Hot Jobs in America Thru 2016

In early December the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics posted a summary of Employment Projections through 2016. Here are the top 30 occupations with the largest employment growth opportunities through 2016 with the raw number of new positions for that position in parens. This data sheds an interesting perspective on what kind of nation America will become and what kind of jobs its people value.

Registered nurses (587,000), retail salesperson (557,000), customer service rep (545,000), food preparation/fast food (452,000), office clerks (404,000), personal care aides (384,000), home health aides (384,000), college/post graduate teachers* (382,000), janitors/cleaners (345,000), nursing aides (264,000), bookkeeping clerks (264,000), waiters/waitresses (255,000), child care workers (248,000), secretaries/administrative assistants (239,000),  computer software engineers* (226,000), accountants* (226,000), landscapers (221,000), elementary school teachers* (209,000), receptionists (202,000), truck drivers (193,000), maids/house cleaners (186,000), security guards (175,000), carpenters (150,000), management analysts* (149,000), medical assistants (148,000), computer systems analysts* (146,000), network/data comm analysts* (140,000), maintenance workers (140,000), food prep workers (138,000), teacher assistants (137,000).

If you total all 30 of these largest employment growth jobs there is a net increase of 8,101,000 new jobs to our economy in the coming nine years.

The BLS report, for each job growth area, lists the “most significant source of education” required for that job.

The asterisks above represent job growth areas that require a minimum bachelor’s degree. This totals to 1,478,000 positions, or 18.2% of all fast growing jobs.

Another way of looking at it…..81.8% of jobs in the fastest growing segments of employment in America over the next nine years will not require any higher education.

The macro reflection of these fastest growing segments paints a picture of an aging nation more interested in shopping, healthcare, fast food and a pretty garden than tech education. What is equally troubling is the forecasted high turnover of post secondary teachers. Without quality college/post graduate/doctoral teachers our nation is particularly at risk in all fields of endeavor….not just science and math.

What’s your take on this picture of America? Does it reflect your view?