Hot Jobs

Top Ten Occupations
The U.S. Department of Labor issues an annual Occupational Outlook Handbook for the upcoming years. It's a great reference for understanding national trends in hiring, and forecasted job growth.

See top 10 "fastest growing occupations" in the OOH

Browse the latest OOH from the U.S. Dept. of Labor

These professions show particular promise for job growth in the future:

• Health Services
  Health care is a huge, complex and fast-changing field. Health care services will increase 30 percent from 1996 - 2006 and will account for 3.1 million new jobs, the largest increase of any industry. That's because the aging population will continue to require more services and the use of medical technology is increasing dramatically. Another factor in this rapid growth is the fact that patients are being released faster from hospitals into outpatient facilities, nursing homes, and home health care in an effort to contain rising medical costs.
  
  There are many opportunities out there, but the problem is knowing exactly what health care jobs are available. To start, we recommend you go to these state listings and browse the jobs by state.


• Computer/Technical
  Over the last decade or so, technology and the computer industry have clearly proved to be the wave of the future. And this wave has not waned in any way; it continues to swell. Opportunities for computer engineers and systems analysts are rapidly multiplying to satisfy the ever-expanding needs of scientific research and new applications of computer technology. Some of the fastest growing occupations are in computer-related fields.


• Social Services
  There will forever be students of all ages needing to learn. Hence, the need for quality teachers will always exist. Over the next ten years, America will need to hire two million teachers to meet rising school enrollment and to replace the country's aging teaching workforce. More than half of our nation's teachers will retire during this period. To learn more about the need for teachers, this site has lots of information.
  
  Social work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help people. These professionals help people deal with their relationships, solve their personal, family, and community problems, and grow and develop in their daily lives.


• Other Services
  If you know your way around a computer, have a keen eye for graphic layout, and can write well, desktop publishing could be for you. There's no shortage of desktop publishing training programs, and the low cost of digital publishing practically guarantees this field an excellent future. Though this field is growing and there are lots of opportunities out there, it can be tough getting a handle on desktop publishing. Here's a good place to start.
  
  On the legal side of things, a paralegal performs meaningful work that requires knowledge of legal concepts. This is work usually done by lawyers themselves. Paralegals work almost anywhere law work is done -- in both public and private sectors. Nationwide, 21 percent of all paralegals have an associates degree, 53 percent have a bachelors degree, and 7 percent have a masters or higher degree.

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