Applicants and workers who desire to succeed in the 21st Century Economy and Workforce must know the hot job sectors.

Imagine a world with a qualified workforce but unable to staff it due to unskilled workers!

Technology and innovation, global business, and the emerging American workforce are daily changing the nature of work and the workplace.

I was reading a brief by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings about the new directions of higher education. In the brief The Department of Education reports 4 million new job opening through 2014 in health care, education, and computer and mathematical sciences. Although Americans have been facing historic joblessness and unemployment, the budding 21st century economy and workforce symbolizes economic rebirth, high job growth and enriched career opportunities. I professionally recommend that the key to understanding job-career success in the 21st century is knowing and targeting the High Growth, High Demand industries.

Read more in Employment
« How to Develop Good Work Habits
Job Vacancy: Fresher or Experienced, Who Gets Selected? »

For example, in 2007 1.37 million jobs were unfilled due to unskilled workers and unqualified applicants. Fields like health care, information technology, and advanced manufacturing have jobs and solid career paths left open due to a lack of people qualified to fill them.

My professional opinion for strategic thinkers and go-getters is strongly pay attention to the 14 sectors that will add substantial numbers of new jobs to the economy or affect the growth of other industries due to existing and emerging business being re-engineered by technology and innovations requiring global perceptions and new skill sets for workers. The 14 sectors include:

  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Aerospace
  • Automotive
  • Biotechnology
  • Construction
  • Energy
  • Financial Services
  • Geospatial Technology
  • Health care
  • Homeland Security
  • Hospitality
  • Information Technology
  • Retail
  • Transportation

For detailed information about the high growth, high demand sectors consult the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH).

In short, the 21st century offers job-career seekers, applicants and workers high growth potential and enriched career opportunities. As a Global Career and Technical Education Author/Lecturer, current data suggests 60 percent of new job openings will be filled with 30 percent of applicants or workers.  So, my thoughts for competitive seekers are will we be prepared for the massive growth? Will applicants be looking in the right places for job-career success? Who will be qualified for the new job openings? Will we be able staff the qualified workforce?

Success in the 21st century is about information, strategy and executional habits!