks
Employment 2008: 3,024
Employment 2018: 3,383
Change: 11.9%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job

24. Occupation: First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support
Employment 2008: 1,457
Employment 2018: 1,618
Change: 11%
Source of Education: Work experience in a related occupation

25. Occupation: General maintenance and repair workers
Employment 2008: 1,361
Employment 2018: 1,509
Change: 10.9%
Source of Education: Moderate-term on-the-job training

26. Occupation: Child care workers
Employment 2008: 1,302
Employment 2018: 1,444
Change: 10.9%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job training

27. Occupation: Teacher assistants
Employment 2008: 1,313
Employment 2018: 1,448
Change: 10.3%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job training

28. Occupation: Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing
Employment 2008: 2,064
Employment 2018: 2,276
Change: 10.3%
Source of Education: Moderate-term on-the-job training

29. Occupation: Retail salespersons
Employment 2008: 4,489
Employment 2018: 4,864
Change: 8.4%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job

30. Occupation: Waiters and waitresses
Employment 2008: 2,382
Employment 2018: 2,533
Change: 6.4%
Source of Education: Short-term on-the-job training

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Cities with the Best (and Worst) Job Outlook Revealed

December 22, 2010 / Michelle Burton

Baton_Rouge

If you have been searching for a job in your state that will allow you to “utilize your skills and education,” but you have had zero success, you might want to consider relocating. Although employers overall are hopeful about hiring in the first quarter of 2011—a promising 9 percent expect to be hiring, some cities are in a much better position to do so than others. At the top of the list of best cities for jobs is none other than Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

A recent Manpower Employment Services survey of 18,000 employers in 100 metropolitan areas revealed that Baton Rouge has an 18 percent net employment outlook. This figure is based on the number of employers that expect to add employees, which is actually 22 percent, minus the percentage who expect to reduce the number of employees (4 percent). Even better news is, the city that rarely dips below 50 degrees is enjoying growth in construction, digital media, and wood products. The city also plans to build three new hospitals in 2011, so there will be plenty of health care jobs to go around.

Baton Rouge is not the only city that will enjoy exceptional job growth in the first quarter of 2011. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington metropolitan area has a net employment outlook of 15 percent, followed by Milwakuee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin at 14 percent. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona; Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio are tied for fourth place with a net employment outlook of 12 percent. The Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee metropolitan area; San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, California, and the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C./Va/Md./W.V. area are tied for fifth place with a net employment outlook of 11 percent.

So what are the worst cities for employment this winter? According to a recent Forbes report:

The net employment outlook in metro areas like Boise, Houston, Los Angeles, and Providence, R.I., is flat at 0%–and they aren’t even the worst. Akron, Ohio; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Columbia, S.C., are tied for the No. 1 spot on the list of the worst cities for finding a job.
Only 8% of surveyed Akron employers plan to hire more employees between January and March, while 11% expect to reduce their payrolls. Seventy-nine percent expect to maintain their current workforce and 2% are unsure about their plans. This yields a net employment outlook of -3% for a city that relies largely on traditional industries, like Goodyear Tire and Rubber ( GT – news – people ) and Roadway Express. The same goes for Colorado Springs and Columbia.

The good news is, overall, the U.S. has seen five straight quarters of survey results that indicate an uptick in hiring activity, according to Melanie Holmes, Manpower’s vice president. Holmes also states that “the trend is in the right direction, but we would all like to see employer confidence improve and the pace of hiring pick up.”

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Common Myths and Misconceptions About Job Interviews

December 17, 2010 / Michelle Burton

Job Interview

A recent Forbes report has helped ease the fears of the millions of job seekers that march out the door each day in hopes of acing that all-important interview. What most interviewees don’t realize is, even the interviewer can be nervous, distracted, ill-prepared, and a host of other things that can affect the way they ask questions and respond to your answers.

For your reading pleasure, Forbes has compiled a top ten list of “things” that are considered to be common myths of job interviewing. So, the thing to take away from this article is this: don’t go home after your interview and waste time and energy raking every word you said over the coals, because what you didn’t say or do might actually seal the deal for you.

1. The interviewer is prepared.
The person interviewing you is likely harried and overworked, because he needs to hire someone. He may have barely glanced at your résumé and given no thought to your qualifications.
2. The interviewer asks good questions.
Many interviewers prepare no questions in advance beyond “Tell me about yourself.” “They usually just wing it,” says David Couper, a Los Angeles career and executive coach and the author of Outsiders on the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career … Even When You Don’t Fit In.
3. They want you to accept their offer of refreshment.
Interviewers feel obliged to be polite and offer you a drink, but they do not really want to go fetch that cup of tea.
4. The interviewer wants additional materials like references.
Unless you’re a designer or writer, the interviewer does not want you to hand over reports or reference materials.
5. There’s a right answer to an interviewer’s question.
When you’re asked a tough question, the interviewer is usually more interested in seeing how you go about addressing it than in precisely what you end up saying.
6. You should keep your answers short.
The interviewer doesn’t want to have to think of another question to ask you. “If you’re giving information that’s hitting what they need to know, then they’re happy,” says Couper.
7. Hiring managers value skills over physical attractiveness.
There’s a lot of research that demonstrates that looks do matter, Couper says. What should an unattractive job seeker do? “Plastic surgery,” he deadpans.
8. When they ask where you want to be in five years, they want you to demonstrate ambition.
What they really want: your willingness to toil away at the same job happily and indefinitely.
9. If you’re invited to an interview, the job is still open.
Frequently hiring managers just go through the motions of interviewing candidates after having picked an inside applicant or someone with a personal connection to the company.
10. The most qualified person gets the job.
Couper himself says he’s hired less qualified but friendlier applicants over more talented job seekers who seemed they might be difficult to get along with.

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Guess Who’s Hiring?

December 15, 2010 / Michelle Burton

Delhi, India Metro Train

The figures are in. According to Forbes, the U.S. has a 9 percent hiring outlook for the first quarter of 2011. Under the circumstances, this is decent, if not good news for Americans. The adjusted Outlook for Quarter 1 2011 is up from +5% during the same period last year and +5% during Quarter 4 2010. The latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey also revealed:

-Five Straight Quarters of Employment Growth: Employers report a positive overall hiring Outlook since the start of 2010, according to seasonally adjusted data.
-Widespread Stability: The percentage of employers planning to keep staff levels unchanged persists at unsurpassed levels, and those in seven of the 13 industry sectors surveyed expect to remain relatively stable compared to Quarter 4 2010.
-Current Outlook Still Below Past Decade’s Average: Despite positive signals, the Quarter 1 2011 Outlook is nearly five percentage points below the average Outlook from 2001 to 2010.

Although the hiring outlook in the U.S. shows positive signals, other countries are set to hire at a much higher rate. India is first place on the Forbes list of best countries for new jobs, with a 42 percent net hiring outlook for the first quarter of 2011. China is close behind at 40 percent, and Taiwan is third with a net employment outlook of 37 percent. In fourth is Brazil with a 36 percent net hiring outlook, Turkey is in fifth with 27 percent, and Singapore is in sixth with a 26 percent net hiring outlook.

“The results are striking, if not surprising,” Forbes said referring to “that unbelievable job growth” reflected in the survey of 64,000 human resource directors and senior hiring managers from public and private companies worldwide.
The survey shows that almost half, 47 percent of them, of expectations for hiring in the first quarter of 2011 came from 10 countries in the Americas, 24 percent from eight countries in Asia and the Pacific, and 29 percent from Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“This is very much a macro-economic look at new job creation,” the staffing firm’s chairman and chief executive, Jeffrey Joerres, was cited as saying.

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Workers Stop Retiring, Gen Y Starts Worrying

December 13, 2010 / Michelle Burton

Gen Y_I Need a Job

If you take a look at Census Bureau data on why any given industry may experience job growth over a period of 10 years, retirement is usually listed as one of the reasons why certain fields will have an impressive percentage of job openings for the decade. But according to a new analysis by a senior research associate at the Employee Benefit Research Institute, “the median length of time on the job rose markedly during the recession, as fearful workers—particularly baby boomers—clung to their existing positions and a few new employees were hired on.”

The analysis, by Craig Copeland, is based on the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, which asks Americans about their job tenure every two years.

As of January 2010, workers reported they had been on the job a median of 5.2 years, up from 4.9 years in 2006. In 2010, 29.8% of all workers said they had been on the job for 10 years or more, up from 26.7% in 2006.
Among men aged 60 to 64 still working full time, 56.8% had held their current job for 10 years or more, up from 48.1% in January 2006 and 52.4% in January 2008. Such numbers indicate that aging boomers understand that finding a new job is tough for older folks. Indeed, according to a new analysis by the AARP of Department of Labor Statistics’ average duration of unemployment for older laid-off job seekers rose to 44.9 weeks in October.
Even in 2008, “people were switching careers,’’ says Copeland. “We even had a program where we were looking at how large employers were trying to retain their employees. But once the recession hit, that wasn’t a problem. Workers weren’t retiring.”

Other scary news for older Gen Y’ers and graduating seniors is: baby boomers are not the only workers holding on to their jobs. All workers are holding on to their jobs to avoid competing with, well, college graduates, older Gen Y’ers, and the more than 4.2 million unemployed workers currently looking for jobs.

Although the recession is officially over, Copeland is quick to remind Americans that, “the unemployment rate has barely budged; it stood at 9.8% in November compared to 10% the year before.”

For more information about the job outlook for all careers for the 2008-2018 decade, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook at http://www.bls.gov/oco/.

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