By Anita Miller

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has some facts and figures for those who expect to be seeking a new job in 2020.

The TWC has released a list of top careers broken down by educational level and expected earnings detailed for the nine-county Rural Capital Area.

The region’s five fastest-growing occupations are home health aides, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, person care aides and physical therapy aides. The number of home health aides, which pays an average of $10.22 an hour and requires only a high school diploma, is projected to grow by 31 percent between 2018 and 2023. Physicians assistants, projected to grow by 27 percent, earn an average of $48.70 per hour and require a master’s degree.

Nurse practitioners, projected go grow by 28 percent, earn $47.32 hourly and also require a master’s degree. Personal care aides, projected to grow by 27 percent earn $9.17 per hour and require a high school diploma. Physical therapist aides, which also require a high school diploma, earn $11.82 per hour. That profession is expected to grow by 26 percent.

Only one of the top five occupations with the most job openings – general office clerks – requires a high school diploma. General office clerks, expected to increase by 10 percent over the next five years, earn $17.60 an hour.

Food preparation and serving workers, retail sales persons, cashiers and waiters and waitresses all require less than a high school diploma and are expected to grow between 10 and 17 percent by 2023. Top hourly pay in that group is $12.47 for retail sales. Cashiers earn an average of $10.66 hourly, waiters and waitresses $11.81 per hour and food preparation, $10.22 per hour.

Expected to be the regional highest paying jobs that require a high school diploma or less are athletics and sports competitors, transportation, storage and distribution managers, real estate brokers, commercial pilots and nuclear power reactor operators.

Sports competitors don’t need a high school diploma and can earn $61.51 per hour. That occupation is scheduled to grow by 14 percent by 2023. Other Managers of transportation, storage and distribution, expected to increase by 15 percent, requires a diploma and pays $44.36 hourly. Real estate brokers, expected increase by 14 percent, need a diploma and earn an average of $44.16. Commercial pilots are expected to increase by 8 percent, need a diploma and earn $33.36. It’s projected there will be 50 percent more nuclear power reactor operators by 2023 and they will need a high school diploma and can expect $41.83 per hour.

The highest–paying jobs that require only a bachelor’s degree are chief executives, expected to increase by 9 percent and paying $97.88 per hour; Airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers, expected to grow by 8 percent and paying $84.88 hourly; architectural and engineering managers, expected to grow by 13 percent and paying $73.55 per hour; sales mangers, expected to increase by 14 percent and paying $71.92 per hour; and computers and information systems managers, expected to grow by 16 percent and paying $68.79 per hour.

On the other end of the pay scale, the lowest-paying occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree are substitute teachrs, religious workers, graduate teaching assistants, fine artists (painters, sculptors and illustrators) and community and social service specialists. Substitute teachrs, expected to increase by 12 percent, earn $12.57 per hour; religious work, expects to grow by 14 percent, earn $14.60; graduate teaching assistants, expected to increase by 16 percent, earn $15.79; fine artists, expected to grow by 15 percent, earn $16.62 and community and social service specialits, expected to increase by 16 percent, earn $17.91 hourly.

Those who hold an associate’s degree can seek occupation as an air traffic controller (expected to grow by 17 percent and paying 57.04 per hour); dental hygienists (expected to grow by 20 percent and paying $37.23 per hour); radiation therapists (expected to grow by 16 percent and paying $36.95 an hour); occupational therapy assistants (expected to grow by 23 percent and paying $36.03 per hour); and funeral service managers (expected to grow by 12 percent and paying $35.39 per hour).

Dietetic technicians top the list of lowest-paying jobs that require an associate’s degree. The number of those jobs is expected to grow by 10 percent and pay $17.92 per hour. Veterinary technologists and technicians, the demand for which is expected to increase by 20 percent, earn $13.97 hourly; followed by preschool teachers (excepting special education), expected to grow by 16 percent and paying $16.03 hourly; broadcast techicians, expected to grow by 13 percent and paying $17.26 per hour; and human resource assistants (except payroll and timekeeping), expect to grow by 10 percent and pay8ng $17.92 per hour.

The study specifically addressed STEM careers. Occupations dealing with science, technology, engineering and math that are expected to have the most total job openings by 2023 are registered nurses, software developers, sales representatives, wholesale and manufauring, and technical and scientific proeucts, computer user support specialists and licenses practical and licensed vocational nurses.

Registered nurses, who must have a bachelor’s degree, are expected to increase in numbers by 18 percent and earn 31.43 hourly; software developers are expected to increase by 22 percent and earn $48.25; sales representatives are expected to increase by 12 percent and pay $58.04 hourly; computer user support specialists, expected to increase by 15 percent and paying $22.96 per hour and licensed practical and vocational nurses are expected to increase by 16 percent. Those jobs pay $21.18 per hour.

Though none are expected to grow noticeably by 2023, the TWC found that trades occupations with the most job openings will be maintenance and repair workers, carpenters, plumbers, pipe fitter and steamfitters, electricians and construction equipment operators.

All those occupations require a high school dipoma. Maintenance and general repair workers earn an average of $16.76 hourly; carpenters, $17.75 per hour; plumbers, pipe fitters and steamfitters $22.82; electricians $24.58 and construction equipment operators $18.28.

For more, visit twc.state.tx.us.