2. Real Estate
In 2013, home prices and sales are expected to rise, spurring an increase in homebuilding and construction. Housing starts, for instance, are expected to go up 24% this year—residential and private construction starts are estimated to equal $483.7 billion.
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The activity in this sector will lead to improvements in construction employment, as well as boost activity for real estate agents and related professionals. In December alone, 30,000 construction jobs were added, presaging a great start for job seekers in this field in 2013. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that employment for real estate agents will grow 16% from 2008 to 2018.
Average Salaries
- Construction managers: $84,240 per year
- Architects: $72,550 per year
- Construction cost estimators: $58,460 per year
- Real estate agents: $52,490 per year
- Electricians: $49,320 per year
- Plumbers: $47,750 per year
- Construction workers: $29,730 per year
3. Health Care
Two factors are driving this industry’s boom. For one, America’s population is aging due to the fact that almost one-third of the country’s population is made up of Baby Boomers. Aside from the expected medical costs associated with aging and the elderly, the American Hospital Association estimates that more than 37 million boomers will be dealing with a chronic condition, like arthritis or diabetes, by 2030.
The second reason: The Affordable Care Act will lead to nearly 35 million more people in the health care system, creating a shortage of trained health care professionals and physicians. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that, by 2020, we’ll have a shortage of at least 45,000 primary care physicians and 36,000 surgeons and specialists.
RELATED: One-Third of Americans Can’t Afford Health Care
There’s already an increased demand for nurses, physical therapists and physician’s assistants: Job postings for these positions on one major employment site rose 13% during a 12-month period ending in June 2012. Employment for registered nurses is estimated to grow 26% by 2020.
While many health-care positions require a great deal of expensive training and education, home health and personal care aides require less training. From 2010 to 2012, over 116,000 home health care positions were created–and employment for these positions is estimated to rise 70% over the next seven years.
