January 2020 should be a great time to look for a new job. Unemployment hit a 50-year low of 3.5% in September and had only increased by 0.1% by October 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.
Those gains for job seekers support MarketWatch's Oct. 2019 pronouncement that "there's probably never been a better time since the Great Recession to start looking for a new job."
» RELATED: The 25 jobs with the brightest futures, according to Glassdoor
But if you really want to take advantage of this rosy employment scenario, you may also want to examine the job sectors that have the most jobs now and are predicted to grow, sometimes wildly, between now and 2028.
Here are five of the most promising industries for job seekers in 2020, according to BLS statistics:
1. Home health care services
Job sector: Health care and social assistance
Thousands of jobs 2018: 1,472.7
Thousands of jobs 2028: 2,186.4
Compound annual rate of change from 2018-2028: 4
Home health services is one of six industries in the health care and social assistance sector listed among the top 10 fastest-growing industries for 2018-2028.
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2. Other information services
Job sector: Information
Thousands of jobs 2018: 307.8
Thousands of jobs 2028: 393.5
Compound annual rate of change from 2018-2028: 2.5
3. Computer systems design and related services
Job sector: Professional and business services
Thousands of jobs 2018: 2,121.6
Thousands of jobs 2028: 2,642.3
Compound annual rate of change from 2018-2028: 2.2
One of the occupations within this industry, software developer, also scored first in U.S. News & World Report's 100 Best Jobs ranked by factors like work-life balance, job market, salary and the stress involved. The publication estimated the median salary at $101,790, unemployment rate at 1.9% and the number of jobs available at 255,400.
4. Forestry
Job sector: Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
Thousands of jobs 2018: 5.7
Thousands of jobs 2028: 7.0
Compound annual rate of change from 2018-2028: 2.1
» RELATED: Georgia posted strongest August job growth in two decades
5. Management, scientific and technical consulting
Job sector: Professional and business services
Thousands of jobs 2018: 1,483.2
Thousands of jobs 2018: 1,776.0
Compound annual rate of change from 2018-2028: 1.8
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