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News Bureau of Labor Statistics Internet: http://www.bls.gov/emp Technical Information: (202) 691-5700 Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 United States Department of Labor Washington, D.C. 20212 USDL 04-1487 For release: 10 A.M. EDT Thursday, August 5, 2004 OCCUPATIONAL PROJECTIONS AND TRAINING DATA, 2004-05 EDITION The Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, today published the 2004-05 edition of the Occupational Projections and Training Data bulletin. The bulletin—available online as well as in print—presents 2002 occupational statistics, with projections to 2012, and research that is useful to jobseekers, career counselors, educational planners, and others interested in occupational information. The 2004-05 edition also includes a new, more comprehensive analysis of educational requirements for different occupations. The Occupational Projections and Training Data bulletin is a statistical and research supplement to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. It provides detailed information used in preparing the Handbook, including data on educational attainment, projected job openings and replacement needs, and the causes of employment change in industries and occupations. The bulletin also explains the analyses on which the Bureau’s occupational projections are based. Educational Attainment This edition of the bulletin introduces a new analysis of educational attainment within occupations. Occupations are grouped into broad education clusters for workers aged 25 to 44 in each occupation. Using data from the Current Population Survey, this information provides a clearer picture of the paths into occupations. As in previous editions, this edition also lists the most significant source of postsecondary education or training for each occupation. To help assess the number of workers qualified for certain occupations, it presents data from the National Center for Education Statistics on the number of completions in institutional education and training programs. Occupational Characteristics The bulletin contains detailed statistics about occupations in the 2002-12 national employment matrix. Within a single table, the bulletin describes current employment levels; projected employment change, growth rates, and job openings; and current data on other subjects— such as earnings, self employment, and unemployment—that are important to many jobseekers. The table also ranks occupations according to several variables. Replacement Needs Between 2002 and 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 35 million workers will leave their occupations permanently and will need to be replaced. These replacement needs are the largest source of job openings for workers entering most occupations. The bulletin estimates replacement needs in national employment matrix occupations and describes how replacement needs are calculated. Factors Affecting Future Employment Projections of occupational employment are based, in large part, on two factors: changes in industry employment and changes in the mix of occupations that industries use. This bulletin describes assumptions made by BLS analysts about these two factors. It includes a table showing projections of industry output and employment over the 2002-12 decade, together with short narratives describing the causes of employment change. Conversion to the North American Industrial Classification System Because these are the first projections based on the 2002 North American Industrial Classification System, one chapter of this bulletin describes how classification changes were addressed during the projections process. Ordering Information For the first time, the Occupational Projections and Training Data bulletin is available online at http://www.bls.gov/emp/optd/home.htm on the BLS Employment Projections Web site. The print version of Occupational Projections and Training Data (BLS Bulletin 2572) costs $29 and is sold by the Government Printing Office. To order, go online to http://bookstore.gpo.gov, call 1-312-353-1880, or write the BLS Publications Sales Center, Room 960, 230 South Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60604. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5700; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.