CHICAGO, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Job growth in the United States from 2013 through 2017 is projected to grow at a rate slightly faster than the preceding post-recession years, but for certain occupations and metropolitan areas, the outlook is much brighter. A new report from CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) explores projections over a five-year period by occupation, wage group and education level for the U.S. and the 52 largest metropolitan areas.

View the full report at http://www.careerbuildercommunications.com/pdf/CB-OccupationsProjections-2013.pdf

"Projections provide an important look at the future of the labor market, and can be used to spot emerging trends that have implications for students and job seekers, as well as businesses and economic planners," said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. "Barring any major shocks to the economy, the short-term job outlook in the U.S. will likely continue developments seen during the recovery -- specifically, significant growth for jobs that require a college education and occupations in health care, energy and technology."

The report is launching in conjunction with Ferguson's new book, The Talent Equation: Big Data Lessons for Navigating the Skills Gap and Building a Competitive Workforce. Published by McGraw-Hill, the book is available for purchase now at all major Internet book retailers and will be on store shelves by November 15.   

Projections 2013-2017: Key Findings

• The U.S. workforce is projected to grow 4.4 percent from 2013 to 2017 -- faster than the 2009-2013 period (3.5 percent), but still down from the pre-recession 2003-2007 period (5.8 percent).
• At 5 percent, high-wage occupations ($21.14 per hour and above) are expected to grow faster than low-wage ($13.83 and below) and medium-wage ($13.84-$21.13) occupations -- 4.7 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively.
• 75 percent of the 165 occupations expected to lose jobs nationally are in the middle-wage category.   
• Occupations requiring college degrees are growing significantly faster than those that do not. Associate degree and master's degree occupations are each projected to grow 8 percent, while jobs requiring short-term, on-the job training trail at 4 percent. Bachelor's degree jobs are projected to grow 6 percent.            
• 23 of the 52 largest metro areas will outpace the projected national rate of job growth, led by three in Texas (Austin, Houston and San Antonio); Raleigh, NC, and Phoenix, AZ. Washington, D.C. is poised to have the largest share of new jobs coming from the high-wage sector, but San Antonio is expected to have the fastest rate of high-wage growth.

Fastest-Growing Occupations

The following table, adapted from the report, spotlights the fastest-growing occupations that are projected to see at least 8 percent growth and 30,000 jobs added from 2013 through 2017.

The full report includes a detailed analysis on projected growth by wage group and education requirements, as well as projections for the 52 largest metropolitan areas. For a technical note on methodology and definitions, please see the sections at the end of the report.

About EMSI

Economic Modeling Specialists Intl., a CareerBuilder company, turns labor market data into useful information that helps organizations understand the connection between economies, people, and work. Using sound economic principles and good data, EMSI builds user-friendly services that help educational institutions, workforce planners, and regional developers build a better workforce and improve the economic conditions in their regions. For more information, visit www.economicmodeling.com.

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent management software and other recruitment solutions.  Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

Media Contacts

SOURCE CareerBuilder