Fast Growing Occupations Tend to Cluster in Certain Industries
Most of the occupations with the fastest projected employment growth are concentrated in one or more of the rapidly growing industries. Many of the 30 occupations with the fastest projected growth rates are concentrated in the health services sector, which is expected to expand more than twice as fast as the economy whole. Health service occupations also dominated this list.
Employment in the two occupations projected to grow mostly in personal and home care aides and health aides is concentrated in home health care services, individual and miscellaneous social services industries. These occupations also grew the fastest. Home health services provide personal and physical care for an increasing number elderly people and for patients who are recovering from serious health conditions. Personal and home care services perform a variety of light housekeeping tasks for those in need of home care.
The number of physical therapists and physical and correction-therapy assistants and aides is expected to grow rapidly as new treatments for life-threatening and disabling conditions that involve therapy are introduced. Another factor is the growing elderly population, whose members are particularly vulnerable to chronic debilitating conditions that will require more therapeutic service. The number of occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants and aides also is expected to increase due to technological advances that make it possible for more patients with critical problems to survive. These workers help individuals with mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling afflictions to recover or maintain daily living.
Employment of medical records technicians is projected to increase rapidly, despite considerably slower than average growth in the hospital industry, which employs the majority of these workers. These jobs will be added in response to the need to maintain records for an increasing number of medical tests, treatments, procedures that will undergo increasing scrutiny by third-party firms, courts, and consumers.
Employment of medical assistants is expected to be driven to increase in the number of group and other health care practices that use support personnel. These workers are employed primarily in outpatient settings, which are projected to grow rapidly.
The demand for dental hygienists and dental assistants is projected to be spurred by growth in the population and greater awareness of the need for preventive dental care. The number of dental hygienists is projected to grow somewhat more slowly than in previous years. The number of dentist assistants, on the other hand, is expected to grow significantly.
Other occupations in the health field that are projected to grow rapidly include human services workers, surgical technologists, and speech-language pathologists and audiologists.
Robust growth is projected in some computer-related occupations, because of the continuing spread of computer technology. Employment of computer engineers and systems analysts is projected to increase rapidly to satisfy expanding needs for scientific research and applications of computer technology in business and industry.
Expanding use of operations research to improve productivity and reduce costs is expected to increase the demand for operations research analysts. The number of electronic pagination systems workers is projected to grow very rapidly in the printing and publishing industry, as more page layout and design is performed electronically by computer. More data processing equipment repairers will be needed to install, maintain, and repair the growing number of computers in use.
One computer occupation that one may expect to find on the list of fastest growing occupations is conspicuous by its absence. The computer programmers group, which grew much faster than the average for all occupations, is projected to increase more slowly than average due to improved software and programming techniques that simplify or eliminate some programming tasks.
Paralegals are expected to be in great demand in legal and related fields, reflecting efforts to provide more cost-effective legal services to the public. This occupation was among the top 10 fastest growing occupations. The number of special education teachers is expected to grow due to legislation requiring training and employment for individuals with disabilities and growing public interest in people with special needs.
Jobs for correction officers are projected to increase in response to the need to supervise and counsel a rapidly expanding inmate population. Increased concern about crime, vandalism, and terrorism is expected to result in larger numbers of guards and detectives, except public. The majority of residential counselors are employed in the rapidly growing residential care industry, which provides social and personal care for children, the aged, and others with limited ability for self-care. Finally, the expanding agricultural services (except animal services) industry is projected to provide numerous jobs for nursery and greenhouse managers.
