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 By Meg Donohue CareerBuilder.com Adjust font size:
    (CareerBuilder.com) -- Competitive wages and predicted industry growth mean the future is looking bright for numerous blue collar positions. So which manual and technical labor jobs are the most promising? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction and extraction jobs are expected to grow 12 percent by 2014, adding 931,000 jobs to the field. Installation, maintenance, and repair jobs have a predicted expansion of 11.4 percent with 657,000 additional jobs over the same time period. The transportation and material moving industry is another growing blue collar niche, increasing by 11.1 percent and adding 1.1 million jobs by 2014. Here are the top 10 blue collar jobs based on current salary medians and expected growth by 2014*: Construction and Building Inspectors What it pays: $43,670 annually Employment projected to increase: 18 percent to 26 percent Waste and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators What it pays: $34,960 annually Employment projected to increase: 9 percent to 17 percent Elevator Installers and Repairers What it pays: $28.23 per hour Employment projected to increase: 9 percent to 17 percent Subway and Streetcar Operators What it pays: $23.70 per hour Employment projected to increase: 9 percent to 17 percent What it pays: $20.40 per hour Employment projected to increase: 9 percent to 17 percent What it pays: $20.33 per hour Employment projected to increase: 9-17 percent Brickmasons, Blockmasons and Stonemasons What it pays: $20.07 per hour Employment projected to increase: 9 percent to 17 percent Plumbers, Pipelayers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters What it pays: $19.85 per hour Employment projected to increase: 9 percent to 17 percent Heating, Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers What it pays: $17.43 per hour Employment projected to increase: 18 percent to 26 percent What it pays: $16.78 per hour Employment projected to increase: 9 percent to 17 percent *Statistics provided by the BLS Meg Donohue is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. © Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2007. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority |
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