Running head: OCCUPATIONS WITH MOST JOB GROWTH

What Occupations Will Have the Most Job Growth Over the Next Seven Years? Stacey Elliott Mid Michigan Community College

Author Note This paper was prepared for English 111 taught by Mrs. Elliott.

OCCUPATIONS WITH MOST JOB GROWTH Abstract What occupations are expected to have the most job growth within the next seven years? I used a table provided on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website to answer this question. I found that occupations in office and administrative support had the highest numerical increase in the number of jobs added. The highest percent increase of job openings occurred in healthcare support occupations. The number and percent of jobs in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations is actually expected to have the highest decrease in the number of job openings.

OCCUPATIONS WITH MOST JOB GROWTH What occupations are expected to have the most job growth over the next seven years? Introduction As my junior year approached, I began thinking about what professions would have the most job openings in the next seven years or so. With college just around the corner, I started to

research different occupations to see what occupations would have the most job growth. Over the next seven years, which occupations will have the most job growth? This is an important question because before one goes spending thousands of dollars on a college education they would probably like to know which occupations are expected to have the most job growth. I will define occupation as any paid job. Job growth is an increase or decrease in the number of jobs in that area of employment. I would expect professions in medical occupations to have more job openings than any other occupation. Method I used the Bureau of Labor Statistics website which publishes data about employment and job growth on their website to gather data. After looking through many figures, I found a table that showed the employment projections from 2010 to 2020. It also provided information about the numerical and percent increase for occupations. I extracted data for different groups of occupations using the table and recorded the employment for each group of occupations for 2010 and the projected employment for 2020. Then, I recorded the numerical change and expected percent change for each group of occupations from 2010 to 2020 and used the information to create my own graph. Results As you can see from Figure 1, the most job growth occurred in office and administrative support occupations. An estimated 2,336 jobs will be added in office and administrative support

OCCUPATIONS WITH MOST JOB GROWTH occupations. Job growth failed to occur in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations. It is expected that there will be 19 less jobs in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations by 2020.

The percentage of job openings in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations is actually expected to decrease by two percent. The largest increase in the percentage of job openings occurred in healthcare support occupations with a 34.5 percent increase (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). Figure 1 Employment by Major Occupation Groups

30,000.00
25,000.00 20,000.00 15,000.00 10,000.00 5,000.00 0.00 -5,000.00 Management Occupations Business & Financial Operations Computer & Mathematical Archetecture & Enginerring Life, Physical, & Social Science Community & Social Service Legal Occupatons Education, Training, & Library Arts, Design, Entertainment, Healthcare Practitioners & Healthcare Support Occupations Protective Service Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Building, Grounds Cleaning, & Personal Care & Service Sales & Related Occupations Office & Administrative Support Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Construction & Extraction Installation, Maintenance, & Production Occupations Transportation & Material Moving Discussion Employment 2010 Employment 2020 Numeral Change 2010-2020 Percent Change 2010-2020

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics "Employment by major occupational group"

OCCUPATIONS WITH MOST JOB GROWTH I was surprised by what I found. I thought occupations in the medical field would have the most job openings by 2020, but I was wrong. I did not expect to see that the most job growth occurred in occupations in office and administrative support. Although, jobs in the medical field did have the second highest job growth. I cannot believe that the number of jobs in farming,

fishing, and forestry occupations is actually expected to decrease by 2020 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). Why did my research provide me with these results? Jobs in office and administrative support occupations could be increasing because of technological advances. Technological advances could be creating more positions in these occupations. It is possible that the number of jobs in administrative support is increasing because administrations are getting larger. It puzzles me that the amount of jobs in farming, fishing, and forestry will decrease, but maybe that is because I live in a farming community. Maybe the number of jobs is decreasing because equipment is getting larger. Advances in equipment could also account for a decrease in these jobs. It could be possible that equipment is replacing people. For example, jobs that once required man power can be done by equipment now. Jobs in agriculture could be decreasing because round up can be used on most crops to kill weeds. Pesticides and sprays could be partially responsible for a decrease in the number of agricultural jobs. Why would occupations in healthcare support have the largest percent increase in the number of jobs added, but occupations in office and administrative support have the largest numerical increase in the number of jobs added? It is possible that occupations in healthcare support have the largest percent change because occupations in this area could make up a larger percent of the total employment. Maybe occupations in office and administrative support have the largest

OCCUPATIONS WITH MOST JOB GROWTH

numerical increase because the greatest number of jobs will be added in this area, but this area of employment is only a small percentage of the total employment. Coming from a small farming community, I find it hard to believe that jobs in farming will decrease while jobs in office and administrative support occupations will increase. The fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics groups related occupations together could have skewed my results. If related occupations were not grouped together, I could have received very different and more accurate results. An increase or decrease in the number of jobs in one occupation would not affect the job growth in related occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics could run a more in depth study on job growth by researching job growth for all occupations and recording the results. This could make the results more accurate because the job growth would no longer be an average between job growth in related occupations.

OCCUPATIONS WITH MOST JOB GROWTH Reference U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012, February 1). Employment by major occupational group. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_101.htm

OCCUPATIONS WITH MOST JOB GROWTH Appendix