Employment in the cable industry should grow because of new products coming to market, such as cable modems, which deliver high speed Internet access to personal computers, and digital set-top boxes, which transmit better sound and pictures, allowing cable operators to offer many more channels than in the past. These new products should cause traditional cable subscribers to sign up for additional services. Employment in the motion picture industry will grow as fast as the average for all occupations. Job prospects are expected to remain competitive, because of the large number of people attracted to this relatively small field. Virtually all job openings will result from the need to replace experienced technicians who leave the occupation.
Turnover is relatively high for broadcast and sound technicians.
Many leave the occupation for electronic jobs in other areas, such as computer technology or commercial and industrial repair. Similar occupations include engineering technicians , science technicians , health technologists and technicians , and electronic equipment repairers . Links to non-BLS Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.