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Long-term Employment Growth by Occupation
Long-term Employment Growth by Occupation
Beginning in 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics introduced a new methodology for producing occupation growth projections. The old method used for occupation estimations attempted to project occupational openings due economic growth, as well as replacement openings due to employees exiting the labor force. However, the estimations did not consider openings that occurred when employees moved from one occupation to another, and often resulted in an undercounting of total needed replacements. The new method is designed to provide better estimates by using demographic and other longitudinal data from Current Population Survey monthly data, and to account for openings that result as employees move from one occupation to another. Therefore, it is important to exercise caution when comparing projected occupational growth figures in this section and the next section to previous Workforce Now reports. The forecast in Table 3-16 provides additional information about expected annual occupational demands for the Southwest Florida region. Information is presented for the top 10 growth occupations along with the 2018 median hourly wage and educational requirements. The top 10 employment growth occupations are retail salespersons, combined food preparation and serving workers, waiters and waitresses, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, registered nurses, construction laborers, restaurant cooks, customer service representatives, janitors and cleaners, and nursing assistants. The top 10 growth occupations primarily reflect expected increases in retail, tourism, food preparation, construction, and health care. Five of the top growth occupations require less than a high school degree, one requires a high school degree or GED, three require adult vocational training, and one requires an associate’s degree. Median wages varied from $9.52 per hour to $32.23 per hour and were highly correlated with the required minimum education. A complete list of the top 50 long-term annual employment growth occupations in Southwest Florida can be found in Appendix A.
2019 to 2027
Occupation Percent
2019 2027 Growth Growth
2018 Median Hourly Wage Minimum Education
Retail Salespersons 24,707 27,318 2,611 10.6% $11.25 HS/GED
Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food 12,157 14,727 2,570 21.1% $9.95 Less HS/GED
Waiters and Waitresses 17,706 20,133 2,427 13.7% $9.52 Less HS/GED
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers 13,994 16,240 2,246 16.0% $12.81 Less HS/GED Registered Nurses 10,739 12,775 2,036 19.0% $32.23 Associate's Construction Laborers 10,220 11,610 1,390 13.6% $15.03 Less HS/GED Cooks, Restaurant 7,730 9,109 1,379 17.8% $14.05 PS Adult Voc Customer Service Representatives 9,388 10,511 1,123 12.0% $14.00 PS Adult Voc
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and 7,137 8,195 1,058 14.8% $11.88 Less HS/GEDHousekeeping Cleaners Nursing Assistants 6,615 7,638 1,023 15.5% $13.76 PS Adult Voc Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Employment Projections
