Hot Jobs Header

00-03
April 2000 Accessibility Information

## HOT JOBS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Between 1998 and 2008, U.S. employment will rise to 160.8 million from
140.5 million. This represents an increase of 14 percent, or 20.3 million jobs.
Many of these new jobs opportunities will benefit persons seeking employment in
computer and health related occupations, social services, legal, natural
science, teaching, and financial sales areas.

Women's Labor Force: Women have a huge stake
in the current and future job market. Between 1998 and 2008, women's
participation in the labor force is expected to increase by 15 percent, while
men will only see an increase of about 10 percent. As a result, women will
increase their share of the labor force from 46 to 48 percent.

The fastest labor force increase will be among Hispanic origin and Asian and
other1 women, 48.8 and 45.7 percent, respectively. Black women will
increase their participation by 21.1 percent and white women by 12.6 percent.

Growing Occupations: There are two
perspectives when viewing growth occupations1) those with the largest job
growth and 2) those with the fastest growth. Largest job growth refers to the
total number of jobs created within an occupation over a specific period of
time, while fastest job growth refers to the percentage change in employment
within a particular occupation over a specific period of time. One fact to
remember -- the fast growing occupations account for less than 20 percent of
the projected overall growth in employment between 1998-2008. The employment
size of an occupation during the base year of comparison has much to do with
the growth of the occupation.

Major Occupational Groups: Employment inprofessional specialty occupations will increase the fastest (27 percent)
and add the most jobs (5.3 million) between 1998-2008. Much of this growth is
expected to be found among teachers, computer, mathematical and operations
research occupations, and health assessment and treating occupations.

The group with the second fastest growth rate (22.2 percent) istechnicians and related support occupations--only 1 million new jobs,
however, are projected to be created. More than half of this projected job
growth is expected among health technicians and technologists.

---

Employment inservice occupations is projected to increase by 17.1
percent or 3.9 million jobs. More than half of these newly created jobs will be
found in public education, State and local government hospitals, and health
services. Other subgroups within the services sector with substantial projected
growth are food preparation, personal services, protective service, and
cleaning and building services. The number of self-employed service workers is
also expected to increase by 220,000 jobs, with large gains in the cleaning and
building services occupations.

The number of executive, administrative, and managerial (EXAM) workers is
projected to increase by 16.4 percent, or 2.4 million jobs. Most of these jobs
will be found in various segments of the services sectorpublic education,
hospitals, finance, insurance, and real estate, wholesale and retail trade, and
transportation and public utilities. The number of self-employed EXAM workers
is expected to increase by 361,000--many of these workers run their own
businesses or are self-employed consultants.

Table 1 only includes those major occupational groups that equal or exceed
the average growth for all occupations. Excluded from the table are
administrative support, including clerical; agricultural, forestry, and
fishing; precision production, craft, and repair; and operators, fabricators,
and laborers.



Much faster than average growth: 36 percent of more.
Faster than average growth: 21-35 percent.
About as fast as average growth: 10-20 percent.

---

Fast Growing Occupations: Table 2 shows the 30
fastest growing occupations. The majority are in the computer or health-related
fields, with the rest in areas such as social services, legal, natural science,
or financial services. For comparison, the occupations have been grouped
according to fields of study.

Table 2
Fastest Growing Occupations, 1998-2008
(numbers in thousands)

|                                                                            | Employment | Change
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ------
|Occupation                                                                  | 1998       | 2008  
|***Computer-Related
Occupations*****                                        |            |       
|Computer engineers                                                          | 299        | 622   
|Computer support specialists                                                | 429        | 869   
|Systems analysts                                                            | 617        | 1,194 
|Database administrators                                                     | 87         | 155   
|Desktop publishing specialists                                              | 26         | 44    
|Data processing equipment repairers                                         | 79         | 117   
|Electronic semiconductor processors                                         | 63         | 92    
|Engineering, natural science, and computer and information
systems managers | 326        | 468   
|                                                                            |            |       
|***Health-Related
Occupations*****                                          |            |       
|Personal care and home health aides                                         | 746        | 1,179 
|Medical assistants                                                          | 252        | 398   
|Physical assistants                                                         | 66         | 98    
|Medical records and health information
technicians                          | 92         | 133   
|Physical therapy assistants and aides                                       | 82         | 118   
|Respiratory therapists                                                      | 86         | 123   
|Dental assistants                                                           | 229        | 325   
|Surgical technologists                                                      | 54         | 77    
|Dental hygeienists                                                          | 143        | 201   
|Occupational therapy assistants and aides                                   | 19         | 26    
|Cardiovascular technologies and technicians                                 | 21         | 29    
|Speech-language pathologists and audiologists                               | 105        | 145   
|Ambulance drivers and attendants, except EMTs                               | 19         | 26    
|Occupational therapists                                                     | 73         | 98    
|                                                                            |            |       
|***Social and recreation
workers*****                                       |            |       
|Social and human service assistants                                         | 268        | 410   
|Residential counselors                                                      | 190        | 278   
|Social workers                                                              | 604        | 822   
|                                                                            |            |       
|***Law enforcement
occupations*****                                         |            |       
|Correctional officers                                                       | 383        | 532   
|                                                                            |            |       
|***Legal assistants and technicians, except
clerical***                     |            |       
|Paralegals and legal assistants                                             | 136        | 220   
|                                                                            |            |       
|***Marketing and sales
occupations*****                                     |            |       
|Securities, commodities, and financial service sales
agents                 | 303        | 427   
|Bill and account collectors                                                 | 311        | 420   
|                                                                            |            |       
|***Life
scientists*****                                                     |            |       
|Biological scientists                                                       | 81         | 109   

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, November 1999.

Computer and health-related occupations dominate the list of fast-growing
occupations. These two occupational groups also represent some of the
higher-paying, faster-growing occupations.

Computer-related occupations (computer engineers, systems
analysts, database administrators, data processing equipment repairers) will
also grow at a very fast rate in the coming years because of the continuing
advances in computer technology. The expanding need for new computer
applications for the World Wide Web, scientific research, productivity gains,
and demand for cost reductions will fuel the need for computer
engineers/programmers, systems analysts, and computer and data processing
repairers. The computer field tends to require more education and offer higher
earnings than health services, where a number of the fast-growing occupations
have lower than median earnings.

Health care occupations will continue to grow rapidly because
of a large aging population that will require more health care, a wealthier
population that can afford better health care, and the advent of new advances
in medical technology. Many of these occupations are technicians and
assistants, medical assistants, medical records and health information
technicians, physical therapy assistants and aides, and dental assistants.

Occupations with the Largest Job Growth: Most
of the occupations with the largest projected job growth are concentrated in
four industry sectorsretail trade; business services; health services;
and public and private education. These four sectors will account for more than
three-fifths of total job growth from 1998 to 2008. Table 3 on the following
page lists fastest growing occupations by these industry sectors.

Many large growth occupations have average or less than average growth rates
while still providing more job openings than some fast growing occupations
strictly because of their large size. Some examples of these occupations are
retail salespersons, general managers and top executives, cashiers, general
office clerks, and truck drivers.

Educational Requirements: Occupations
requiring an associate degree or higher level of education accounted for
one-fourth of all jobs in 1998 and will account for 40 percent of total job
growth between 1998 and 2008. Those requiring no education and training beyond
high school, except for on-the-job training, will account for 57 percent of the
job growth.

Occupations requiring a bachelor's degree or more education are
concentrated in the professional specialty group. The 1999 median weekly
earnings figure for full-time wage and salary workers employed in professional
specialty occupations was $800 (both sexes). Examples of fast-growing,
high-paying jobs in this category include: computer engineers, systems
analysts, database administrators, physician assistants, residential
counselors, social workers, biological scientists, and occupational therapists.Examples of large growth occupations in this category aresystems
analysts, computer engineers, elementary and secondary school teachers, social
workers, college and university faculty, and computer programmers.

Examples of high-paying growth occupations that may not require a bachelor's
degree but do require post-secondary education or trainingare:
computer support specialists, desktop publishing specialists, paralegals,
medical records/health information technicians, physical and occupational
therapy assistants, respiratory therapists, dental hygienists, cardiovascular
technologists and technicians, and correctional officers.(It is important
to realize that employers may favor applicants with more education or training
than is minimally required.)

Table 3
Occupations with the Largest Job Growth, 1998-2008
(numbers in thousands)

|                                                                 | Employment | Change
|---------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ------
|Occupation                                                       | 1998       | 2008  
|***Business
Services***                                          |            |       
|Systems analysts                                                 | 617        | 1,194 
|General managers and top executives                              | 3,362      | 3,913 
|Truck drivers, light and heavy                                   | 2,970      | 3,463 
|Office clerks, general                                           | 3,021      | 3,484 
|Computer support occupations                                     | 429        | 869   
|Janitors and cleaners, including maids and housekeeping
cleaners | 3,184      | 3,549 
|Computer engineers                                               | 299        | 622   
|Office and administrative support supervisors and
managers       | 1,611      | 1,924 
|Receptionists and information clerks                             | 1,293      | 1,599 
|Guards                                                           | 1,027      | 1,321 
|Marketing and sale workers supervisors                           | 2,584      | 2,847 
|Child care workers                                               | 905        | 1,141 
|Laborers, landscaping and grounds keeping                        | 1,130      | 1,364 
|Computer programmers                                             | 648        | 839   
|Adjustment clerks                                                | 479        | 642   
|Correctional officers                                            | 383        | 532   
|                                                                 |            |       
|***Retail
trade*****                                             |            |       
|Retail salespersons                                              | 4,056      | 4,620 
|Cashiers                                                         | 3,198      | 3,754 
|Waiters and waitresses                                           | 2,019      | 2,322 
|Food counter, fountain, and related workers                      | 2,205      | 2,272 
|                                                                 |            |       
|***Health
Services*****                                          |            |       
|Registered nurses                                                | 2,079      | 2,530 
|Personal care and home health aides                              | 746        | 1,179 
|Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants                         | 1,367      | 1,692 
|Social workers                                                   | 604        | 822   
|                                                                 |            |       
|***Public and Private
Education*****                             |            |       
|Teacher assistants                                               | 1,192      | 1,567 
|Teachers, secondary school                                       | 1,426      | 1,749 
|Teachers, elementary school                                      | 1,754      | 1,959 
|College and university faculty                                   | 865        | 1,061 
|                                                                 |            |       
|                                                                 |            |       

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, November 1999.

Growth occupations that do not require post-secondary education
generally do not offer the higher than median earnings associated with the
above-mentioned jobs. Many of these jobs require short-term on-the-job training
in which the worker can usually learn their skills in less than a year. They
include: home health aides, bill and account collectors, retail
salespersons, cashiers, truck drivers, teacher assistants, janitors and
cleaners, nursing aides, orderlies, waiters and waitresses, guards, food
counter workers, child care workers, and laborers. None of these
occupations had median weekly earnings higher than the average ($549) for all
workers in 1999.

Education and training are critical elements in preparing for our employment
futures. As Chart 1 shows, most high-paying, fast-growing occupations require
at least a bachelor's degree and/or extensive, equivalent work experience.

Chart 1
Wages of fast-growing, high-paying occupations, 1998-2000

{short description of image}

Nontraditional Occupations for Women: The Women's Bureau has a long
history of encouraging women to seek jobs offering good wages and employee
benefits, many of which are in nontraditional occupations for women. We use
"nontraditional occupation," or NTO, to describe any occupation in
which women comprise 25 percent or less of total employment.

Many people hear this term and think immediately of outdoor work that is
physically demanding, dirty or dangerous in nature -- construction jobs,
automobile mechanics, or heavy equipment operators. In fact, NTOs span all six
major occupational groups -- managerial and professional; technical, sales, and
administrative support; service; precision production, craft and repair;
operators, fabricators, and laborers; and farming, forestry, and fishing
occupations.

NTOs tend to offer higher wages than many of the occupations where women are
in the majority. Engineers, architects, police and detectives, electrical
and electronic technicians and technologists are examples of nontraditional
occupations that are expected to exhibit fast growth and/or create a large
number of jobs. All have 1999 median weekly earnings higher than the average
for all wage and salary workers who usually work full time.

While women should consider promising NTOs, they should also look to
fast-growing, high-paying fields where women are already in the majority. Some
examples are: secondary school teachers; special education teachers;
registered nurses; and respiratory, physical, and occupational therapists.

Congress has passed two pieces of legislation to help women gain
self-sufficiency by increasing opportunity in nontraditional fields. The
Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) Act, effective July 1, 1992,
was created to broaden the range of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)
training and placement for women. The Women in Apprenticeship and
Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Act, effective October 27, 1992, was
designed to provide technical assistance to employers and labor organizations.
Both of these government programs were funded by JPTA Title IV-D. JTPA will be
suspended by the Workforce Investment Act on July 1, 2000.

Under the 4-year NEW demonstration grant program ended in 1996, the Women's
Bureau and the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) awarded 23 NEW grants to 22 states to provide for systemic
change in state JTPA and other training and placement programs. Almost 5,000
women have directly participated in training and/or job placement. NEW program
awareness and orientation classes reached more than 30,000 women through
program notices, workshops, conferences, seminars, videos, notices in churches,
welfare agencies and related social agencies, and community mailings.

Through WANTO, the Women's Bureau and ETA's Bureau of Apprenticeship and
Training have awarded community-based organizations 38 grants to provide
technical assistance to employers and labor organizations promoting
apprenticeship and NTOs in their workplace policies and practices between
Fiscal Years 94 and 99. WANTO has provided more than 3,000 direct
consultations and has indirectly provided assistance to many more employers and
labor organizations and their representatives to develop strategies through
conferences, workshops, and subject-specific seminars (mentoring, sexual
harassment, support groups, training, etc.) in on-and off-site venues.

Return to DOL HomeDOL Home Page Return to Agency Home Page Women's
Bureau Home Page Return to top of document Top of
Document