U.S. small business owners are the most optimistic they have been since July 2007. “Great,” you are thinking, “but what does that mean for me as far as my job search is concerned?”  Well, it can mean a great deal.  As small businesses (and their larger counterparts) ramp up to support their new business initiatives, the 2017 job outlook has never looked better.

However, things are not equal across the board.  Some occupations have a higher growth rate, and some occupations are actually declining.  This may mean that – for many people – they may need to shift their job search in different directions. Here at Snelling, we are always watching the job market. Check out the lists below that highlight 2017’s best job opportunities (and the worst).

First the bad news:

12 Jobs Where the Growth Rate and the Projected # of New Jobs is Actually Declining

1. Bill and account collectors (HS diploma or equivalent) – $25K to $40K
2. Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks (some college, no degree) – $35K to $55K
3. Chief Executives (Bachelor’s degree) $75K +
4. Desktop Publishers (Associate’s degree) $35K to $55K
5. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants (HS diploma or equivalent) – – $35K to $55K
6. File clerks (HS diploma or equivalent) – $25K to $35K
7. Insurance appraisers, auto damage (postsecondary, nondegree award) – $55K to $75K
8. Machine tool setters, operators, and tenders for metal and plastic (HS diploma or equivalent) – $25K to $35K
9. Nuclear technicians (Associate’s degree) – $75K +
10. Postal service clerks and mail carriers (HS diploma or equivalent) – $55K to $75K
11. Pourers and casters, metal (HS diploma or equivalent) – $25K to $35K
12. Shipping, receiving and traffic clerks (HS diploma or equivalent) – $25K to $35K

So What Does this Mean for You?

• The jobs that are in heavy decline are heavily skewed towards lower income jobs and jobs that require little training because:
  • Technology has automated the job OR
  • Technology has made the job irrelevant
• Some other reasons include:
  • Industry has become obsolete
  • Industry consolidation
  • Declining size of companies (i.e. mergers and acquisitions)
  • Emphasis on individual contributorship within companies (emphasis on self-service within the workplace, enabled by technology)

Now the good news.

Jobs Where the Growth Rate is Declining but the # of New Jobs is Increasing Slightly

1. Gaming managers (HS diploma or equivalent) – $55K to $75K
2. Geographers (Bachelor’s degree) – $55K to $75K
3. Sociologists (Master’s degree) – $55K to $75K
4. Timing device assemblers and adjusters (HS diploma or equivalent) – $35K to $55K

So What Does this Mean for You?

• In regards to gaming, the outlook is expected to remain flat with one caveat. Growth could expand if more states make gambling legal.
• In the case of sociologists, the main issue revolves around the fact that more people want to major in the subject than there are jobs.
• For timing device assemblers and adjusters, there are job opportunities in certain sectors (ex: growing high-technology industries, such as aerospace and electro-medical devices).

Jobs Where the Growth Rate is Growing Much Faster than Average and the # of New Jobs is Increasing Greatly

1. Home health aides (No formal education) – less than $25K
2. Personal financial advisors (Bachelor’s degree) – $75K +
3. Physical therapists (Doctoral or professional degree) $$75K +

So What Does this Mean for You?

• An aging population is pushing demand up for home health aides and personal financial advisors and physical therapists.
• Educational requirements for physical therapists create a high threshold for entry for physical therapists. This keeps the number of people majoring in that field lower than the actual demand.

15 Jobs Where the Growth Rate is Growing Much Faster than Average and the # of New Jobs is Increasing

1. Anesthesiologists (Doctoral or professional degree) – $75K +
2. Athletic trainers (Bachelor’s degree) – $35K to $55K
3. Biomedical engineers – (Bachelor’s degree)- $75K +
4. Cardiovascular technologists / technicians (Associate’s degree) – $35K to $55K
5. Clinical, counseling and school psychologists (Doctoral or professional degree) – $55K to $75K
6. Diagnostic medical sonographers (Associate’s degree) $55K to $75K
7. Helpers – brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, tile and marble setters (No formal education or credentials) – $25K to $35K
8. Interpreters and translators (Bachelor’s degree) – $35K to $55K
9. Massage therapists (Postsecondary nondegree award) – $35K to $55K
10. Occupational therapists (Master’s degree) – $75K +
11. Opticians, dispensing (High school diploma or equivalent) – $25K to $35K
12. Phlebotomists (Postsecondary nondegree award) – $25K to $35K
13. Speech-language pathologists (Master’s degree) – $55K to $75K
14. Substance Abuse and behavioral disorder counselors (Bachelor’s degree) – $35K to $55K
15. Web developers (Associate’s degree) – – $55K to $75K

So What Does this Mean for You?

1. Job growth is very heavily skewed towards healthcare and jobs requiring advanced degrees or training.
2. The internet and an increasingly global economy is also playing a role in some key areas of job growth (web developer and interpreter).
3. Very few jobs remain for those who have no post-secondary (i.e. college) education, but those jobs still require a skill (learned on the job or through an apprenticeship).

*Note: for more detailed information on the 2017 job outlook, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.  

So if you are wanting to make a change or look for your next best-fit job, locate your closest Snelling office and give us a call. We know your market, and we know where the jobs are.  So let’s get going and make 2017, a year with a great new job.