What and where are the jobs?

The Labor Department recently announced that 467,000 jobs were cut in June, driving the unemployment rate up to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent. For the recently unemployed as well as recent college graduates the question begs: What and where are the jobs? Here are four areas that are projected to see growth even in the tough economy:

Green Jobs. President Obama’s economic recovery plan promises to put 2.5 million Americans to work building wind turbines, solar panels and fuel-efficient cars, among other things. He has also embraced calls for a “green jobs” program that invests as much as $100 billion in projects to slash harmful emissions. This could include projects such as retrofitting buildings to make them more energy-efficient, upgrading the electrical grid and improving mass transit.

Information Technology. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be a 53.4 percent growth rate in careers in network systems and data communications analysis through 2016. Other IT positions with a high growth rate include computer software engineers, computer system analysts and database administrators.

Healthcare. Growing diversification of nursing roles, greater demand for nurses and higher compensation have made nursing an attractive profession. While nearly 60 percent of nursing positions are in hospitals, other settings such as home health are expected to see growth.

Business. While there will continue to be cuts in financial services, increases are expected in positions that deal with fraud management, including accounting, which is expected to see a 20 percent increase.

For those seeking entry-level positions in areas including IT, nursing, medical services, education, green jobs, engineering and infrastructure, a willingness to relocate is key. California, Texas, New York, Florida and Pennsylvania are proving best for entry-level positions in these fields.

By Betsy Richards, Director of Career Resources at Kaplan University

Elizabeth “Betsy” Richards is the Director of Career Resources for Kaplan University, where she manages the only online full-service career resources center offered by any university in the United States. At Kaplan, Richards’ team serves more than 54,000 online students.