money.cnn.com/2005/02/03/pf/hotjobs -> money.cnn.com/2005/02/03/pf/hotjobs/
SUBSCRIBE TO MONEY Where the hot jobs will be There'll be big demand for some workers over the next several years. February 4, 2005: 9:48 AM EST By Les Christie, CNN/Money staff writer NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Even as the jobs picture slowly improves the unemp loyment rate fell to 52 percent in January career seekers should still focus in on its brightest parts. Many fields are likely to grow, even if employment markets stagnate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes projections of where job opportu nities will be found in the future, in order to help people entering the work force or planning a career change. One factor creating opportunities is the aging of America. As baby boomer s, 77 million strong, approach retirement age, they've started to consum e a host of services and products that are different from what they used at a younger age. Health care concerns Even though boomers may remain active far longer than the generations tha t preceded them, they'll still have to cope with a variety of health and wellness issues. Many of the fastest growing employment opportunities a re in health care. Nurses, physical therapists, and physician's assistants jobs are all incr easing steadily, sometimes spectacularly. The Labor Department projects that more than 600,000 nursing jobs will op en up over the 10 years that end in 2012, a 27 percent increase over 200 2 Physician's assistants jobs will grow by nearly 50 percent and physic al and occupational therapists by more than 35 percent. Registered nurses earn about $52,000 on average, and supervisory personne l make even more. PAs average more than $63,000 and physical therapists more than $61,000. Home care workers will also see a big increase in jobs, up more than 40 p ercent by 2012. Other good opportunities will occur in emergency services. Tech workers will still be in demand, although the field won't be quite a s hot as during the 1990s. But the country will need more than 420,000 n ew computer support workers and another 307,000 software engineers, the BLS estimates. As boomers fade, many will be leaving their long-held, public-sector jobs . According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the average age of federal workers has reached nearly 46 years of age, up more than three-and-a-half years compared with 1990. At both the Energy and the Education Departments, the average age is near 50 and it's over that half-century mark at HUD. Considering that federa l employees can retire at 55 after 30 years on the job, it means many po sitions will open up. Close enough for government work "You have a great number of people at the federal government who will rea ch retirement age over the next several years," says Kevin Simpson, exec utive vice president of the Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit , non-partisan organization dedicated to revitalizing federal government service. With 18 million workers, the federal government is the country's biggest employer, and it will have to have to go on a big hiring binge, adding nearly 150,000 jobs over the next two years alone. Jobseekers may be put off by the idea of working for the government. It i s perceived as bureaucratic, stodgy, and low paying, a poor choice for a n ambitious go-getter. At the same time, people also realize that government work is steady (you don't have to worry about your company going bankrupt), has excellent b enefits, and normal work hours, which enable employees to maintain a goo d balance with their private life. In addition, the government also offe rs educational incentives and liberal leave time. The government "does an exemplary job of hiring and promoting women and m inorities," as Simpson puts it, making it an especially attractive emplo yer for them. Although entrepreneurial types would almost certainly find government job s stifling, the perception that they pay poorly fails to hold up under s crutiny. com millionaire but, according to figures compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the US Office of Personnel Mana gement, the average federal employee earns a salary comparable or better than his counterpart in private industry in almost every job category. The comparison doesn't take into account differences in length of time on the job. But it does at least indicate that the government tries to sta y competitive. "Polling tells us that this generation is very interested in doing public service, but they're more likely to look to the non-profit sector to sc ratch that itch," Simpson says. Putting the word out that you can do oka y working with the feds is the message his organization is trying to air .
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