Internet:     http://www.bls.gov/oco/          USDL 05-2351
           http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/          For release:  10 A.M. EST
Technical Information: (202) 691-5700          Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Media Contact:         (202) 691-5902


2006-07 EDITIONS OF THE OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK AND THE CAREER GUIDE TO
                    INDUSTRIES AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET

     The 2006-07 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 2006.

     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 2006-07 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 2004-14 decade.  Detailed information on the 2004-14 projections
appears in five articles in the November 2005 issue of the Monthly Labor Review,
published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.  A
graphic presentation of projections highlights appears in the Winter 2005-06
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 9 out of 10 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, requirements for entry and opportunities
for advancement, employment of salaried and self-employed workers, earnings,
related occupations, and sources of additional information.  There also is a
section on job outlook that describes 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 business practices, changes in the skills
that are required in the workplace, and increasing foreign competition, among
others.

     Employment over the 2004-14 decade is expected to increase by 18.9 million,
or 13 percent.  Table 1 lists the numeric and percent changes in employment over
the 2004-14 decade for the 30 fastest growing occupations.  For 23 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 22 of the 30 fastest growing occupations.  Table 2 lists
the numeric and percent changes in employment over the 2004-14 decade for the 30
occupations with the largest projected job growth.  Short-term on-the-job
training is the most significant source of postsecondary education or training
for half of these occupations.


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 45 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
2004-14 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 half of all wage and salary employment growth in the
economy: education and health services; and professional and business 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.


Ordering Information

     The print versions of the 2006-07 editions of the Occupational Outlook
Handbook (BLS Bulletin 2600) and the Career Guide to Industries (BLS Bulletin
2601) are expected to be available in Spring 2006.  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.  For additional information, contact the
Superintendent of Documents at http://www.access.gpo.gov.

     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 2006-07 Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-14
(Numbers in thousands)


                                                 Employment change, 
Occupation                                            2004-14         Most significant source of postsecondary
                                                  Number  Percent     education or training

Home health aides                                   350     56        Short-term on-the-job training
Network systems and data communications analysts    126     55        Bachelor's degree
Medical assistants                                  202     52        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Physician assistants                                 31     50        Bachelor's degree
Computer software engineers, applications           222     48        Bachelor's degree
Physical therapist assistants                        26     44        Associate degree
Dental hygienists                                    68     43        Associate degree
Computer software engineers, systems software       146     43        Bachelor's degree
Dental assistants                                   114     43        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Personal and home care aides                        287     41        Short-term on-the-job training
Network and computer systems administrators         107     38        Bachelor's degree
Database administrators                              40     38        Bachelor's degree
Physical therapists                                  57     37        Master's degree
Forensic science technicians                          4     36        Associate degree
Veterinary technologists and technicians             21     35        Associate degree
Diagnostic medical sonographers                      15     35        Associate degree
Physical therapist aides                             15     34        Short-term on-the-job training
Occupational therapist assistants                     7     34        Associate degree
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists           25     34        Doctoral degree
Occupational therapists                              31     34        Master's degree
Preschool teachers, except special education        143     33        Postsecondary vocational award
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians         15     33        Associate degree
Postsecondary teachers                              524     32        Doctoral degree
Hydrologists                                          3     32        Master's degree
Computer systems analysts                           153     31        Bachelor's degree
Hazardous materials removal workers                  12     31        Moderate-term on-the-job training
Biomedical engineers                                  3     31        Bachelor's degree
Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists   55     30        Bachelor's degree
Environmental engineers                              15     30        Bachelor's degree
Paralegals and legal assistants                      67     30        Associate degree



Table 2.  Occupations covered in the 2006-07 Occupational Outlook Handbook with the largest job growth, 2004-14
(Numbers in thousands)


                                                   Employment change,
Occupation                                              2004-14        Most significant source of postsecondary
                                                    Number  Percent    education or training

Retail salespersons                                   736    17.3      Short-term on-the-job training
Registered nurses                                     703    29.4      Associate degree
Postsecondary teachers                                524    32.2      Doctoral degree
Customer service representatives                      471    22.8      Moderate-term on-the-job training
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping
   cleaners                                           440    18.5      Short-term on-the-job training
Waiters and waitresses                                376    16.7      Short-term on-the-job training
Combined food preparation and serving workers,
   including fast food                                367    17.1      Short-term on-the-job training
Home health aides                                     350    56.0      Short-term on-the-job training
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants              325    22.3      Postsecondary vocational award
General and operations managers                       308    17.0      Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience
Personal and home care aides                          287    41.0      Short-term on-the-job training
Elementary school teachers, except special education  265    18.2      Bachelor's degree
Accountants and auditors                              264    22.4      Bachelor's degree
Office clerks, general                                263     8.4      Short-term on-the-job training
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers,
   hand                                               248    10.2      Short-term on-the-job training
Receptionists and information clerks                  246    21.7      Short-term on-the-job training
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers                230    19.5      Short-term on-the-job training
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer              223    12.9      Moderate-term on-the-job training
Computer software engineers, applications             222    48.4      Bachelor's degree
Maintenance and repair workers, general               202    15.2      Moderate-term on-the-job training
Medical assistants                                    202    52.1      Moderate-term on-the-job training
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants   192    12.4      Moderate-term on-the-job training
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing,
   except technical and scientific products           187    12.9      Moderate-term on-the-job training
Carpenters                                            186    13.8      Long-term on-the-job training
Teacher assistants                                    183    14.1      Short-term on-the-job training
Child care workers                                    176    13.8      Short-term on-the-job training
Food preparation workers                              175    19.7      Short-term on-the-job training
Maids and housekeeping cleaners                       165    11.6      Short-term on-the-job training
Truck drivers, light or delivery services             164    15.7      Short-term on-the-job training
Computer systems analysts                             153    31.4      Bachelor's degree



Table 3. Industries covered in the 2006-07 Career Guide to Industries with projected wage and salary
employment change, 2004-14
(Numbers in thousands)

                                                                                 Employment change,
                                                                                      2004-14
Industry                                                                          Number   Percent

All industries                                                                    18,615     13.9

Goods-producing industries                                                           -90     -0.4
  Natural resources and mining                                                      -105     -6.3
    Agriculture, forestry, and fishing                                               -60     -5.2
    Mining                                                                           -27    -12.9
    Oil and gas extraction                                                           -19     -6.1
  Construction                                                                       792     11.4
  Manufacturing                                                                     -777     -5.4
    Aerospace product and parts manufacturing                                         36      8.2
    Chemical manufacturing, except drugs                                             -86    -14.4
    Computer and electronic product manufacturing                                    -94     -7.1
    Food manufacturing                                                                57      3.8
    Machinery manufacturing                                                         -147    -12.8
    Motor vehicle and parts manufacturing                                             62      5.6
    Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing                                         76     26.1
    Printing                                                                         -65     -9.8
    Steel manufacturing                                                              -21    -13.4
    Textile, textile product, and apparel manufacturing                             -321    -45.8

Service-providing industries                                                      18,704     16.9
  Trade, transportation, and utilities                                             2,623     10.3
    Automobile dealers                                                               153     12.2
    Clothing, accessory, and general merchandise stores                              423     10.1
    Grocery stores                                                                   160      6.6
    Wholesale trade                                                                  476      8.4
    Air transportation                                                                45      8.8
    Truck transportation and warehousing                                             267     14.0
    Utilities                                                                         -8     -1.3
  Information                                                                        364     11.6
    Broadcasting                                                                      35     10.7
    Motion picture and video industries                                               63     17.1
    Publishing, except software                                                       44      6.5
    Software publishers                                                              161     67.6
    Telecommunications                                                               -68     -6.5
    Internet services providers, web search portals, and data processing services    108     27.8
  Financial activities                                                               849     10.5
    Banking                                                                          -31     -1.8
    Insurance                                                                        215      9.5
    Securities, commodities, and other investments                                   121     15.8
  Professional and business services                                               4,566     27.8
    Advertising and public relations services                                         95     22.4
    Computer systems design and related services                                     453     39.5
    Employment services                                                            1,580     45.5
    Management, scientific, and technical consulting services                        471     60.5
    Scientific research and development services                                      65     11.9
  Education and health services                                                    5,193     30.6
    Child day care services                                                          295     38.4
    Educational services                                                           2,123     16.6
    Health care                                                                    3,564     27.3
    Social assistance, except child day care                                         445     32.6
  Leisure and hospitality                                                          2,215     17.7
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation                                              460     25.1
    Food services and drinking places                                              1,451     16.4
    Hotels and other accommodations                                                  304     16.9
  Other services                                                                     734     11.8
    Advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations                                 1,123     10.0
  Government                                                                         179     14.5
    Federal Government                                                                50      2.5
    State and local government, except education and health                          895     11.4

NOTE: May not add to totals because of omission of industries not covered in the Career Guide.