Yet much of today's economic news focuses on the lack of jobs, so job seekers may not know where to turn for information on fields that are experiencing a hiring surge. Or they may not think they have the right skills to pursue a career in one of the growing fields.
That's why programs such as the Clinton Global Initiative are making an impact. Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the CGI convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges -- including unemployment.
Connecting job seekers with jobs
CareerBuilder has made a major commitment to the CGI with the goal of providing current and future workers with information and new skills. CareerBuilder's commitment provides CareerOneStop centers, sponsored by the Labor Department, with CareerBuilder's Supply & Demand data. The S&D data enable CareerBuilder to help job seekers discover occupations that are in high demand and hone their skills for areas with great growth opportunities.
Using the S&D data, CareerBuilder has compiled lists of the top occupations with the most demand and least supply in each center's local area. The lists will be sent to the centers in the top 20 cities with the highest number of unemployed workers.
Using the same S&D data, here is a list of 10 of the most in-demand occupations nationwide, all with strong growth and earning potential:
1. Computer specialists
Most common job titles: Project manager (information technology), Java developer, Web developer, .NET developer, SharePoint developer, PHP developer
Median entry-level salary: $56,750
Education: High-school plus equivalent experience or bachelor's degree plus experience; certifications are available for both entry-level and experienced workers
2. Marketing managers
Most common job titles: Product manager, business development manager, product marketing manager, marketing manager/director, account manager, marketing communications manager
Median entry-level salary: $66,000
Education: 84 percent have a bachelor's degree
3. Network and computer systems administrators
Most common job titles: Systems administrator, network engineer, network administrator, system administrator, systems engineer, SharePoint administrator, Linux systems administrator
Median entry-level salary: $55,000
Education: High-school plus equivalent experience or bachelor's degree plus experience; certifications are available for both entry-level and experienced workers
4. Medical and health services managers
Most common job titles: Director of nursing, clinical manager, medical director, nurse manager, nursing home administrator, practice manager, director of pharmacy, program manager rehab
Median entry-level salary: $73,000
Education: 52 percent have a bachelor's degree; 41 percent have a master's degree
5. Industrial engineers
Most common job titles: Quality engineer, quality manager, process engineer, manufacturing engineer, project engineer, test engineer, design engineer, product engineer
Median entry-level salary: $60,000
Education: 62 percent have a bachelor's degree
6. Occupational therapists
Most common job titles: Occupational therapist, OT
Median entry-level salary: $60,000
Education: 85 percent have a master's degree
7. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
Most common job titles: Merchandiser, retail sales merchandiser, retail project merchandiser, reset merchandiser, master merchandiser
Median entry-level salary: $35,000
Education: 77 percent have a high-school diploma or the equivalent
8. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
Most common job titles: Clinical research associate or coordinator, research scientist, clinical laboratory scientist
Median entry-level salary: $57,000
Education: 81 percent have a doctoral/professional degree
9. Occupational therapist assistants
Most common job titles: Occupational therapy assistant, certified occupational therapy assistant, occupational therapist assistant
Median entry-level salary: $53,000
Education: 96 percent have an associate degree*
10. Physical therapist assistants
Most common job titles: Physical therapy assistant, PTA
Median entry-level salary: $49,500
Education: 71 percent have an associate degree
Source: careerbuilder