December 04, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Fastest growing jobs, 2000-2010

According to BLS projections, eight of the 10 fastest growing jobs in the period 2000-2010 are computer-related.

The 10 fastest growing occupations, 2000-2010 (percent change)
[Chart data—TXT]

The occupation projected to grow most quickly is computer software engineers, applications, with a growth rate of 100 percent. The next fastest are computer support specialists and computer software engineers, systems software, with growth rates of 97 percent and 90 percent, respectively.

These data are from the BLS Employment Projections program. For more information, see "Occupational employment projections to 2010," by Daniel E. Hecker, Monthly Labor Review, November 2001. (The BLS employment projections for the period 2000-2010 were completed prior to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. BLS will continue to review its projections and, as the long-term consequences of September 11 become clearer, will incorporate these effects in subsequent analyses of industrial and occupational outlook.)

Of interest

Spotlight on Statistics: The Recession of 2007–2009

The most recent recession in the United States began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, though many of the statistics that describe the U.S. economy have yet to return to their pre-recession values. In this Spotlight, we present BLS data that compare the recent recession to previous recessions. Read more »