Growth in Labor Markets

The jobs with the greatest expected increase for the next ten years are not surprising. The top two are centered on workers for clean energy sources (wind and solar), and the next two, home health aides and personal care aids, show the trend of increasing life expectancy and, with it, a greater need to care for the elderly. Others include careers revolving around technology, obvious due to the rapid growth in the past few decades. The job with the highest-increase projection, however, doesn't even "typically require education beyond high school" (Hess). In fact, it doesn't pay much either, with workers earning, on average, $19 per hour. 

Another list gives the names of positions that currently have the highest increases in pay. While most of the jobs on the list seem like they would increase in pay because they are less desirable, other factors have caused the need for increased salaries. For example, warehouse associates' and truck drivers' salaries have increased as a result of the massive growth of online shopping. In addition, construction workers' wages have risen as businesses report consistently that "it's hard to find qualified and experienced workers in construction" (Zhao). 

The same article also states that the only health care position that shows fast-growing wages is pharmacy technicians, also as a result of the aging population. 

How do we expect this all to affect us in the future? To start, job markets centered on computer skills are experiencing incredible growth and will in the near future, as the internet age is upon us and the demand for skills technological workers is rapidly growing. This market, however, will begin to become oversaturated as the supply of labor starts to outweigh demand, and the labor market demand shifts to other industries, possibly as a result of more emerging technologies or environmental needs. Current biologists and other scientists, working to find cures to various diseases as well as slow down or even halt the aging process, will also change the job market, as aides to the elderly may become obsolete. 

In the long run, we cannot be sure which industries the job market will shift to, as it depends heavily on developing technologies. The future holds mystery and growth, with some jobs created just as others are rendered useless. 

Sources:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/10/glassdoor-job-market-report-jobs-seeing-fastest-pay-growth.html

https://www.glassdoor.com/research/job-market-report-september-2019/

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/fastest-growing.htm

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/06/here-are-the-20-fastest-growing-jobs-and-how-much-they-pay.html