Emurse

Wage and salary employment growth of 17 percent is expected in the educational services industry over the 2004–14 period, higher than the 14 percent increase projected for all industries combined. In addition, a greater-than-average number of workers are over the age of 45 in nearly all the major occupations that make up the industry—from janitors to education administrators—so it is likely that retirements will create large numbers of job openings in addition to those due to employment growth. (See chart)

School districts, particularly those in urban and rural areas, continue to report difficulties in recruiting qualified teachers, administrators, and support personnel. Fast-growing areas of the country—including several States and cities in the South and West—also report difficulty recruiting education workers, especially teachers. Retirements are expected to remain high over the 2004-14 period, so the number of students graduating with education degrees may not be sufficient to meet this industry's growing needs, making job opportunities for graduates in many education fields good to excellent. Currently, alternative licensing programs are helping to attract more people into teaching, especially those from other career paths, but opportunities should continue to be very good for highly qualified teachers, especially those in subject areas with the highest needs, such as math, science, and special education.

At the postsecondary level, increases in student enrollments and projected retirements of current faculty should contribute to a favorable job market for postsecondary teachers. As children of the baby boom generation continue to reach college age, and as more adults pursue continuing education to enhance or update their skills, postsecondary student enrollments are expected to increase rapidly, spurring much faster-than-average employment growth for postsecondary teachers. However, candidates applying for tenured positions will continue to face keen competition as many colleges and universities rely on adjunct or part-time faculty and graduate students to make up a larger share of the total instructional staff than in the past.

Over the long-term, the overall demand for workers in education services will increase as a result of a growing emphasis on improving education and making it available not only to more children and young adults, but also to those currently employed but in need of improving their skills. Reforms, such as universal preschool and all-day kindergarten, will require more preschool and kindergarten teachers. However, low enrollment growth projections at the elementary, middle, and secondary school level are likely to slow growth somewhat, resulting in average growth for these teachers.

The number of special education teachers is projected to experience faster than average growth through 2014, stemming from an increasing enrollment of special education students, continued emphasis on the inclusion of disabled students in general education classrooms, and an effort to reach students with problems at younger ages. Employment of teacher assistants also will grow about as fast as the average; school reforms call for more individual attention to students, and additional teacher assistants will be needed in general education, special education, and English-as-a-second-language classrooms.

Despite expected increases in education expenditures over the next decade, budget constraints at all levels of government may place restrictions on educational services, particularly in light of the rapidly escalating costs associated with increased college enrollments, special education, construction for new schools, and other services. Funding constraints generally affect student services (such as school busing, library and educational materials, and extracurricular activities) before employment of administrative, instructional, and support staff, though supplementary programs, such as music and foreign language instruction, also often face cuts when budgets become tight. Even if no reductions are required, budget considerations also may affect attempts to expand school programs, such as increasing the number of counselors and teacher assistants in elementary schools.