In his book, Watson also examines several sectors that tend to do well even when the economy isn’t. Here are a few that continue to show promise:
Accounting: Because financial firms are under intense scrutiny, Watson estimates thousands of new jobs being created due to an increase in auditing firms. Employment in accounting positions is expected to grow 15% annually over the next decade.
Customer Service: There is still a demand for customer service reps to interact with customers on a company’s behalf, according to Watson. This industry is expected to grow 25% by 2016, adding 545,000 new jobs.
Engineering: Engineers are still needed to design, build, test, and improve products and there will be significant growth under individual engineering occupations, such as environmental engineers (25% growth), biomedical engineers (21% growth), and civil engineers (18% growth).
Finance: Investors still need assistance on how to preserve their money and make it grow. Employment of personal finance advisers is expected to add 72,000 jobs to the industry by 2016.
This article originally appeared in the January 2010 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.