Notes by odie: Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' released its list of the thirty occupations where it expects the greatest net-job growth through 2020, and registered nurses are the very top. Over the course of this decade, the government expects an additional 7
The government predicts that healthcare occupations will be
booming, while postal service jobs will disappear
Reuters
If you're looking for guaranteed employment during the next
eight years, become a nurse. Really. It's that simple.
Recently, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics' released its list of the thirty occupations where
it expects the greatest net-job growth through 2020, and registered
nurses are the very top. Over the course of this decade, the
government expects an additional 711,900 will be hired to help care
for the ballooning medical needs of America's aging population
-- a 26% increase from 2010. Best yet, the BLS says many
parts of the country are experiencing a nurse shortage, meaning
talent will come at a premium.
As you probably expected, the nursing boom is just one piece of
a larger trend: The rise of the healthcare sector. Overall, eight
of the 30 top-growing occupations are connected with medicine and
personal care. From richly paid surgeons to low-wage home health
aides, those eight occupations are expected to add more than 3
million jobs The BLS projrects the United States to gain 20.4
million new jobs overall by 2020.
The Top 10 Growing Occupations: 2010 -
2020
10: Post-secondary teachers
Net job growth: 305,700
Percentage growth: 17.4%
Degree required: Doctoral or professional
Average Pay: $71,280
The BLS says: Even with a coming wave of
retirements, there will still be tough competition for old school
tenure track jobs, but growth at community colleges and technical
schools will offer lots of opportunities.
The BLS says: Even with a coming wave of
retirements, there will still be tough competition for old school
tenure track jobs, but growth at community colleges and technical
schools will offer lots of opportunities.
The Top 10
Growing Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
9: Laborers
and freight, stock, and material movers
Net growth: 319,100 jobs:
Percentage growth: 15.4%
Degree required: Less than high school
Average pay: $25,710
The BLS says: Employment is looking up in the
warehousing and storage business, as more companies contract this
work out.
The Top 10
Growing Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
8: Heavy
and tractor-trailer truck drivers
Net growth: 330,100 jobs
Percentage growth: 20.6%
Degree required: High school diploma or
equivalent
Average pay: $39,450
The BLS says: The demand for truck drivers will
seesaw based on the health of the economy.
The Top 10
Growing Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
7: Customer
service representatives
Net growth: 338,400
Percentage growth: 15.5%
Degree required:
Average pay: $32,780
The BLS says: Customer service workers have
recession-proof jobs, because most of them work for companies like
phone service providers where customers keep accounts, no matter
how the economy is doing.
The Top 10
Growing Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
6: Combined
food preparation and serving workers, including fast food
Net growth: 398,000 jobs
Percentage growth: 14.8%
Degree required: Less than high school.
Average pay: $18,600
The BLS says: Fast food restaurants are looking
good: They're cheaper than the competition and BLS suspects that
the increase in healthy options will draw more yuppies to the
Golden Arches.
The Top 10
Growing Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
5: Office
clerks, general
Net growth: 489,000 jobs
Percentage growth: 16.6%
Degree required: High school diploma or
equivalent
Average pay: $28,240
The BLS says: As technology advances, you'll
see fewer specialized office workers, and more generalists who can
chip in on any task.
The Top 10
Growing Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
4: Personal
care aides
Net growth: 607,000
Percentage growth: 70.5%
Degree required: Less than high school
Average pay: $20,420
The BLS says: There are going to be a lot of
old people. Someone needs to take care of them.
The Top 10
Growing Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Shutterstock
/ Oscar C. Williams
3: Home
health aides
Net growth:706,300
Percentage growth: 69.4%
Degree required: Less than high school
Average pay: $21,760
The BLS says: Caring for the elderly and
impaired is low-skill, emotionally grinding work, but there will be
plenty of demand.
The Top 10
Growing Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
2: Retail
salespersons
Net growth: 706,800 jobs
Percentage growth: 16.6%
Degree required: Less than high school
Average pay: $25,000
The BLS says: It's a business with a lot of
turnover, and retailers will be looking to expand operations.
The Top 10
Growing Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
1:
Registered nurses
Net growth: 711,900 jobs
Percentage growth: 26%
Degree required: Associate's degree
Average pay: $67,720
The BLS says: America's healthcare needs are
expanding, and there's a shortage of nursing talent in certain
regions of the country.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Wikipedia
10: Word
processors and typists
Net decline: 13,200 jobs
Percentage decline: 11.5%
Degree required: High school diploma or
equivalent
Average pay: $34,420
The BLS says: It's 2012, and most people know
how to type.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Shutterstock
/ STILLFX
9:
Data-entry keyers
Net decline:
Percentage decline:
Degree required:
Average pay: $28,400
The BLS says: Most professionals know how to
type, and there's less stigma about doing your own data entry these
days.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
8:
Miscellaneous agricultural workers
Net decline: 19,100
Percentage decline: 2.6%
Degree required: Less than high school
Average pay: $20,040 - $35,620
The BLS says: Farms are using technology to
become more productive, meaning fewer workers harvesting more
food.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
7: Fast
food cooks
Net decline: 19,100 jobs
Percentage decline: 3.6%
Degree required: Less than high school
Average pay: $18,540
The BLS says: In their last published
employment outlook, the BLS predicted there would be more fast food
cooks in the coming years, so their appearance on the list is a bit
of a mystery.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
6: Postal
Service clerks
Net decline: 31,600
Percentage decline: 48.2%
Degree required:
Average pay: $52,520
The BLS says: Paper mail is dying. Less mail
means fewer clerks.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Shutterstock
/ Everett Collection
5:
Switchboard operators, including answering service
Net decline: 33,200 jobs
Percentage decline: 23.3%
Degree required: High school diploma or
less.
Average pay: $26,280
The BLS says: You know all of those automated
company directories? Yep, that'll do it.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
4: Postal
Service mail carriers
Net decline:
Percentage decline: 38,100 jobs
Degree required: 12%
Average pay: $50,250
The BLS says: Better technology will make it
possible for letter carriers to spend less time sorting mail and
more time delivering it. That means fewer postmen will be able to
work longer routes.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
3: Sewing
machine operators
Net decline: 42,100 jobs
Percentage decline: 25.8%
Degree required: Less than high school
Average pay: $22,630
The BLS says: Thanks to cheap imports, American
apparel workers are an endangered species.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
2: Postal
Service mail sorters, processors, and sorting machine
operators
Net decline: 68,900 jobs
Percentage decline: 48.5%
Degree required: High school diploma or
equivalent
Average pay: $48,340
The BLS says: Technology is making it easier to
sort mail without the help of human hands.
The Top 10
Shrinking Occupations: 2010 - 2020
Reuters
1: Farmers,
ranchers, and other agricultural managers
Net decline: 96,100 jobs
Percentage decline: 8%
Degree required: High school diploma or
equivalent
Average pay: Varies
The BLS says: As American agriculture learns to
produce even more with fewer workers, some farmers will go out of
business.
Beyond healthcare, the BLS expects that service industries will
continue to add workers at a healthy clip. The biggest trend is
that employers will add jobs they can't outsource or hand over to a
computer. There will be plenty of opportunities for college
graduates in education, accounting, and corporate sales. On the low
end of the pay-scale, there will be jobs for retail workers,
waiters and waitresses, and janitors.
Who should be bracing for layoffs? Postal workers, for one. The
BLS also releases a list of the top 30 shrinking occupations, and
it's largely split into two categories. On one hand, there are
occupations that are becoming irrelevant thanks to advances in
technology. The death of paper mail means less need for mail
sorters, carriers, and clerks. Office workers such as typists,
switchboard operators, and file clerks are becoming redundant. And
advances in farm productivity mean we won't need as many
agricultural workers. On the other hand, manufacturing jobs will
disappear in industries facing competition from cheap labor
overseas, such as apparel, semiconductors, paper goods, and
electronics.
For the most part, the list of occupations expected to see the
biggest employment declines is populated by jobs that require a
high school diploma or less. But one occupation dominated by
college grads does make it on there. That would be reporting. Maybe
there'll be a few PR gigs open at all those hospitals.
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