How many years will it take before the United States can lower its unemployment rate, currently more than 9 percent, to pre-recession rates of around 5 percent? Even the most optimistic projection estimates that full employment rates won’t return until 2020, says a new report. Training provided through Career Technical Education (CTE) may be key for reducing this rate and getting 14 million unemployed Americans back to work.

The report, An Economy That Works: Job Creation and America’s Future, explores how companies use labor, where new jobs are likely to come from, and the conditions that are necessary for sustainable job creation. Key finding include:

• Six sectors illustrate the potential for job growth in this decade: health care, business services, leisure and hospitality, construction, manufacturing and retail.

• Potential shortages will occur in many occupations including: nutritionists, welders, nurse’s aides, computer specialists and engineers.

• Employers will increasingly be able to disaggregate job tasks, leading to more part-time and contingent employment and enabling employers to bring back some service jobs from abroad.

The report also presents ideas to spur job creation including: innovation and new business creation, removing barriers to job creation and scaling up the country’s industries.

Though the current unemployment rate is discouraging, these projections are promising. CTE students have the opportunity to train in upcoming high-demand fields. Through the Career Clusters Framework, CTE provides training so that students have skills to match the needs of the labor market. See the Career Clusters webpage for more information.

Kara Herbertson, Education Policy Analyst, kherbertson@careertech.org