Where Are The Future Jobs Coming From?
Jobs, jobs and more jobs. Most everyone agrees that more jobs would solve all our middle class financial woes.
While unemployment is at a very reasonable 5.5 percent the incomes of the middle and lower class workers don’t seem to be increasing and buying power seems to be declining too.
So where are the future jobs coming from and will they help bring the middle class back to the days of old?
Future Job Industries
Future job growth in certain industries is assured by the physical needs of the populous. While workers may be in demand in the coming years their paychecks might not be all that attractive.
Here are some examples of workers future jobs needed and the median pay for each according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Over half a million Personal Care Aides will be needed but the median pay is below $20,000.
- By contrast, a half million future nurses will be needed with a median pay of $65,000.
- Over four hundred thousand retail sales people will be needed for big box store expansion, but $21,000 will hardly support a Donald Trump lifestyle.
- Two hundred fifty thousand construction labors will have to get by on a median income of slightly less than $30,000.
- The 218,000 carpenters that will be needed will make slightly less than $40,000.
- Less than 200,000 18-wheeler drivers will be needed in the coming years but their median income is about $38,200.
Some Final Thoughts
When it comes to jobs the American economy is between a rock and a hard place. Automation is replacing many jobs that were previously done by physical labor.
As our population of older citizens increases and our birth rates decrease our middle class recovery might be a slow process.
We are at our best when we produce both goods and services people need and want. If they are unable to purchase these items then everyone suffers.
New businesses never happen and innovation is slowed to a crawl. While new profit centers and technological advancements will help the process we still have a long road ahead of us.
In the near future there will be ways of making money that don’t exist today. The question will be, “Will the workers of tomorrow be able to survive in these new industries?”
American’s are very resilient. We’ve survived a Great Depression and over 10 recessions since then. While that doesn’t lessen the current pain of the middle class America always seems to find a way.
At least we have for the past 239 years.