March 15, 2004 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Projected employment in high-paying occupations requiring less than a bachelor's degree

Employment in many high-paying occupations usually requiring on-the-job training or some education other than a bachelor’s degree is projected to increase over the 2002-12 period.

[Chart data—TXT]

For example, projected employment for registered nurses in 2012 is 623,000 above the 2002 level. The projected increase in the number of truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer, over the same period is 337,000. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical or scientific products, are expected to increase in number by 279,000.

These data come from the Employment Projections program. For additional employment projections information, see Occupational Employment in Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Winter 2003-04. The occupations shown in the chart usually require less than a bachelor’s degree—often an associate degree or other postsecondary education; also, the occupations featured here have annual earnings, based on 2002 data, classified as "very high" ($41,820 or higher) or "high" ($27,500 to $41,780).