October 28, 1998 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Abundant career opportunities projected in information technology

Information technology jobs are projected to be among the fastest growing occupations between 1996 and 2006. Information technology occupations include database administrators, computer support specialists, and all other computer scientists; computer engineers; and systems analysts.

[Table data—TXT]

The substantial expected job growth is a product of the need for specialized technical expertise as new technologies are developed. For example, the expanding use of Internet technologies by businesses has resulted in a growing demand for skilled professionals to develop and support World Wide Web applications.

Employment of computer programmers is also projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations, but much more slowly than the rate for other computer professionals. The consolidation of systems and applications will moderate job growth for programmers.

These data are a product of the BLS Employment Projections program. A table of the "Fastest Growing Occupations, 1996-2006" also is available. More detailed analysis is reported in "Here Today, Jobs of Tomorrow: Opportunities in Information Technology", Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Fall 1998.