Top Jobs for 2012

The onset of recession in December 2007 caused an unprecedented increase in the unemployment rate in the US. Economists had predicted slow recovery of the US economy after the global economic meltdown. While 2011 brought high hopes for the US citizens, it has turned out to be more frightening. In the first week of September 2011, the fear of double dip recession increased to alarming levels. With 14 million people already jobless, President Obama decided to come out with a solution that is now regarded to be a robust attempt to restructure the crumbling US economy.

On Thursday night, 8 September, 2011, he went on to demand the Congress to pass his ambitious plan (American jobs act) that aims to create employment in the US besides reducing debt burden on the layman. President Obama's job speech comes at a critical juncture when the Americans are in a desperate need of a plan that can sustain the economy. Without going into the details of Mr. Obama's highly ambitious bailout packages, we would like to state the fact that measures have been announced by the President to bring back the economy on track. It is easy to figure out that in the recent years, job creation has been one of the key challenges faced by the economists and policy makers in the US. We have to keep the aftermath of global economic slump in mind when looking for top jobs in demand for 2012 in the US.

Top Jobs for 2012: An Overview

Hot jobs for 2012 are in the medical and health care, scientific, technical and consulting fields, construction engineering, arts, and entertainment sectors.

Best jobs for 2012 must not be equated only with salaries but rather the career development path they're promising within the next 5 - 10 years. After recession, people are looking forward for job security and job satisfaction rather than blindly chasing monetary benefits. Stability in the profession is now one of the most sought after job selection parameters.

The BLS also highlights the fact that top jobs for the future in the US will also be from the field of arts, media, communication, and entertainment, as technology is being integrated in these fields at every level. The Internet, media, and communication sector is already experiencing a new upsurge of growth and acceleration. With Internet and computer penetrating every strata of the society online content writing, blogging and digital advertising have opened new avenues of entrepreneurship.

As per the BLS, following are the jobs that will show significant employment in between 2008 - 2018:

• Registered nurses
• Home health aides
• Customer service representatives
• Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food
• Personal and home care aides
• Retail salespersons
• Office clerks, general
• Accountants and auditors
• Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants
• Postsecondary teachers
• Construction laborers
• Elementary school teachers, except special education
• Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer
• Landscaping and grounds keeping workers
• Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
• Executive secretaries and administrative assistants
• Management analysts
• Computer software engineers, applications
• Receptionists and information clerks
• Carpenters
• Medical assistants
• First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers
• Network systems and data communications analysts
• Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
• Security guards
• Waiters and waitresses
• Maintenance and repair workers, general
• Physicians and surgeons
• Child care workers
• Teacher assistants

Certainly, this is not the end of job opportunities in the coming years. There are many fields like tourism and hospitality that are growing faster than ever and industry experts are optimistic about more job creation in these fields. Traditional fields like law, medicine and engineering are still a favorite amongst students and they are the most competitive courses in the country. With the ever-increasing workload on hospitals, legal and engineering firms, US will require efficient graduates in such fields in the coming years. For MBAs, the scope of opportunities will be large as good business graduates are needed in diverse sectors all across the globe.

Education that imparts valuable skill sets will remain the key to unlock the doors of better paying jobs in any economy. Students must work hard in these times of economic turmoil to acquire industry oriented skill sets and prove their competence. Remember, since the economy will shape itself steadily, pay checks may not be initially very high for the general workforce. The BLS, in latest report in August 2011 stated that unemployment rate held at 9.1% since April 2010. This is certainly a high unemployment rate; however, let's hope that with the revival of US economy, more jobs will be created in several industries. As Obama recently stated in his Job's speech,

"The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for the long-term unemployed. It will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers, and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every working American and every small business. It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled, and give companies confidence that if they invest and hire, there will be customers for their products and services. You should pass this jobs plan right away."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics website states:

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- NOVEMBER 2011 "In November, the unemployment rate declined by 0.4 percentage point to 8.6 percent. From April through October, the rate held in a narrow range from 9.0 to 9.2 percent. The number of unemployed persons, at 13.3 million, was down by 594,000 in November. The labor force, which is the sum of the unemployed and employed, was down by a little more than half that amount. The Employment Situation for December is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 6, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. (EST)"