The Springfield Job Outlook 2 - military, healthcare + IT

Let me talk about six major shifts of job growth, demand, and “security” that I think the data in the PowerPoint and links in the first Springfield Job Outlook post presented.  Here are the first three that I see.

Manufacturing –> Military

I did a separate post on the changes with BRAC to the Dayton/Springfield region (http://bit.ly/sebrac).  10,000 new jobs in the military, while manufacturing, whose jobs declined in number 46/47% (around 7,000) for Springfield (more than any other metro in Ohio), looks to continue that trend both in Ohio (17.7% decline projected) and in the Dayton area (24.6% decline projected) through 2016.  No, manufacturing is not dead, and indeed, I work with manufacturers that are growing, but there is more than enough current workforce to meet the demand.  Manufacturing nationally is expected to decline by 10.6%.  In Ohio, the decline is projected higher, at 17.7%.  Some industries that are expected to lose more than 25% include iron and steel mills (40% decline projected), rubber products, metals, foundries, motor vehicle parts, household appliances, and glass.  Total manufacturing job losses predicted for Ohio by 2016 =  140,000.

Doctors –> Healthcare

I remember when being a doctor was one of the most prized professions, but today the stress in job growth is not on MDs, but on a wide variety of areas in the very broad area of healthcare, including personal and home care aides (increasing 40%), home health aids (increasing 37%), medical assistants (increasing 30%), mental health + substance abuse social work (27%), occupational therapist assistants (27%), physical therapy assistants (27%), pharmacy technicians (26%), physician assistants (25%), cardiovascular technologists and technicians (25%), dental hygenists (24%), substance abuse counselors (23%), dental assistants (22%), mentaal health counselors (22%), and respiratory therapists (22%).  Don’t forget vet technologists + technicians (42% increase), vets (39%), and vet assistants and lab animal caretakers (22%).  These percentage increases are all for the Dayton MSA.  In fact, of the 30 fastest growing occupations in the Dayton MSA (2006-2016), more than half (17) are healthcare related.  For Ohio as a whole, the same is also true: “Of the 10 industries that are projected to have a large number of new jobs and a growth rate of at least 25% over ten years, half are in the health service industry.”

International –> Information Technology

This one comes from my own personal experience.  When I was going to college in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the mantra of “learn a language” was omnipresent.  Knowing German or French, Russian, then later Japanese, then later Chinese was the way to go.  It would go with whatever you were doing and make you more marketable.  Well, the reality is that information technology had a similar popular appeal, but its demand has only increased.  If you look at strictly IT positions in Dayton’s top 30, the following are noteworthy: Network Systems & Data Communication Analyst (#1 with 53% growth); Computer Software Engineers and Application Designers (#2 with 43% growth); Database Administrators (26%).  Every profession benefits from strong IT skills as well.  What I am doing here is a great example.

>> 2016 Job Outlook – Dayton MSA (.pdf)

>> 2016 Job Outlook – Ohio (.pdf)

>> Career Opportunities – Ohio (.pdf)

>> Buckeye Top 50 Jobs for the future (.pdf)

>> Employment Projections by Major Industry (.pdf)

>> Ohio LMI Site for projections