The job industry is continually changing. Old industries are dying and new industries are springing up to replace them. Knowing what’s on the up will help you get ahead and plan your career effectively.
In late 2009, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report entitled, “Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition.” This study detailed trends in work, examining the types of industries where work will increase and where work is declining. The report covers trends from 2009 through 2018, and revealed some interesting changes.
What is not particularly surprising in a service-driven economy is that manufacturing and mining are on a downward slope, while consumer-led services are on the increase. But which areas will experience the largest growth? The top five are detailed here…
1. Healthcare and social assistance
The largest area for growth by far is in the healthcare and social assistance industry. This sector will account for 26 percent of al new jobs in the U.S. This industry will be responsible for creating 4 million jobs. And we’re not just talking about hospitals and healthcare, but residential care too. Given that the US population is graying, this is perhaps not a shock to anyone, but those looking for more secure employment might consider seeking work in this field.
2. Professional, scientific and technical services
Second to health, is the area of professional, scientific and technical services. In particular, it is thought that “technical consulting services” will expand by 83 percent, accounting for a third of all growth in this industry. Drivers in this sector include new technologies and compliance with regulations relating to safety, employment, and the environment. It is thought that there will be 2.7 million new jobs in this field by the year 2018.
3. Educational services
A population that is hungry for education will lead to increased enrollment of students for classes at all educational levels. It is thought that this will lead to 1.7 million new jobs by 2018. Teachers in public and private educational institutions will be in great demand.
4. Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
This category covers a wide range of different activities, the largest of which is employment services. Projections relate to the increasing need for specialized skills in organizations, leading to a need for people who can recruit them. Employment services jobs will make up 42 percent of new jobs in this entire sector.
5. Accommodation and food services
Places to stay, and places to eat will continue to rise in importance in the years running up to 2018. This sector will account for more than 800,000 new jobs in the US. Growth is driven by a society that desires the ever-increasing convenience of being able to eat out.
For the future then, if the trends are to be counted on, you may want to consider the roles of Doctor, Technology Consultant, Teacher or Professor, Recruitment Specialist or striking out on your own and opening up a brand new fast food restaurant. However, there are also exciting new opportunities that continually arise for those who seek them out.
Changes in technology, particularly the continual evolution of the Internet has led to change in job possibilities. This has been driven to some degree by the birth of Web 2.0 and greater “community-based” interactivity between people and websites. One of these is jobs in the social networking sphere. You might not have thought of this, but you can actually get paid for spending time on Facebook, Twitter and other similar websites for a company, under the guise of Social Media Marketing Manager (or Assistant).
In addition, areas such as journalism are evolving. While print media has declined dramatically over the past few years, online content has increased phenomenally. Those who previously might have chased a career as a writer for a print magazine might now instead look to the blogosphere for work.
Other new areas of work that are interesting also relate to technology development. For example, the creation of new products such as iPad, lead to the need for a whole different range of skill sets than needed previously. These include application development – the building of applications to best fit such products, or working to adapt existing products to fit – for example, creating eBooks in the right format for an iPad screen. Those who keep abreast of technological changes can position themselves to be ready for the next big thing, and offer their services ahead of the rest.
Whatever your chosen industry, those who are savvy and keep up with change will fare the best in the future economy.
Guest Bio: Paula Newton is a published writer who has made a career out of writing and assisting people in their career pursuits. She recently joined the ResumeBucket team to help more job seekers get their resumes in tip-top shape. Her latest project has been the huge library of sample resumes that currently has examples from over 77 industries with a handful of resumes for each.
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