Occupational Statistics on Career Outlooks January 2010

1. ,.
Table 2. Occupations with the largest numerical growth
Number
of
Wages
new jobs
(MaV
(in Percent 2008 Education/training
Occupations thousands) change median} category
Registered nurses 581.5 22 $ 62,450 Associate degree
Home health aides 460.9 50 20 460 Short-term on-the-job
, tralnmg
Customer service 399.5 18 29 860 ~oderate-term on-the­
representatives ( Job training
Combined food 394.3 15 16 430 Sh?rt-term on-the-job
preparation and ' tramlng
serving workers,
including fast food
Personal and home 375.8 46 19 180 Short-term on-the-job
care aides ' training
Retail salespersons 374.7 8 20510 Short-term on-the-job
( training
Office clerks, general 358.7 12 25 320 Short-term on-the-job
, training
Accountants and 279.4 22 59,430 Bachelor's degree
auditors
Nursing aides,
orderlies, and 276.0 19 23 850 Postsecondary vocational
I award
attendants
Postsecondary 256.9 15 58,830 Doctoral degree
teachers
Construction laborers 255.9 20 28 520 ~oderate-term on-the­
! Job training
Elementary school
teachers, except 244.2 16 49,330 Bachelor's degree
special education
Truck drivers, heavy 232.9 13 37 270 Sh'?rt-term on-the-job
and tractor-trailer ' training
Landscaping and
groundskeeping 217.1 18 -'3 150 Short-term on-the-job
£., training
workers
Bookkeeping,
accounting, and 212.4 10 32 510 Moder~te-term on-the­
( Job training
auditing clerks
Executive secretaries
and administrative 204.4 13 40 030 Work experience in a
( related occupation
assistants
Bachelor's or higher
Management 178.3 24 73,570 degree, plus work
analvsts experience
Computer software
engineers, 175.1 34 85,430 Bachelor's degree
applications
Receptionists and 172.9 15 24 550 Short-term on-the-job
information clerks ( tramlng
Carpenters 165.4 13 38 940 Long.-term on-the-job
, training
SOURCE: BLS Occupational Emplovment Statistics and Division of Occupational
Outlook

2. Table 1. Occupations with the fastest growth
Number
of Wages
new jobs (May
Percent (in 2008 Education/training
Occupations change thousands) median) category
Biomedical engineers 72 11.6 $ 77,400 Bachelor's degree
Network systems and
data communications 53 155.8 71,100 Bachelor's degree
analysts
Home health aides 50 460.9 20 460 Sh?rt-term on-the-Job
, tramlng
Personal and home 46 375.8 19 180 Short-term on-the-job
care aides f trammg
Financial examiners 41 11.1 70,930 Bachelor's degree
Medical scientists, 44.2 72,590 Doctoral degree
except epidemiologists 40
Physician assistants 39 29.2 81,230 Master's degree
Skin care speCialists 38 14.7 Postsecondary
28,730 vocational award
Biochemists and
biophysicists 37 8.7 82,840 Doctoral degree
Athletic trainers 37 6.0 39,640 Bachelor's degree
Physical therapist 23 760 Short-term on-the-job
aides 36 16.7
' training
Dental hygienists 36 62.9 66,570 Associate degree
Veterinary
technologists and 36 28.5 28,900 Associate degree
technicians
Dental assistants 36 105.6 32 380 Moderate-term on-the­
, Job training
Computer software
engineers, applications 34 175.1 85,430 Bachelor's degree
Medical assistants 34 163.9 28 300 Moderate-term on-the­
, Job tramlng
Physical therapist
assistants 33 21.2 46,140 Associate degree
Veterinarians 33 19.7 79 050 First professional
, degree
Self-enrichment 35 720 Work experience in a
32 81.3
education teachers r related occupation
Compliance officers,
except agriculture,
construction, health 31 80.8 48 890 long-term on-the-job
and safety, and ' training
transportation
SOURCE: BLS Occupational Employment Statistics and Division of Occupational
Outlook

3. Academic Major Biggest Factor in Who Gets Job Offer Prior to
Graduation
BETHLEHEM, PA- For new college graduates, academic major is the biggest factor in determining who
gets a job offer before graduation, according to a new survey conducted by the National Association of
Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Results of NACE's 2010 Student Survey found that bachelor's degree graduates in five categories fared best in
looking for afirst post-college job.
Graduates with bachelor's degrees in accounting, business, computer science, engineering, and the social
sciences were most likely to have job offers by graduation. More than 40 percent of the responding seniors in
each of these categories received job offers before graduating.
"'counting majors earned the top spot: Nearly 47 percent reported receiving job offers, followed by busines;;>
( with 45 percent. (See Figure 1.)
/in comparison, new graduates with degrees in English, foreign language, and education fared worse; less than'7
" -30 percent of respondents in these field had job offers by time of graduation. '/
Interestingly, these results are consistent with those of earlier NACE studies, and suggest that, in general, the
state of the economy and job market do not play a significant role in determining which majors are most
attractive to employers, although they may affect which majors are at the bottom in terms of demand.
Figure 1: Job offers, by major
II Received Offer
IMajor II Yes No
II % of Responses
,9% 1 53 .1 %
IBusiness 45.4% 1 54 .6 %
Communicationsllournalis 35.2%
IComputerlIS 44.1% 1 55 .9 %
IEducation 23.7% 1 76 .3%
1 Engineering 11 4 1.0%
1 English 11 29 .6 %
1 Foreign language 11 28 .3 %
IHealth sciences 1 38.7%
1 Liberal ArtslHumanities 11
37 . 1% 11 62 .
%
9
I Mathematics 11 39 .7 % 11
60 .3 %
HistorylPolitical science 1 33 .6 % 11
66 .4%
IPsychology 11 35 . 1% 11
64 .9 %

4. EMPLOYER RATINGS OF EMPLOYEE CHARACTERISTICS
Figure 34: Employers rate the importance of candidate skills/qualities
. ­
Communication skills 4.7
Strong work ethic 4.6
Initiative 4.5
Interpersonal skills (relates well to others) 4.5
Problem-solving skills 4.5
Teamwork skills (works well with others) 4.5
Analytical skills 4.4
Flexibility/adaptability 4.3
Computer skills 4.2
Detail-oriented 4.1
Leadership skills 4.1
Technical skills 4.1
Organizational skills 4.0
Self-confidence 3.9
Tactfulness 3.8
Friendly/outgoing personality 3.7
Creativity 3.6
Strategic planning skills 3.3
Entrepreneurial skills/risk-taker 3.2
Sense of humor 3.0
(5-point scale, where l=not important; 2=not very important; 3=somewhat
important; 4=very important; and 5::::extremely important)
Figure 36: Skills Lacking in new college graduates
Skill/Quality % of Employers Who Said Skill/Quality Is Lacking
Communication kills 49.7%
Flexibility/adaptability 37.0%
Tactfulness 35.8%
Initiative 28.9%
Teamwork skills 27.2%
Organizational 22.5%
Strong work ethic 20.8%
Self-confidence 17.3%
Problem~solving skiils
15.6%
Detail-oriented
14.5%
Sense of humor
12.7%
Leadership skills
11.6%
Analytical skills
11.0%
Entrepreneurial skills/risk-taker
11.0%
Creativity
9.2%
Technical skills
8.7%