Tag Archives: Employment Projections

Jobs and occupations in high demand : 2010-2020 Projections

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BLS 2010-2020 Projections: Employment change by occupation

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, the Bureau) is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. This BLS survey highlights the forecast on employment changes for different occupations.

Demand for jobs and occupations is affected by industry growth or decline. Many factors, including productivity increases and changes in business practices impact this job growth or decline. Based on BLS survey, these are the latest projections on employments changes for major occupational groups, for the period of 2010 to 2020:

Healthcare occupations: Employment among healthcare occupations is expected to increase by 29 percent. This growth, resulting in a projected 3.5 million new jobs, will be driven by increasing demand for healthcare services. As the number of elderly individuals continues to grow, and as new developments allow for the treatment of more medical conditions, more healthcare professionals will be needed. Within this group, two occupations are expected to add a substantial number of jobs: registered nurses, with some 711,900 new jobs; and home health aides, with roughly 706,300 new jobs. Much of the growth in this pair of occupations will be the result of increased demand for healthcare services as the expanding elderly population requires more care.

Personal care and service occupations: Employment in personal care and service occupations is anticipated to grow by 27 percent over the next decade, adding more than 1.3 million jobs. As consumers become more concerned with health, beauty, and fitness, the number of cosmetic and health spas will rise, causing an increase in demand for workers in this group. The personal care and service group contains a wide variety of occupations; however, two of them—personal care aides and childcare workers—will account for nearly two-thirds of the group’s new jobs. Personal and home care aides will experience increased demand as a growing number of elderly people require assistance with daily tasks. Childcare workers will add jobs as the population of children continues to grow and emphasis is increasingly placed on the importance of early childhood education, resulting in more formal preschool programs. These programs will increase demand for both childcare workers and preschool teachers.

Community and social services occupations: Employment in community and social services occupations is projected to increase by 24 percent, representing roughly 582,300 jobs. As health insurance providers increasingly cover mental and behavioral health treatment, and as of the population of elderly people grows, the elderly will seek more and more social services and demand for these workers will rise.

Computer and information technology occupations: Computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow by 22 percent, adding 758,800 new jobs from 2010 to 2020. Demand for workers in these occupations will be driven by the continuing need for businesses, government agencies, and other organizations to adopt and utilize the latest technologies. Workers in these occupations will be needed to develop software, increase cyber security, and update existing network infrastructure. Continue reading →

US Employment forecast by industry: 2010-2020

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2010 to 2020: US Jobs and Employment change projections by industry

Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the total employment is expected to increase by 14 percent from 2010 to 2020. However, the 20.5 million jobs expected to be added by 2020 will not be evenly distributed across major industry and occupational groups. Changes in consumer demand, improvements in technology, and many other factors will contribute to the continually changing employment structure of the U.S. economy.

The underlying analysis (of BLS employment projections) uses currently available information to focus on long-term structural changes in the economy. This post examines the projected employment change within the industries:

Service-providing industries

The employment shift in the U.S. economy away from goods-producing in favor of service-providing industries is expected to continue. Service-providing industries are anticipated to generate nearly 18 million new wage and salary jobs. As with goods-producing industries, growth among service-providing industries will vary (Chart 5 below).

Healthcare and social assistance: The healthcare and social assistance industry is projected to create about 28 percent of all new jobs created in the U.S. economy. This industry—which includes public and private hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and individual and family services—is expected to grow by 33 percent, or 5.7 million new jobs. Employment growth will be driven by an aging population and longer life expectancies, as well as new treatments and technologies.

Professional, scientific, and technical services: Employment in professional, scientific, and technical services is projected to grow by 29 percent, adding about 2.1 million new jobs by 2020. Employment in computer systems design and related services is expected to increase by 47 percent, driven by growing demand for sophisticated computer network and mobile technologies. Employment in management, scientific, and technical consulting services is anticipated to expand, at 58 percent. Demand for these services will be spurred by businesses’ continued need for advice on planning and logistics, the implementation of new technologies, and compliance with workplace safety, environmental, and employment regulations. Combined, the two industries—computer systems design and related services and management, scientific, and technical consulting services—will account for more than half of all new jobs in professional, scientific, and technical services. Continue reading →

USA Employment Projections for 2008-2018

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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Dec. 10, 2009 that, during the 2008 to 2018 period, the total employment in America is projected to increase by 15.3 million, or 10.1 percent.

These are very interesting projections; and good news at the times when jobs are scarce. Some of the key highlights of the study are:

  • Projections show an aging and more racially and ethnically diverse labor force, and employment growth in service-providing industries. More than half of the new jobs will be in professional and related occupations and service occupations.
  • Occupations where a post-secondary degree or award is usually required are expected to account for one-third of total job openings during the projection period.
  • Job openings from replacement needs–those which occur when workers who retire or otherwise leave their occupations need to be replaced– are projected to be more than double the number of openings due to economic growth.
  • The projected growth for the 2008-18 period is larger than the increase of 10.4 million over the 1998-2008 period, or 7.4 percent.
  • The relatively slow growth rate for the earlier 10-year period was affected by the recession which began in December 2007, and the projected growth rate is higher than would otherwise be expected because the 2008 starting point is a recession year.

This report focuses on four areas for which BLS develops projections–labor force, industry employment, occupational employment, and education and training. Continue reading →