How to Find the Fastest-Growing Industries in America

Do you want to avoid seeking a career in an industry that is declining or may not exist in your home community? Would you like information on how much a particular career pays? Are you interested in learning what training requirements are in place for various careers? Then you should do a labor market survey. We have created several links that will take you right to the information available on the web site of the U.S. Deptartment of Labor. This first link takes you to their main page for information on careers, Welcome to America's Career InfoNet.

From here you may look at job prospects at the national or state level. You can look at the fastest growing jobs or the declining jobs. Here is the link to the occupational page: America's Career InfoNet: Industry Information, which contains links to the following pages:

• Fastest-Growing Industries
  Find the industries that are projected to grow the fastest. Includes past and projected industry employment levels and growth rates.
  
  
• Industries with the Largest Employment
  View the industries with the largest employment nationwide. Includes details about employment and links to more detailed industry information.
  
  
• Industries with Declining Employment
  Create a list of industries with the largest projected declines in employment nationwide. Includes past and projected industry employment levels and growth rates.
  
  
• Highest-Paying Industries
  Find the highest-paying industries. Includes details of average weekly wages and average annual wages.
  
  
• Total Employment by Industry Sector
  View the number of employees in each sector for each state or nationwide. Compare figures for the three most recent years of quantified data.

Do you want to focus on what is happening in a particular state? You may visit the State Profile page to view labor force projections. Navigate to this page: America's Career InfoNet: State Information and you will find the following links:

• State Profile
  Find state demographic, employment, and services data, including a state map, flag, and web site links.
  
  
• Labor Market Information
  Find web site links to state and national career and labor market information offices.

Suggested activities to help choose the right career:

1. To increase your job satisfaction, it will help to complete the following steps:

• Think about what careers you want to explore. You can research your options by using the CareerConnect program.
• Where do you want to live? Are you willing to move anywhere in the country or would you rather stay in your current home community?
• What are your post-secondary plans? You can research jobs that require on-the-job type training, a two-year college degree, a four-year degree, graduate school or vocational training.

When you have made these decisions, check out the information located in the State Profile. There you can explore options involving different occupations, states, and the type of training required. You can also see if there are training providers.

2. How much money can you make in a given career or occupation? That information is located in several places on this site but the best method may be to choose a state and then read the list of highest paying occupations.

3. You may find a career that interests you, but is there a demand for it? You probably don't want to train for a career that leaves you well educated and unemployed! There are sections in Career InfoNet where you can learn about declining occupations as well as occupations with the largest employment.

Congratulations: once you have completed these steps you will be well-informed about the training requirements, level of pay, and the occupational trend for your chosen careers.

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