The 19 Fastest Growing Occupations

Written by Dan Fastenberg, AOL Jobs

The future of the jobs market currently looks bleak. The unemployment rate has been stuck above 7 percent since December 2008, according to theBureau of Labor Statistics. And as futurist Thomas Frey recently told AOL Jobs, half of all the jobs in existencetoday will no longer be around by 2030.

But so much upheaval is also helping to create new jobs and opportunities. In fact, opportunities abound, but it's been widely noted that America's workers simply don't have the proper training to get the job done. As Matt Ferguson, the CEO of CareerBuilder, wrote in his just-released book, "The Talent Equation," 45 percent of human resource managers say they "can't find qualified candidates for open positions." (CareerBuilder is an AOL Jobs partner.)

Ferguson, for his part, said in a CareerBuilder news release that he's confident that "barring any major shocks to the economy, the short-term job outlook in the United States will likely continue developments seen during the recovery -- specifically, significant growth for jobs that require a college education and occupations in health care, energy and technology."

So what are these jobs? Working in conjunction with the Economic Modeling Specialists Intl., CareerBuilder has put together a report featuring the jobs that are expected to see at least 8 percent growth and 30,000 new positions created between 2013 and 2017. Those opportunities can be viewed below. 

1. Personal care and home health aides

Projected growth: 21 percent
New jobs: 473,965
Median hourly earnings: $9.77

Find a job now as a personal care or home health aide.

2. Market research analysts and marketing specialists

Projected growth: 14 percent
New jobs: 60,889
Median hourly earnings: $29.10

Find a job now as a market research analyst or marketing specialist.

3. Medical secretaries

Projected growth: 14 percent
New jobs: 76,386
Median hourly earnings: $15.17

Find a job now as a medical secretary.

4. Emergency medical technicians and paramedics

Projected growth: 13 percent
New jobs: 30,234
Median hourly earnings: $15.28

Find a job now as an emergency medical technician or paramedic.

5. Software developers

Projected growth: 11 percent
New jobs: 110,049
Median hourly earnings: $47.64

Find a job now as a software developer.

6. Medical assistants

Projected growth: 10 percent
New jobs: 60,109
Median hourly earnings: $14.35

Find a job now as a medical assistant.

7. Registered nurses

Growth: 9 percent
New jobs: 256,703
Median hourly earnings: $32.04

Find a job now as a registered nurse.

8. Network and computer systems administrators

Growth: 9 percent
New jobs: 34,825
Median hourly earnings: $35.14

Find a job now as a network and computer systems administrator.

9. Pharmacy technicians

Growth: 9 percent
New jobs: 31,975
Median hourly earnings: $14.29

Find a job now as a pharmacy technician.

10. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

Growth: 9 percent
New jobs: 111,444
Median hourly earnings: $11.07

Find a job now as a landscaping and groundskeeping worker.

11. Social and human service assistants

Growth: 9 percent
New jobs: 34,411
Median hourly earnings: $14.02

Find a job now as a social and human service assistant.

12. Computer systems analysts

Growth: 8 percent
New jobs: 40,462
Median hourly earnings: $37.98

Find a job now as a computer systems analyst.

13. Management analysts

Growth: 8 percent
New jobs: 60,157
Median hourly earnings: $35.80

Find a job now as a management analyst.

14. Cooks, restaurant

Growth: 8 percent
New jobs: 79,364
Median hourly earnings: $10.63

Find a job now as a restaurant cook.

15. Insurance sales agent

Growth: 8 percent
New jobs: 52,565
Median hourly earnings: $23.20

Find a job now as a insurance sales agent.

16. Nursing assistants

Growth: 8 percent
New jobs: 117,400
Median hourly earnings: $12.01

Find a job now as a nursing assistant.

17. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

Growth: 8 percent
New jobs: 63,320
Median hourly earnings: $20.33

Find a job now as a licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse.

18. Combined food prep and serving, including fast food

Growth: 8 percent
New jobs: 237,192
Median hourly earnings: $8.75

Find a job now in fast food prep.

19. Receptionists and information clerks

Growth: 8 percent
New jobs: 85,035
Median hourly earnings: $12.64

Find a job now as a receptionists or as an information clerk.