The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce predicts that getting a job is going to get tougher in the coming years. Nationwide, through the year 2020, growth is projected for high-skilled jobs, but employment in manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting is expected to decline.
Georgetown economist Nicole Smith says that some of the fastest-growing occupations in Tennessee and Georgia require the most intensive education and training. The study predicts that jobs in management, education services, health care and social assistance will see the most growth in Tennessee. Health care and social assistance jobs in Tennessee are expected to surpass 405,000 jobs by 2020.
The report also predicts that in the same period, there will be 55 million job openings in the national economy. About 1.1 million job positions will open up in Tennessee, as new jobs are created and as baby boomers retire.
Governor Bill Haslam has set a statewide goal of 55% of the state's adults completing associate or bachelor's degrees by 2025. A national study from the Lumina Foundation this month predicted Tennessee will reach only about 39% by 2025 at its current growth rate.
