Internet:          http://www.bls.gov/oco/             USDL 04-290
                http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/             For release: 10 A.M. EST
Technical Information:      (202) 691-5700             Friday, February 27, 2004
Media Contact:              (202) 691-5902


2004-05 EDITIONS OF THE OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK AND THE CAREER GUIDE TO
                    INDUSTRIES AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET
                    
     The 2004-05 editions of the Occupational Outlook Handbook and the Career
Guide to Industries were issued today on the Bureau of Labor Statistics'
Internet site.  Print versions of both publications are expected to be available
in Spring 2004.

     The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, has been a nationally recognized source of
career information since the late 1940s.  The Career Guide to Industries was
developed as a companion publication to the Handbook in the early 1990s.  These
publications provide comprehensive, up-to-date, and reliable labor market
information that has helped millions of Americans plan their future work lives.
The 2004-05 editions will help guide workers in the new century by presenting
essential information about prospective changes in the workplace and the
qualifications that will be needed by tomorrow's workforce.  The Handbook and
the Career Guide can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco and
http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg, respectively.

     These publications reflect the Bureau's latest employment projections,
which cover the 2002-12 decade.  Detailed information on the 2002-12 projections
appears in five articles in the February 2004 issue of the Monthly Labor Review,
published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.  A
graphic presentation of projection highlights appears in the Winter 2003-04
Occupational Outlook Quarterly, accessible at
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm.


The Occupational Outlook Handbook

     The Occupational Outlook Handbook provides detailed information about
hundreds of occupations, covering 7 out of 8 jobs in the economy.  For each
occupation, the Handbook begins with a section that highlights key occupational
characteristics and is followed by sections with information about the nature of
the work, typical working conditions, employment of salaried and self-employed
workers, requirements for entry and opportunities for advancement, earnings,
related occupations, and sources of additional information.  There also is a
section on job outlook that provides each occupation's projected employment
change over the next decade as compared to projected growth for all occupations.
The job outlook section also provides a perspective on the various factors that
can affect occupational projections, such as the aging of baby boomers, the
increasing ethnic diversity of the labor force, the introduction of
technological innovations, changes in the skills that are required in the
workplace, and increasing foreign competition, among others.

     Employment over the 2002-12 decade is expected to increase by 21.3 million,
or 14.8 percent.  Table 1 lists the numeric and percent changes in employment
over the 2002-12 decade for the 30 fastest growing occupations.  For 19 of these
occupations, the most significant source of postsecondary education or training
is an associate or higher degree.  Computer-related and health-related
occupations account for 21 of the 30 fastest growing occupations.  Table 2 lists
the numeric and percent changes in employment over the 2002-12 decade for the 30
occupations with the largest projected job growth.  The most significant source
of postsecondary education or training for half of these occupations is short-
term on-the-job training.


The Career Guide to Industries

     The Occupational Outlook Handbook's companion publication, the Career Guide
to Industries, analyzes employment change from an industry perspective,
providing information about 42 industries that cover 3 out of 4 wage-and-salary
jobs in the economy.  For each industry, the Career Guide describes the nature
of the industry, typical working conditions, and key occupations employed in the
industry.  The Career Guide also discusses industry training practices and
worker earnings.  A section on the outlook for each industry compares the
industry's projected percentage change in wage and salary employment with the
overall percentage change in wage and salary jobs across all industries.

     Table 3 indicates the numeric and percent changes in employment over the
2002-12 decade for each of the industries included in the Career Guide.
Employment growth is projected to be concentrated in the service-providing
sector of the economy.  Within the service-providing sector, two industry groups
are expected to account for almost half of all wage-and-salary employment growth
in the economy: professional and business services and education and health
services.  In the goods-producing sector, employment is expected to grow in
construction; employment is expected to decline both in natural resources and
mining and in manufacturing.

     Industrial coverage in the 2004-05 edition of the Career Guide is the first
to incorporate the 2002 North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS).
Information on the NAICS is available at http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm.


Ordering Information

     The print versions of the 2004-05 editions of the Occupational Outlook
Handbook (BLS Bulletin 2570) and the Career Guide to Industries (BLS Bulletin
2571) are expected to be available in Spring 2004.  Ordering and price
information will appear at http://www.bls.gov/oco and http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg,
respectively.

     The print versions of the Monthly Labor Review and Occupational Outlook
Quarterly are sold by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
20402.  The Review costs $49 a year; single copies are $15.  The Quarterly costs
$15 a year; single copies are $6.  Make checks payable to the Superintendent of
Documents.

     The Monthly Labor Review is accessible at
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm.  The Occupational Outlook Quarterly is
accessible at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm.

     Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone: 1-800-877-8339.


Table 1.  Fastest growing occupations covered in the 2004-05 Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-12
(Employment in thousands of jobs)


                                                 Employment change, 
                Occupation                            2002-12         Most significant source of postsecondary
                                                  Number  Percent              education or training

Medical assistants                                   215     59        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Network systems and data communications analysts     106     57        Bachelor's degree
Physician assistants                                  31     49        Bachelor's degree
Social and human service assistants                  149     49        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Home health aides                                    279     48        Short-term on-the-job training
Medical records and health information technicians    69     47        Associate degree
Physical therapist aides                              17     46        Short-term on-the-job training
Computer software engineers, applications            179     46        Bachelor's degree
Computer software engineers, systems software        128     45        Bachelor's degree
Physical therapist assistants                         22     45        Associate degree
Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors             81     44        Postsecondary vocational award
Database administrators                               49     44        Bachelor's degree
Veterinary technologists and technicians              23     44        Associate degree
Hazardous materials removal workers                   16     43        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Dental hygienists                                     64     43        Associate degree
Occupational therapist aides                           4     43        Short-term on-the-job training
Dental assistants                                    113     42        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Personal and home care aides                         246     40        Short-term on-the-job training
Self-enrichment education teachers                    80     40        Work experience in a related occupation
Computer systems analysts                            184     39        Bachelor's degree
Occupational therapist assistants                      7     39        Associate degree
Environmental engineers                               18     38        Bachelor's degree
Postsecondary teachers                               603     38        Doctoral degree
Network and computer systems administrators           94     37        Bachelor's degree
Environmental science and protection technicians,
  including health                                    10     37        Associate degree
Preschool teachers, except special education         153     36        Postsecondary vocational award
Computer and information systems managers            103     36        Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience
Physical therapists                                   48     35        Master's degree
Occupational therapists                               29     35        Bachelor's degree
Respiratory therapists                                30     35        Associate degree


Table 2.  Occupations covered in the 2004-05 Occupational Outlook Handbook with the largest job growth, 2002-12
(Employment in thousands of jobs)


                                                 Employment change,
                Occupation                            2002-12         Most significant source of postsecondary 
                                                  Number  Percent              education or training

Registered nurses                                    623     27        Associate degree
Postsecondary teachers                               603     38        Doctoral degree
Retail salespersons                                  596     15        Short-term on-the-job training
Customer service representatives                     460     24        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Combined food preparation and serving workers,
  including fast food                                454     23        Short-term on-the-job training
Cashiers, except gaming                              454     13        Short-term on-the-job training
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and
  housekeeping cleaners                              414     18        Short-term on-the-job training
General and operations managers                      376     18        Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience
Waiters and waitresses                               367     18        Short-term on-the-job training
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants             343     25        Short-term on-the-job training
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer             337     19        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Receptionists and information clerks                 325     29        Short-term on-the-job training
Security guards                                      317     32        Short-term on-the-job training
Office clerks, general                               310     10        Short-term on-the-job training
Teacher assistants                                   294     23        Short-term on-the-job training
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing,
  except technical and scientific products           279     19        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Home health aides                                    279     48        Short-term on-the-job training
Personal and home care aides                         246     40        Short-term on-the-job training
Truck drivers, light or delivery services            237     23        Short-term on-the-job training
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers               237     22        Short-term on-the-job training
Elementary school teachers, except special education 223     15        Bachelor's degree
Medical assistants                                   215     59        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Maintenance and repair workers, general              207     16        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Accountants and auditors                             205     19        Bachelor's degree
Computer systems analysts                            184     39        Bachelor's degree
Secondary school teachers, except special and
  vocational education                               180     18        Bachelor's degree
Computer software engineers, applications            179     46        Bachelor's degree
Management analysts                                  176     30        Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience
Food preparation workers                             172     20        Short-term on-the-job training
First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales
  workers                                            163      9        Work experience in a related occupation
  
  
Table 3.  Industries covered in the 2004-05 Career Guide to Industries with projected wage and salary employment change,
2002-12
(Employment in thousands of jobs)

                                                                 Employment change,
                                                                      2002-12
                                                                      
                Industry                                          Number   Percent

All industries                                                    21,603      16

Goods-producing industries                                           772       3
 Natural resources and mining                                        -84      -5
  Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting                        -24      -2
  Oil and gas extraction                                             -34     -28
  Mining                                                             -32     -15
 Construction                                                      1,014      15
 Manufacturing                                                      -157      -1
  Aerospace product and parts manufacturing                          -83     -18
  Apparel manufacturing                                             -245     -69
  Chemical manufacturing, except drugs                              -106     -17
  Computer and electronic product manufacturing                     -189     -12
  Food manufacturing                                                  72       5
  Motor vehicle and parts manufacturing                               29       3
  Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing                           68      23
  Printing                                                            24       3
  Steel manufacturing                                                -34     -20
  Textile mills and products                                        -152     -31

Service-providing industries                                      20,831      19
 Trade, transportation, and utilities                              3,600      14
  Automobile dealers                                                 158      13
  Clothing, accessory, and general merchandise stores                344       8
  Grocery stores                                                     133       5
  Wholesale trade                                                    638      11
  Air transportation                                                  67      12
  Truck transportation and warehousing                               422      23
  Utilities                                                          -34      -6
 Information                                                         632      18
  Broadcasting                                                        28       9
  Motion picture and video industries                                112      31
  Publishing, except software                                        -11      -1
  Software publishers                                                174      68
  Telecommunications                                                  80       7
 Financial activities                                                590      10
  Banking                                                            112       6
  Insurance                                                          168       8
  Securities, commodities, and other investments                     124      15
 Professional and business services                                4,866      30
  Advertising and public relations services                           84      19
  Computer systems design and related services                       635      55
  Employment services                                              1,764      54
  Management, scientific, and technical consulting services          406      55
 Education and health services                                     6,875      26
  Child day care services                                            316      43
  Educational services                                             2,489      20
  Health services                                                  3,501      28
  Social assistance, except child day care                           597      47
 Leisure and hospitality                                           2,135      18
  Arts, entertainment, and recreation                                497      28
  Food services and drinking places                                1,337      16
  Hotels and other accommodations                                    301      17
 Public administration                                               808       8
  Federal Government, excluding the postal service                    50       3
  State and local government, except education and health            759      10


NOTE: Detail may not add to totals due to omission of industries not covered in the Career Guide.