This is the third post in a series about the best jobs by ed level for 2012. See the original post here. As you review this data, keep in mind that the 2012 data is a projection.
What are the best-performing jobs that require a bachelor’s degree? In this post we explore the fastest-growing, highest-paying bachelor’s-level jobs from 2008-2012 — a time span that factors in the recession and allows us to focus on the occupations that have done well despite the down economy.
Our analysis is based on labor market data from EMSI’s 2012.1 Covered Employment release, which is drawn from over 80 state and federal data sources. We use Analyst, EMSI’s web-based labor market analysis tool, to assemble and filter this data. The tool that contains detailed information on over 1,100 industries and 800 occupations.
Total Job Growth
Table 1 shows all the occupations that have grown by at least 8,000 jobs since 2008. Here are the ones that added the most:
- Network systems & data communications analysts added 28,360 new jobs.
- Computer software engineers, applications added 25,164 new jobs.
- Elementary school teachers added 23,891 new jobs.
- Social workers added 22,654 new jobs.
What’s interesting:
Most of these jobs got hit hardest in 2008-2010:
- Social workers,
- Dietitians & nutritionists,
- Medical & clinical laboratory technologists,
- Biological technicians, and
- Medical & public health social workers.
Most of the occupations on this table call for only a bachelor’s degree. A couple require bachelor’s or higher, plus work experience.
SOC Code Description 2008 Jobs 2012 Jobs Change % Change 2011 Median Hourly Wage Education Level
Source: EMSI Covered Employment - 2012.1
15-1081 Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts 222,355 250,715 28,360 13% $35.43 Bachelor's degree
15-1031 Computer Software Engineers, Applications 499,230 524,394 25,164 5% $42.32 Bachelor's degree
25-2021 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 1,486,064 1,509,955 23,891 2% $24.88 Bachelor's degree
21-1029 Social Workers, All Other 69,698 92,352 22,654 33% $23.51 Bachelor's degree
29-1031 Dietitians and Nutritionists 51,007 70,574 19,567 38% $25.17 Bachelor's degree
13-1111 Management Analysts 556,787 574,920 18,133 3% $36.35 Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience
15-1032 Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software 391,345 405,847 14,502 4% $45.33 Bachelor's degree
11-9111 Medical and Health Services Managers 263,372 275,667 12,295 5% $39.69 Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience
25-3099 Teachers and Instructors, All Other 584,710 596,086 11,376 2% $16.92 Bachelor's degree
29-2011 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists 160,487 169,875 9,388 6% $26.89 Bachelor's degree
19-4021 Biological Technicians 71,774 80,155 8,381 12% $18.76 Bachelor's degree
21-1022 Medical and Public Health Social Workers 128,120 136,472 8,352 7% $22.52 Bachelor's degree
Greatest % Growth
Now look at the occupations that have grown by the greatest percent.
- Dieticians & nutritionists (38%),
- Social workers (33%),
- Biomedical engineers (20%), and
- Agents & business managers of artists, performers, and athletes (15%).
Notice the overlap between this table and the first one. This means that some of the occupations that added a goodly number of jobs also have some of the heftiest proportionate growth. Most of the occupations on this table call for only a bachelor’s degree. A couple require bachelor’s or higher, plus work experience.
SOC Code Description 2008 Jobs 2012 Jobs Change % Change 2011 Median Hourly Wage Education Level
Source: EMSI Covered Employment - 2012.1
29-1031 Dietitians and Nutritionists 51,007 70,574 19,567 38% $25.17 Bachelor's degree
21-1029 Social Workers, All Other 69,698 92,352 22,654 33% $23.51 Bachelor's degree
17-2031 Biomedical Engineers 15,142 18,101 2,959 20% $38.05 Bachelor's degree
13-1011 Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes 11,935 13,748 1,813 15% $30.44 Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience
15-1081 Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts 222,355 250,715 28,360 13% $35.43 Bachelor's degree
19-4021 Biological Technicians 71,774 80,155 8,381 12% $18.76 Bachelor's degree
17-2171 Petroleum Engineers 25,467 28,327 2,860 11% $53.62 Bachelor's degree
29-2091 Orthotists and Prosthetists 5,324 5,880 556 10% $30.08 Bachelor's degree
13-2061 Financial Examiners 25,103 27,638 2,535 10% $34.70 Bachelor's degree
11-9039 Education Administrators, All Other 27,880 30,587 2,707 10% $36.02 Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience
17-1021 Cartographers and Photogrammetrists 12,193 13,311 1,118 9% $27.02 Bachelor's degree
11-3042 Training and Development Managers 30,080 32,735 2,655 9% $42.66 Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience
29-1129 Therapists, All Other 12,843 13,898 1,055 8% $24.84 Bachelor's degree
19-4092 Forensic Science Technicians 12,472 13,464 992 8% $25.18 Bachelor's degree
13-2081 Tax Examiners, Collectors, and Revenue Agents 65,827 70,909 5,082 8% $23.55 Bachelor's degree
25-4013 Museum Technicians and Conservators 9,775 10,529 754 8% $18.32 Bachelor's degree
Highest Pay
The jobs with the highest median hourly wages (2011) are:
- Chief executives ($76.20),
- Natural sciences managers ($56.87),
- Engineering managers ($56.52),
- Computer and information systems managers ($54.99), and
- Petroleum engineers ($53.62).
We notice a few interesting details about this table:
- Chief executives’ wages are actually comparable to those of some of the top-earning healthcare jobs, like psychiatrists, family practitioners, and dentists. The unfortunate thing is that chief executives is in decline.
- Out of 17 occupations, nine are related to management (SOC code 11). These are all in decline except for natural science managers, which has managed to nudge up 24 jobs.
- Four of the occupations are related to architecture & engineering (SOC code 17) and are all dropping jobs except for petroleum engineers, which has added almost 3,000 since 2008 (11%).
- Unlike the fastest-growing jobs, the majority of these high-wage occupations require a bachelor’s degree or higher, plus work experience, versus just a bachelor’s degree.
| SOC Code | Description | 2008 Jobs | 2012 Jobs | Change | % Change | 2011 Median Hourly Wage | Education Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: EMSI Covered Employment - 2012.1 | |||||||
| 11-1011 | Chief Executives | 313,323 | 282,078 | (31,245) | (10%) | $76.20 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 11-9121 | Natural Sciences Managers | 44,865 | 44,889 | 24 | 0% | $56.87 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 11-9041 | Engineering Managers | 184,853 | 173,418 | (11,435) | (6%) | $56.52 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 11-3021 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 293,267 | 287,652 | (5,615) | (2%) | $54.99 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 17-2171 | Petroleum Engineers | 25,467 | 28,327 | 2,860 | 11% | $53.62 | Bachelor's degree |
| 11-2021 | Marketing Managers | 176,280 | 168,493 | (7,787) | (4%) | $53.31 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 53-2011 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 81,623 | 83,180 | 1,557 | 2% | $50.99 | Bachelor's degree |
| 23-1023 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | 25,535 | 23,121 | (2,414) | (9%) | $49.98 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 11-3031 | Financial Managers | 510,580 | 484,830 | (25,750) | (5%) | $49.32 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 17-2061 | Computer Hardware Engineers | 66,716 | 65,165 | (1,551) | (2%) | $47.71 | Bachelor's degree |
| 11-2022 | Sales Managers | 342,139 | 329,667 | (12,472) | (4%) | $47.33 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 17-2161 | Nuclear Engineers | 17,131 | 16,118 | (1,013) | (6%) | $46.83 | Bachelor's degree |
| 11-3049 | Human Resources Managers, All Other | 65,865 | 63,868 | (1,997) | (3%) | $46.82 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 17-2011 | Aerospace Engineers | 72,211 | 71,857 | (354) | 0% | $45.99 | Bachelor's degree |
| 15-1032 | Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software | 391,345 | 405,847 | 14,502 | 4% | $45.33 | Bachelor's degree |
| 11-1021 | General and Operations Managers | 1,767,946 | 1,607,604 | (160,342) | (9%) | $45.24 | Bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience |
| 19-2099 | Physical Scientists, All Other | 25,496 | 25,974 | 478 | 2% | $45.04 | Bachelor's degree |
Leaders in Growth & Pay
So which bachelor’s-level jobs have both strong growth and high wages? These are the occupations that have it all, though some are still stronger in one area than the other (see italicized portions):
- Network systems & data communication analysts: 28,360 new jobs, 14% growth, $35.43
- Computer software engineers, applications: 25,164 new jobs, 5% growth, $45.32
- Social workers: 22,654 new jobs, 33% growth, $23.51
- Dietitians & nutritionists: 19,567 new jobs, 38% growth, $25.17
- Computer software engineers, systems software: 14,502 new jobs, 4% growth, $45.33
- Biomedical engineers: 2,959 new jobs, 20% growth, $38.05
- Petroleum engineers: 2,860 new jobs, 11% growth, $53.62
Return to the original post here. Learn more about jobs associated with master’s degrees.
Find out more about EMSI and our data here. You can reach us via Twitter @DesktopEcon or by emailing Rob Sentz (rob@economicmodeling.com).
