From Texas Standard.
As we make the turn from 2017 to 2018, one of the big areas we ought to keep an eye on is the economy. The jobs Texans do in the future will look a little different than they have in the past. That’s of course in part due to the impacts of technology, but it also has to do with the needs of the community.
Dr. Ray Perryman, who heads the economic and financial analysis firm the Perryman Group in Waco, says the biggest gains will be in health care.
“We’re getting older. Frankly, we’re getting fatter. And those things contribute to increased health care needs,” he says. “And we also have a big cohort of young people right now, children. And they tend to consume a lot of health care. So a big part of it is just simple demographics.”
He says the other part of the equation is that we’re getting better at health care, which creates new jobs in the industry. He also says the service industry will be another expanding job market.
“Architects, engineers, accountants,” he says. “Those jobs are a big part of that. You also have some in the accommodation and food service industry.”
Still, Perryman says there’s always some mystery about predicting the future.
“A lot of the things we’re talking about that will be the fastest jobs of the future,” he says, “we really don’t know because they don’t exist yet.”
Written by Jen Rice.
