Teens Career Choices by Hal Marcovitz

Author:Hal Marcovitz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

Predicting future economic trends is hardly a foolproof science. Many unforeseen factors can occur that could cause economic downturns, such as war, energy shortages, and scandals that force major employers to stop hiring, lay off workers, or even go out of business. Still, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal agency that tracks job growth and trends, anticipates that today’s young people will find the economy healthy and jobs plentiful by the time they are ready to join the working world. “Industries and occupations related to health care, personal care and social assistance, and construction are projected to have the fastest job growth between 2010 and 2020,” the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in February 2012. “Total employment is projected to grow by 14.3 percent over the decade, resulting in 20.5 million new jobs.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that in 2020, the unemployment rate will be around 5 percent, which means that virtually anybody who wants to work and contribute as a productive citizen, according to the bureau’s projections, jobs should be available.

Today’s teens do hope to contribute to society as productive workers, according to the Gallup Youth Survey. In a poll released in January 2004, the Gallup Organization reported that career-oriented goals were important to most young people. The survey asked the question, “What would you say are your goals in life?” A total of 71 percent of the 517 respondents said their top goal is to finish high school and attend college or another post-secondary educational program, while 53 percent of the respondents said finding a good job or career is important to them. In addition, 13 percent said being “successful” or “famous” is an important goal, while 12 percent said being “financially secure” or “rich” are important goals. Certainly, being successful and financially secure are natural outcomes of a good career.

What Jobs Will Be Available?

A 2012 Bureau of Labor Statistics report looked at who will be working in 2020, and determined that students who are in middle school and high school today will make up a large share of the workforce by 2020. The federal agency projected that by 2020, there will be some 18.3 million people between the ages of 16 and 24 in the workforce. This represents 11.1 percent of the total American workforce.

By 2020, the so-called “baby-boom generation” will have moved entirely into the 55-years-and-older age group. The “baby-boomers” are people born during the two decades after the end of World War II, between 1946 and 1964. They represented the largest generations of Americans to hit the labor force. By 2020, workers 55 years and older will make up 25.2 percent of the labor force. As the baby boomers retire, their jobs will be filled by the next generation of workers between the ages of 25 and 54. This category of workers is considered to be of “prime working age.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers between the ages of 25 and 54 will make up 63.7 percent of the 2020 labor force.

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