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Economic News Release
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OCCUPATIONAL PROJECTIONS AND TRAINING DATA, 2004-05 EDITION


Internet:      http://www.bls.gov/emp           USDL 04-1487
Technical Information: (202) 691-5700           For release:  10 A.M. EDT
Media Contact:         (202) 691-5902           Thursday, August 5, 2004


          OCCUPATIONAL PROJECTIONS AND TRAINING DATA, 2004-05 EDITION

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, today published the
2004-05 edition of the Occupational Projections and Training Data bulletin. The
bulletin, available online as well as in print, presents 2002 occupational
statistics, with projections to 2012, and research that is useful to
jobseekers, career counselors, educational planners, and others interested in
occupational information. The 2004-05 edition also includes a new, more
comprehensive analysis of educational requirements for different occupations.

The Occupational Projections and Training Data bulletin is a statistical and
research supplement to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. It provides detailed
information used in preparing the Handbook, including data on educational
attainment, projected job openings and replacement needs, and the causes of
employment change in industries and occupations. The bulletin also explains the
analyses on which the Bureau’s occupational projections are based.


Educational Attainment

This edition of the bulletin introduces a new analysis of educational
attainment within occupations. Occupations are grouped into broad education
clusters for workers aged 25 to 44 in each occupation. Using data from the
Current Population Survey, this information provides a clearer picture of the
paths into occupations.
 
As in previous editions, this edition also lists the most significant source of
postsecondary education or training for each occupation. To help assess the
number of workers qualified for certain occupations, it presents data from the
National Center for Education Statistics on the number of completions in
institutional education and training programs. 


Occupational Characteristics

The bulletin contains detailed statistics about occupations in the 2002-12
national employment matrix. Within a single table, the bulletin describes
current employment levels; projected employment change, growth rates, and job
openings; and current data on other subjects such as earnings, self employment,
and unemployment that are important to many jobseekers. The table also ranks
occupations according to several variables.


Replacement Needs

Between 2002 and 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 35 million
workers will leave their occupations permanently and will need to be replaced.
These replacement needs are the largest source of job openings for workers
entering most occupations. The bulletin estimates replacement needs in national
employment matrix occupations and describes how replacement needs are
calculated.


Factors Affecting Future Employment

Projections of occupational employment are based, in large part, on two
factors: changes in industry employment and changes in the mix of occupations
that industries use. This bulletin describes assumptions made by BLS analysts
about these two factors. It includes a table showing projections of industry
output and employment over the 2002-12 decade, together with short narratives
describing the causes of employment change.


Conversion to the North American Industrial Classification System

Because these are the first projections based on the 2002 North American
Industrial Classification System, one chapter of this bulletin describes how
classification changes were addressed during the projections process. 


Ordering Information

For the first time, the Occupational Projections and Training Data bulletin is
available online at http://www.bls.gov/emp/optd/home.htm on the BLS Employment
Projections Web site.

The print version of Occupational Projections and Training Data (BLS Bulletin
2572) costs $29 and is sold by the Government Printing Office. To order, go
online to http://bookstore.gpo.gov, call 1-312-353-1880, or write the BLS
Publications Sales Center, Room 960, 230 South Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60604.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5700; TDD message referral
phone: 1-800-877-8339.

Table of Contents

Last Modified Date: August 05, 2004