The state’s Department of Labor projected significant growth in the health services and hospitality sectors.
The Career Compass uses business surveys to determine the fastest growing occupations in the state with this latest version forecasting jobs through 2032. The department publishes the Career Compass to give high school students an idea of the job market and what careers will be available to them once they graduate.
Delaware ranks fifth in the nation for the percentage of the population aged 65 or older at 20% in 2020.
DOL Labor Market Economist Art Jenkins said that indicates Delaware is going to need more middle-skill occupations in health care like BSNs, RSNs and personal care workers.
“We're a state that's seen as a good place to retire, or perhaps a lower cost of living relative to our surrounding states. So in that population growth and that type of population is driving the need for health services. So that demand in health services is creating employment opportunities in that industry.”
The Career Compass lists nurse practitioners, physician assistants and medical and health services managers as the three fastest growing occupations.
The jobs with the most annual openings are fast food and counter workers, cashiers, retail salesperson and personal care aides.
Jenkins said a lot of those jobs are in demand because of Delaware’s aging populations.
“Not to categorize all retirees, but the market that retirees typically support [and] like to go, they like to spend their money going out to eat and having recreational activities, enjoying their well deserved retirement,” Jenkins said.
Kent- hospitality & tourism most openings; health science projected job growth
NCC: hosp & tour, health science
Sussex: hosp, health science
The Department of Education developed career clusters to project what kind of growth different careers can expect through 2032. The DOE uses County Occupation and Industry Projections to determine those results.
It reported New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties will see the hospitality and tourism cluster generate the most annual job openings.
All three will see the highest projected job growth from the health science cluster. Sussex and New Castle Counties are projected to see science, technology, engineering and mathematics jobs pay their staff the most. Kent County’s highest paying cluster is expected to be information technology.
