Out of the 25 jobs projected to have the most openings during the next several years, registered nurses, postsecondary teachers, general managers, and accountants are among the highest paid, according to a report by the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Retail salesperson is projected to have highest average annual openings (228,297) from 2004-2014. The job is in the bottom earnings quartile. By contrast, registered nurse is in the top earnings quartile and is projected to have the 5th most openings (120,343) during that period.
Among the 25 occupations projected to have the most openings, four jobs require a bachelor's degree or higher: postsecondary teachers (89,210 openings), general managers (64,869 openings), elementary school teachers (58,679 openings), and accountants (48,589 openings). Three of the four occupations are in the top earnings quartile.
25 Occupations with the Most Openings
Occupation
Job
Openings
Earnings Quartile
1
Retail salespersons
228,297
$
2
Cashiers, except gaming
179,586
$
3
Waiters and waitresses
153,426
$
4
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food
129,835
$
5
Registered nurses
120,343
$$$$
6
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
104,232
$
7
Office clerks, general
95,845
$$
8
Postsecondary teachers
89,210
$$$$
9
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
89,004
$
10
Customer service representatives
77,805
$$
11
General and operations managers
64,869
$$$$
12
Elementary school teachers, except special education
58,679
$$$
13
Stock clerks and order fillers
57,950
$
14
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
56,902
$$$$
15
Child care workers
52,466
$
16
Receptionists and information clerks
52,418
$$
17
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants
51,591
$$
18
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer
50,730
$$$
19
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
50,342
$$
20
Food preparation workers
48,952
$
21
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants
