Human Resource Executive (02/16/12)

The recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report examining job growth between 2010 and 2020 projects an overall 14% increase in total employment over the course of the decade. The report notes that as the baby boomer generation ages, there will be continued growth in industries and occupations related to caring for that demographic.

Health care, social assistance, personal care, and construction are identified as the industries that will have the fastest job growth over the 10-year period. Meanwhile, the U.S. manufacturing sector is expected to continue to contract. The report also concludes that although job categories that require some type of postsecondary education are expected to grow the fastest, more than two-thirds of all job openings are projected to be for positions that typically do not require any education beyond a high-school diploma—jobs that usually garner lower wages and fewer benefits.