Women's Bureau (WB) - Employment Status for Women and Men in 2008

Hot Jobs for the 21st Century, 2006-2016

PROJECTIONS for YEAR 2016—

Labor Force—

The labor force is estimated to increase by 12.8 million persons between 2006 and 2016; about 6.3 million (49 percent) will be women.

In 2016, women are expected to comprise 46.5 percent of the estimated 164.2 million persons in the labor force.

Employment—

During the 2006-2016 period, total employment is projected to increase by 10.4 percent from 150.6 to 166.2 million.

Over the 2006-2016 period, employment in professional and related occupations is projected to grow at the same rate as employment in service occupations—both at 16.7 percent.

Between the 2006-16 period, production occupations are expected to see a loss of slightly more than half a million jobs (528,000).

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations will decline by 29,000 jobs due to increased mechanization, rising imports of food and fish, and consolidation of the agricultural industry.

Occupations: Fastest Growth

The fastest growing occupations are dominated by professional and related occupations associated with health care and the provision of social and mental health services. Examples of these occupations are:

Health related: personal and home care aides; home health aides; medical assistants; substance abuse and behavior disorder counselors; social and human service assistants; physical therapists assistants; pharmacy technicians; dental hygienists; and mental health counselors; mental health and substance abuse social workers; dental assistants; physical therapists; and physician assistants.
Computer related: network systems and data communications analysts; computer software engineers, applications; computer systems analysts; database administrators; and computer software engineers, systems software.
Personal care and service related: makeup artists; theatrical and performance; skin care specialists; manicurists and pedicurists.
Other fast growing occupations: veterinary technologists and technicians; personal financial advisors; veterinarians; financial analysts; gaming surveillance officers and gaming investigators; forensic science technicians; marriage and family therapists; gaming and sports book writers and runners; and environmental science and protection technicians, including health.

Rapid growth in health-related occupations reflects an aging population that requires more health care, a wealthier population that can afford better health care, and advances in medical technology that permit more health problems to be treated more aggressively.

The fastest growing health-related and personal care occupations are already dominated by women and it stands to reason that women will continue to do so.

Occupations: Largest Growth

The 30 occupations with the largest job growth are much less concentrated in professional and related occupations than the 30 fastest growing occupations.

Examples of these are:

Professional and managerial: registered nurses; general and operations managers; computer software engineers, applications; accountants and auditors; management analysts; computer systems analysts; and network systems and data communications analysts.
Service related: retail salespersons; janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners; child care workers; maids and housekeeping cleaners; and security guards.
Office and administrative support: office clerks, general; bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks; executive secretaries and administrative assistants; receptionists and information clerks; and customer service representatives.
Health care support: home health aides; nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants; personal and home care aides; and medical assistants.
Food preparation and serving related: waiters and waitresses; combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food; and food preparation workers.
Teaching: post secondary teachers; elementary school teachers, except special education; and teacher assistants.
Transportation and material moving: truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer; laborers and freight and stock, and material movers, hand; and truck drivers, light and delivery services.
Other: landscaping and grounds keeping workers; carpenters; and maintenance and repair workers, general.

Short-term on-the-job training is the level of post-secondary education or training most workers will need to become fully qualified in the majority of these large growth occupations.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, November 2007.

Table 1: 2008 Median Weekly Earnings of Selected Growth Occupation

Total, all occupations

Occupations with fastest job growth; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $722

Computer software engineers; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,529
Financial analysts; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,378
Database administrators; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,274
Physician assistants; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,251
Personal financial advisors; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,194
Computer scientists and systems analysts; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,091
Network systems and data communications analysts; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,184
Dental hygienists; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $976
Physical therapist assistants; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $700
Gaming service workers; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $650
Dental assistants; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $531
Medical assistants; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $505
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $429
Personal and home care aides; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $414

Occupations with largest job growth

Computer software engineers; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,529
Management analysts; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,255
Post-secondary teachers; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,149
Network systems and data communication analysts; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,130
Computer scientist and systems analysts; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,091
Registered nurses; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $1,022
Accountants and auditors; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $981
Elementary and middle school teachers; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $890
Maintenance and repair workers, general; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $720
Carpenters; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $656
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $606
Office clerks, general; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $585
Customer service representatives; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $577
Industrial truck and tractor operators; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $534
Retail salespersons; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $521
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $516
Medical assistants; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $505
Receptionists and information clerks; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $503
Janitors and building cleaners; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $460
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $429
Teacher assistants; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $421
Grounds maintenance workers; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $420
Personal and home care aides; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $414
Child care workers; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $396
Waiters and waitresses; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $391
Maid and housekeeping cleaners; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $378
Food preparation workers; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $352
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food; Median Weekly Earnings, 2008 (both sexes) $349

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, November 2007.