| This is the first in a multi-part series about jobs that are | | | | Information Network'. It's a huge database of job |
| available today as we transition to a greener lifestyle. | | | | information that includes the demand for a given |
| We'll start the series with a brief discussion of overall | | | | occupation, salary information, education, and skills |
| job trends and then look at opportunities to start a | | | | requirements. Use the occupational group codes in the |
| green business or get a green job. | | | | table above to do an 'Occupation Quick Search' and |
| As I listen to the pundits talk about the rising | | | | press GO. You'll get a listing of occupations within that |
| unemployment rate, I figure some of us might need to | | | | job family or category. You can also do an |
| "reinvent" ourselves in this new green economy. As | | | | 'Occupation Quick Search' using the full occupational |
| I've said many times, we're in a transition phase and | | | | code - for example, enter 31-9099 and you'll see |
| many sectors of the economy may not be as robust | | | | information in the 'Healthcare Support Works, All other' |
| and able to support as many workers as they might | | | | category. Other searches include "Find Occupation" |
| have in the past. Surely green businesses need PR | | | | and "Skills Search". It really is a 'one-stop-shop' |
| people, accountants, administrative assistants etc. like | | | | because this federal job site links to your state's job |
| any other business. The outlook is promising. There's a | | | | center where you can find jobs in that category |
| lot more going on at the state level than we're hearing | | | | according to zip code. Median salary and educational |
| about in the general media. In each article in the series, | | | | requirements for the job are listed for each |
| you'll be able to access a directory of resources that | | | | occupational job entry - very cool! This is a great tool |
| will help you locate loans, grants, trade organizations | | | | not only for job-seekers, but also for Human |
| and state agencies that can help you locate this | | | | Resources professionals or business owners who |
| emerging source of green jobs and new business | | | | need to write position descriptions for employees. |
| opportunities for you daring entrepreneurs out there. | | | | Professional & Related Occupations |
| The Job Outlook from Now to 2016 | | | | The second fastest category of jobs is Professional |
| As of November, the Department of Labor (DOL) | | | | & Related Occupations. |
| reported the nation's unemployment rate at 9.7%. The | | | | Fastest Growing Occupational Groups - (BLS 10 Major |
| DOL's, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reviews | | | | Occupational Groups) |
| employment trends as they emerge due to declining | | | | Professional & Related Occupations Occupational |
| industries, new growth and attrition created by retirees. | | | | Group Code Percent Growth |
| BLS refers to this attrition or 'Net Replacement' trends | | | | Computer & Mathematical Science 15 - 24.8% |
| meaning those job openings generated due to the | | | | Community & Social Services 21 - 22.7% |
| necessity of replacing workers who permanently | | | | Health care practitioners 29 - 19.8% |
| leave an occupation. In states with double-digit | | | | Life, Physical & Social Science 19 - 14.4% |
| unemployment, the combination of declining | | | | Education, training and library 25 - 14% |
| manufacturing sector and large numbers of baby | | | | Legal 23 - 11.8% |
| boomers about to retire, present opportunities for the | | | | Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports & Media 27 - |
| unemployed to transfer their existing skills into new | | | | 11.4% |
| energy industries. | | | | Architecture & Engineering 17 - 10.3% |
| Population Trends & Their Impact on Where Jobs | | | | Health Care |
| Are Going | | | | According to the BLS, 5 million jobs will be created in |
| In their report, "Employment: 2006 - 2016: Occupational | | | | the Professional & Related Occupations category. |
| Employment Projections to 2016", BLS Economists | | | | The need for health care and social services in the 55 |
| Ann Dohm and Lynn Shniper report that the segment | | | | years-and-older group will create a demand for 1.7 |
| of our population 55 years or older will increase by | | | | million jobs in the health care and social services job |
| 2.7% annually between now and 2016, reaching 87 | | | | groups. Another 1.1 million will be created in public and |
| million by 2016. Compare that growth to the segment | | | | private education and 1 million in professional, scientific |
| 16 years or older which will experience an estimated | | | | and technical services. Not surprisingly, in the health |
| annual growth rate of 0.9%, growing from 229 to 251 | | | | care sector, there is still a strong need for Registered |
| million by 2016. Despite the difference in the total | | | | Nurses, which the BLS estimates will add 587,800 new |
| number of people in each population group, those 55 | | | | jobs. Technology advances in the medical field will |
| years or older are expected to be the fastest growing | | | | create a need for workers trained in new medical |
| segment of the population between now and 2016. | | | | procedures. Another interesting trend in the health care |
| These two trends identify educational and job training | | | | industry is toward having technicians perform more of |
| opportunities and where to find new jobs needed to | | | | the routine procedures formerly performed by licensed |
| replace retired workers who have left the work force. | | | | practitioners under supervision. The growth of |
| In this article, we'll talk about the top 3 fastest growing | | | | Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants is |
| job categories. | | | | expected to exceed growth of physicians and |
| Industry Trends | | | | surgeons. |
| BLS estimates that manufacturing and production jobs | | | | Education, Arts, Architecture, Sciences, Law |
| in general will decline over the next decade, a loss of | | | | There will continue to be a need for primary, |
| roughly 500,000 jobs. Besides the obvious economic | | | | secondary and special education teachers. The need |
| conditions, the decline is due in part to technology | | | | for postsecondary teachers is expected to grow |
| improvements and imports produced at reduced labor | | | | quickly as the population of 18 to 24 years increases |
| costs. Other industry sectors expected to decline are | | | | and a greater proportion of high school graduates go |
| farming, fishing and forestry, a loss of 29,000 jobs. The | | | | to college and as more adults attend college for |
| fastest growing industry sectors are health care and | | | | courses in professional development related to their |
| social services, professional occupations such as | | | | jobs. Computer and Mathematical science jobs will |
| business management, financial services, and scientific | | | | continue to grow adding 822,000 jobs as businesses |
| and technical services. 493,000 new jobs will be | | | | continue to adopt and refine existing technologies. In |
| created in these industries including: | | | | the Community and Social Services category, there will |
| Fastest Growing Occupational Groups - (BLS 10 Major | | | | still be a need to service the disabled, substance |
| Occupational Groups) | | | | abusers and those in crisis situations. Arts, design, |
| Overview of Fastest Jobs Occupational Group Code | | | | entertainment, sports and media are estimated to add |
| Percent Growth | | | | 305,000 jobs and 1 of 5 of those jobs will held in the |
| Service Occupations 31,33,35,37,39 - 16.7% | | | | form of self-employment. Writers, authors, |
| Professional & Related 15,17,19,21,23,24,25,27,29 - | | | | photographers, multi-media animators and artist will be |
| 16.7% | | | | offered work as self-employed workers as more |
| Management, Business & Financial Occupations - | | | | companies purchase services rather hire employees |
| All Industries 11,12,13 - 10.4% | | | | to do the work. Architecture and engineering |
| Construction & Extraction 47 - 9.5% | | | | occupations will experience a similar growth trend due |
| Installation, Maintenance & Repair 49 - 9.3% | | | | to companies contracting out work. Life, physical, and |
| Sales & Related Occupations 41 - 7.6% | | | | social scientists are projected to add 203,000 jobs. |
| Office & Administrative Support 43 - 7.2% | | | | Many of these jobs will be created in private sector |
| Transportation & Material Moving 53 - 4.5% | | | | firms that do medical and scientific research. Life |
| Declining Occupational Groups | | | | Sciences workers will also be needed in the growing |
| Production Occupations 51 - -4.9% | | | | 'green industries' as the nation focuses more attention |
| Farming, Fishing, & Forestry 45 - -2.8% | | | | on the environment in the coming years. Within the |
| Service Occupations include those jobs that make | | | | legal professions, BLS projects an increase of 145,000 |
| people's jobs easier, safer and more pleasurable. Also | | | | jobs. Of those, 84,000 of those jobs will be held by |
| as the population ages, there will be more of a | | | | lawyers and 53,000 will go to paralegals and legal |
| demand to help the elderly stay in their homes or | | | | assistants. There will be a demand for services in the |
| residential housing. Dohm and Shniper estimate that 4.8 | | | | areas of corporate, intellectual property, energy, elder, |
| million jobs will be created in the Service sector | | | | antitrust and environmental law. Most of the new legal |
| between now and 2016. My concern is that though | | | | jobs are expected to be in state and local |
| some of the jobs in the Service Occupation category, | | | | government. |
| like Home Health Aids are important and are in high | | | | Management, Business & Financial |
| demand they pay very little. Keep in mind that the | | | | The Management, business and financial occupational |
| occupational table above includes "job families" so | | | | group contains the most variety of jobs across |
| there are many different occupations included within | | | | business industries. Jobs within this category are |
| family. For example, a portion of the jobs listed in the | | | | projected to grow by 1.6 million. Roughly 493,000 jobs |
| Service occupations category include: | | | | management, scientific and technical consulting; |
| 31-1011.00 Home Health Aides | | | | accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll |
| 31-1012.00 Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants | | | | services. The finance and insurance sector is |
| 31-1013.00 Psychiatric Aides | | | | expected to add 297,000 new jobs. |
| 31-2011.00 Occupational Therapist Assistants | | | | I'd like to mention two job categories that weren't listed |
| 31-2012.00 Occupational Therapist Aides | | | | in the fastest growing group but which will be important |
| 31-2021.00 Physical Therapist Assistants | | | | in new environmental industries. Based upon my |
| 31-2022.00 Physical Therapist Aides | | | | research, in addition to highly technical jobs in the life |
| 31-9011.00 Massage Therapists | | | | sciences category, many green jobs will be created in |
| 31-9091.00 Dental Assistants | | | | the Transportation & Moving and the Installation, |
| 31-9092.00 Medical Assistants | | | | Maintenance and Repair groups. There will be a need |
| 31-9093.00 Medical Equipment Preparers | | | | for truck drivers that have Commercial Drivers |
| 31-9094.00 Medical Transcriptionists | | | | Licenses (CDLs) to transport recycled materials to |
| 31-9095.00 Pharmacy Aides | | | | landfills and within the manufacturing industry for reuse |
| 31-9096.00 Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory | | | | and workers with general mechanical skills to repair |
| Animal Caretakers | | | | and maintain new environmental machinery. As I |
| 31-9099.99 Healthcare Support Workers, All Other | | | | mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Business |
| The list above comes from a great DOL tool paid for | | | | Management and financial services fields might also |
| by your tax dollars called 'ONET, Occupational | | | | provide transferable skills into new green businesses. |