Warning Shrinking Economies Shrink Job Opportunities - CareerAlley

Warning Shrinking Economies Shrink Job Opportunities - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. With the countrys high unemployment rate of approximately 8%, and an economy that is still shaky, its important to know which industries will provide job security and which industries are dying out. Macroeconomic study projections show that jobs requiring some postsecondary education will expand the fastest by 2020, but 18 of the 30 occupations projected to expand the fastest require no postsecondary education, so there are gainful employment options available for individuals of all skill and level of education. One industry to avoid is the United States Postal Service (USPS). According to data from the United States Department of Labors Bureau of Labor Statistics, all occupations within the postal industry are on the decline. Positions for postal service workers are expected to decline 26%, resulting in a loss of 138,600 jobs. This decline is largely due to a drop in mail volume. The USPS received 49% of its revenue from First Class mail, the volume of which has dropped 20% over the last four years as many people migrated to electronic means of communication. The migration to electronic devices has been the catalyst for the decline of the publishing industry as well. Those employed by newspaper, periodical, and book publishers held 501,000 jobs in 2010. Projections for 2020 estimate a loss of over 61,000 of these jobs. Industry workers expected to be hardest hit are desktop publishers; this field is projected to experience a rapid decline of 15%, resulting in a loss of more than 3,000 jobs. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the health care industry, which is projected to add 5.6 million jobs by 2020. This growth reflects an expected increase in demand as the population ages. A health care option for an individual with little education is to become a home health aide. This occupation has no educational requirements and requires only short-term, on-the-job training after hiring, and it is projected to experience 70% growth by the year 2020. A more specialized health care career is that of physical therapy assistant. This job, projected to have a need for 51,000 workers by 2020, requires an Associates degree and state licensure. The typical route to licensure is graduation with an Associates degree, and a passing grade on the National Physical Therapy Exam. Alternatively, you could take it a step further and stretch yourself to aim toward looking at PETAP online information technology schools, but the education path tends to be a little longer and more involved. Construction/extraction is another expanding industry projected to be creating many jobs over the next decade. No formal education is required to become a construction laborer, but basic math and English skills are helpful. This position, expected to grow 25% and create 314,000 jobs by 2020, requires only short-term, on-the-job training. This industry also is expected to have an increased demand for electricians. Projected growth for this sub-field is 23%, which equates to 133,000 jobs. A high school diploma or GED is all that is required to become an electrician; training is completed through a formal apprenticeship leading to state licensure. To learn more about a formal apprenticeship, contact the National Electrical Contractors Association at http://www.necanet.org. The industries mentioned here are just a few of the many which are projected to undergo significant growth over the next decade. The United States Department of Labors Bureau of Labor Statistics offers detailed information and statistics about every occupation. This information, found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, is available to the public at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook