Projections of occupational employment growth are developed for all States and the nation as a whole. One of the most important uses of the projections is to help individuals make informed career decisions.
Each State Employment Security Agency, in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, uses the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) report to gather occupational employment data. These OEWS data are the basis for the staffing patterns used in the projections. The data collected reflect the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC).
Employment may not be sufficient to warrant the development of occupational projections in every occupation in each State, or the data may be confidential. Occupations for which projections are not available are indicated with an (NA) for 'not available.'
Numeric employment change is the difference in the number of jobs between the base and projected years. A positive number means employment is growing due to the creation of new jobs. A negative number indicates employment is declining in the occupation.
Numeric change is important to consider along with percent change, because both types of change are affected by the size of employment in an occupation. Occupations with a large base of numeric employment may be creating large numbers of new jobs yet have small percent changes. Occupations with a small base of numeric employment may be creating a small number of new jobs yet have large percent changes.
Percent employment change indicates how fast employment is expected to increase or decrease during the projection period. The larger the positive percent change, the faster employment is growing. A large positive percent change is generally an indicator of favorable employment prospects. Likewise, the larger the negative percent change, the faster employment is declining, and the more unfavorable the employment prospects.
Average annual openings are the sum of average annual new jobs and replacements. Average annual new jobs are the numeric change in employment over the projection period divided by the number of years in the projection period. Replacements are an estimate of the number of jobs that will arise from the need to replace workers who will change occupations, retire, or otherwise permanently leave the occupation. Occupations with declining employment will have average annual openings equal to replacement needs. Average annual openings are presented because job openings arise from both newly created jobs and the need to replace workers who permanently leave their jobs.