February 27, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Surge in demand for troubleshooters

According to BLS projections, the number of jobs for computer support specialists is expected to increase rapidly over the next decade—more than doubling between 1998 and 2008. 

Computer support specialists, actual employment in 1998 and projected employment in 2008
[Chart data—TXT]

In 1998, there were about 429,000 computer support specialists working in the United States. By 2008, the number of jobs is projected to reach 869,000. 

Computer support specialists function as troubleshooters who assist computer users. Among these troubleshooters are technical support specialists—whose tasks include installing, modifying, cleaning, and repairing computer hardware and software—and help-desk technicians—who field phone calls and e-mail messages from customers seeking guidance on technical problems.

These data are a product of the Office of Employment Projections. For more information, see "Computer support specialists," by Roger Moncarz, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Spring 2001.

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The very first issue of The Editor's Desk (TED) was posted on September 28, 1998. TED was the first online-only publication of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For 10 years, BLS has been committed to posting a new TED article each business day, for a total of over 2,400 articles so far.

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