Where the Jobs Will Be

Three graphs tell a chilling story for employment prospects in the future. The first, from at Atlantic Monthly article by Derek Thompson, shows that the largest growth in employment opportunity in the U.S. will be in relatively low wage, traditionally blue collar work: home health aides, administrative assistants, retail clerks, and fast food preparers and servers. The second graph, from Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows the expected job growth of all types by county. See this graph as an indicator of where the population will be growing the most in the next 10-15 years.A third graph, also from 10-year projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows the proportion of job growth in the future that will be among the "creative class;" that is, those whose prospects for income and employment are the strongest.What this suggests is that the century-long trend toward urbanization will continue, if not accelerate, and that independent school students will face even greater competition for the (relatively) few creative jobs.