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](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120921215352im_/http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/images/2001/feb/wk4/art02.gif)
[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.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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Read more »