The Varying Unemployment Rate of Different Occupations

You may have read our article last month that boasts about the unemployment rate falling to 9 percent, which is the lowest since April 2009.  This is potentially good news for many looking for jobs right now. However, this unemployment rate changes based on occupation. Some positions are going to have a much lower unemployment rate, while other will have a significantly higher rate.

The ten occupations with the lowest unemployment rates range from .4 percent to 1.0 percent. Five of the ten occupations with the lowest unemployment rate are in the healthcare industry, which shows that this industry is growing. The ten occupations with the lowest unemployment rates are:

• Appraisers and assessors of real estate: 0.4%
• Therapists, all other: 0.4%
• First-line managers of police and detectives: 0.4%
• Locomotive engineers and operators: 0.4%
• Directors, religious activities and education: 0.8%
• Dentists: 0.8%
• Speech-language pathologists: 0.8%
• Detectives and criminal investigators: 0.8%
• Physicians and surgeons: 0.9%
• Occupational therapists: 1.0%

On the other hand, there are some occupations that are seeing a significantly higher unemployment rate. Of the ten occupations with the highest rate, seven are in the construction sector. The ten occupations with the highest unemployment rates are:

• Helpers, construction trades: 36.0%
• Telemarketers: 34.8%
• Structural iron and steel workers: 28.4%
• Roofers: 27.1%
• Millwrights: 25.5%
• Cement masons, concrete finishers and terrazzo workers: 25.3%
• Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons: 25.1%
• Construction laborers: 25.0%
• Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers: 23.9%
• Interviewers, except eligibility and loan: 23.4%

*Information last updated January 12, 2011

Goldstein, Jacob. "Which Jobs Have The Highest And Lowest Unemployment Rates?." NPR (2011): n. pag. Web. 2 Mar 2011.