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Projected job growth varies among major occupational groups.

Professional and related jobs:

Professional and related occupations will be one of the two fastest growing major occupational groups, and will add the most new jobs. Over the 2006-2016 period, a 16.7-percent increase in the number of professional and related jobs is projected, which translates into nearly 5 million new jobs. Professional and related workers perform a wide variety of duties, and are employed throughout private industry and government. Almost three-quarters of the job growth will come from three groups of professional occupations—computer and mathematical occupations, healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, and education, training, and library occupations—which together will add 3.5 million jobs.

Service jobs:

Healthcare support occupations and personal care and service occupations are expected to grow the fastest, at 26.8 percent and 22 percent. Service occupations will account for 2.1 million new jobs.

Management, business, and financial jobs:

Workers in management, business, and financial occupations plan and direct the activities of business, government, and other organizations. Their employment is expected to increase by 1.6 million, or 10.4 percent, by 2016.

Sales and related jobs:

Sales and related workers solicit goods and services to businesses and consumers. Sales and related occupations are expected to add 1.2 million new jobs by 2016, growing by 7.6 percent. Retail salespersons will contribute the most to this grow by adding 557,000 new jobs.

Office and administrative support jobs:

Office and administrative support workers perform the day-to-day activities of the office, such as preparing and filing documents, dealing with the public, and distributing information. Employment in these occupations is expected to grow by 7.2 percent, adding 1.7 million new jobs by 2016.

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