Jobs. TheyΓÇÖre in the news everyday, whether youΓÇÖre hearing about corporate layoffs, choosing a major in college, trying to meet the bills for your family, or interning to get your feet wet in a specific occupation.
In the next 10 years, you could be designing the latest and greatest website for a corporate giant, or flipping burgers at the nearest fast food joint. You might be strategizing political policies for your corporate headquarters, or selling the latest fashions at the nearest mall. These job opportunities may seem like polar opposites, but these dramatically divergent paths are what lay ahead for many of todayΓÇÖs graduates.
Employment growth until 2005 will differ in many ways from that of the previous 11 years. Technological innovations, corporate restructuring, and the effects of foreign trade will affect employment in many industries and occupations. Some occupations that grew significantly in the past are projected to grow slowly or even decline.
Education will play a bigger role in the workplace
Mom and dad may have be nagging you to do well in school and get your college diploma, but their advice hits smack-dab in the middle of the bulls-eye. If you want to make money in the future, go to college. Every class you take after high school, whether it be at the community college, or at Harvard, means more job choices and more money in your wallet.
According to the U.S. Labor Department, twenty years ago, a college degree was worth 50 percent more than a high school diploma. As we enter a new millennium, that gap will increase and the average college graduate will make a whopping 75 percent more than a high school graduate. If that isnΓÇÖt enough evidence to show mom and dad may be on to something, one-third of the almost 18 million new jobs created by 2005 will require at least a bachelorΓÇÖs degree.
At the other end of the scale, jobs in the service industry with low wages and few education requisites will boom. The U.S. Labor Department predicts the top four growth occupations will be cashiers, janitors and cleaners, salespersons and waiters and waitresses. These types of job will account for about four out of every 10 jobs until 2005.
Where will all the jobs be?
Just twenty occupations will account for half of the employment growth. Of these occupations, three of the top five are closely linked to retail trade. Three health care occupations are in the top 10 and three education-related occupations are in the bottom 10.
Service producing industries will account for the most new jobs. The industries that compromise services are diverse and have widely different occupational requirements. Employment growth in services is expected to be concentrated in business services (3.8 million jobs), health services (3.1 million jobs), educational services (2.2 millions jobs, social services (1.5 million jobs) and engineering and management services (884,000 jobs). These will account for 85 percent of the projected growth in service related jobs and nearly 70 percent of the growth of the entire economy.
A closer look at the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals there are a wide variety of job opportunities that will arise from these industries.
Personnel supply services, (which provide temporary help to employers in other industries), computer and date processing services (ie. computer systems analysts, engineers, scientists and computer programmers), building and maintenance services, and miscellaneous business services (ie. guards) will account for almost all of the growth in business services. Computer systems analysts, engineers, scientists and computer programmers will account for a whopping 58 percent of the job growth in these areas until 2005.
Health services is expected to have an overall growth rate of 31 percent and will represent a large share of the growth occupations that require at least an associate degree. Seven of the 20 fastest growing occupations are concentrated in the health services industryΓÇÜΓÇöhome health aides, physical and corrective therapy assistants and aides, occupational therapists, physical therapists, medical assistants and medical records technicians will be in demand. Employment in home health services is projected to more than double as individuals increasingly will be provided in their homes instead of in institutions. Nurses and personal care facilities are projected to increase more than any other segment of the health services industry.
The demand for teachers from the pre-school- through college-level will account for about one-fifth of the growth of workers in the economy requiring a bachelorΓÇÖs degree. TeacherΓÇÖs aides and educational assistants occupations will grow quickly and be among the 20 with the largest projected numerical employment growth until 2005.
The demand for social and miscellaneous services will also continue to grow as the demand increases. Social workers, human service workers, home health aides and personal and home care aides will lead the growth in this industry.
That Was Then, This Is Now
Your future may not be with a Fortune 500 company or a Wall Street Investment firm, which were associated with high salaries and generous fringe benefits. The times are changing and big employers are no longer flocking to college campuses as they once did to find new recruits. In fact, many graduates will work for small companies. Students shouldnΓÇÖt turn up their noses at these unknown employers. They might just be the next Microsoft.
While computer classes, computer related-fields and technical professions will continue to be strong, less exotic, but vital, jobs will be the source of big job growth. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the education profession will be hiring large numbers of elementary and secondary level teachers as sixty percent of all teachers will be retiring in the next 10 years. In fact, 20 percent of all job available for college graduates will be for teachers. But potential teachers wonΓÇÖt be able to get past the need for high-tech skills. Teachers will need to be computer literate so that technology can be integrated into the classrooms.
While much of the news on the job market front appears to be dismal, students shouldnΓÇÖt be completely overwhelmed or drop out of the race. While education levels and the occupation you choose will be important, so will the intangibles such as vision, excellence, character, persistence, hard work, creativity and the drive to be the best in your field of interest. These intangibles, regardless of how useless they seem, will separate you from the rest of the pack and give you the edge.
Sweet! will also be there to help give you the edge. It will include tips on how to search for a job, apply for a job and evaluate a job offer, so you can have a leg up on the competition. Sweet! will also give you a closer look at many of the occupations youΓÇÖre interested in pursuing. So, continue to check out job trends and jump start your future in the job market.
