In general, jobs with fast growth rates offer good job opportunities. However, large slowly or moderately growing occupations often provide many more job openings than small, fast-growing occupations. Therefore, look at both the rates of growth and total annual openings to assess future job prospects.

Keep in mind, too, that the following lists of trends highlight only the top 30 occupations in each category. There are many other occupations with favorable job outlooks and relatively high earnings, so be sure to explore your career options in more detail.

Jobs will be available at all education levels. But, on average, employment will grow faster in the major occupational groups that require more education and training. These jobs also offer higher-than-average earnings. However, according to research by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as reported in the Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Summer 1998 issue, 18 percent of new college graduates will not be able to find college-level jobs. This poses the need for job seekers to become more familiar with the job market in their chosen fields, and tailor their skills to the requirements of employers.

Service and professional occupations, particularly in the fields of health, business, and education, dominate the lists o occupations gaining the most employment or growing the fastest.

Total annual job openings result from new job growth and replacement job openings due to net job transfers, deaths, or retirements. About one in six of the occupations projected to have the largest numbers of total job openings each year over the 1996-2006 period require a four-year college degree. One in three will require training beyond high school.

The fastest growing occupations, based on rate of employment growth, enjoy good employment opportunities and working conditions favorable for wage advances. About one-fourth of these occupations require at least a bachelor's degree. The projected employment growth rates of these occupations are impressive compared to the average projected employment growth of about 11 percent for all occupations combined, but annual openings may be few.

Most job openings in most occupations result from the need to replace workers who leave the labor force or transfer to another occupation. Therefore, even declining occupations provide opportunities for employment, although job prospects are generally not as favorable as in growing occupations. Examples of declining occupations in Ohio which will have substantial replacement needs include farmers; general secretaries; bookkeepers, accounting, and auditing clerks; and typists and word processors.