Top Employment Sectors For 2010
For those of you who are still looking for jobs these days, you're not the only one. The nationwide unemployment rate for the month of May stood at 9.7%, meaning there were about 15 million jobless people in the US. However, if you are willing to go through a major career change, there are job markets that are actually expanding based on surveys conducted by the Bureau of Labor.
Mining added 10,000 jobs last month, particularly in the areas of explorations, sampling, and drilling. Since October 2009, the mining industry added 50,000 new jobs despite the ongoing recession. It's a fairly dangerous industry but wages are mostly higher than those paid for similar jobs in other industries. It is also expected as employees retire, over 50,000 new recruits will still be needed in the mining sector over the next 10 years.
Manufacturing added 126,000 new jobs since December 2009. There has been an increase in demand for durable goods such as computers, aircraft, and machinery, based on studies conducted by the US Department of Commerce. Just in May alone, fabricated metals products and machinery sectors increased jobs by 10, 400 and 5,700, respectively.
Temp jobs are again all over the place. More than 360,000 new temporary workers were hired since September 2009, with 31,000 of them being recruited just last month. Temporary workers are often the first workers to go during a slump in the economy, but they are also among the first ones who are hired back during a recovery. And when the economic recovery persists, many of these temporary employments evolve into permanent ones.
Healthcare added 240,000 new jobs over the past twelve months. That's 20,000 new jobs every month! Registered nurses are retiring these days and there is generally low enrollment in nursing schools all over the country, creating a nationwide shortage of nurses. Many schools and the government are working to attract more students to nursing programs but we won't be reaping the benefits of those in terms of new warm bodies until five years later.
Food manufacturing actually lost 2,100 jobs last month, but that's actually a much slower rate than in most other industries. It is expected that food manufacturing employment will move forward in the next few months. If you're looking for temporary employment that has flexible hours and minimum educational requirements, waiting tables may be the solution for you until you find a more permanent job.
Which sectors should you try to avoid? Finance-related jobs like accounting and bookkeeping jobs dropped by more than 10,200 posts last month. Areas such as astronomy, watch repair, and radio operation are also among those that have the least number of jobs.
Jun132010