Study identifies high-paying, high-demand jobs in Vermont

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A nonprofit organization has used state Department of Labor data to identify 67 careers that are projected to have at least 150 openings over the next 10 years, all with salaries higher than the state average.

The jobs range from plumber to surgeon and have mean wages above $21.18 per hour — the average wage in the state in 2013 based on data from the Vermont Department of Labor. (The median wage is $17.01, according to the department.)

The list is then divided into the education or training level required, including high school diploma or equivalent, associate’s degree or equivalent, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree and above.

The J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation made the list with data from the Labor Department and compiled it into a brochure in February to be shared with students and educational institutions.

Carolyn Weir, an adviser for the McClure Foundation, said the organization is seeking to help students and families decide career paths, but also advise colleges and universities on their strategic plans.

“Our hope is that getting this information about what jobs are projected to be available and stable and secure in Vermont will help colleges effect their majors and career offerings,” Weir said.

Weir said some of the best career options require only a relatively inexpensive associate’s degree, such as registered nurse, which paid an average of $31 an hour in 2012. In the same education range, dental hygienists made $32, and web developers made $29.

Some of the highest-paying jobs required doctorates that can be earned at the University of Vermont in Burlington, according to the website’s majors page. The positions include physicians and surgeons at $74; college administrators at $38; and physical therapists at $35.

Additionally, the list is unique because it focuses on job openings rather than job growth. The labor department estimates that web developer positions will grow by 1.7 percent, to 854 jobs, by 2022, and software developers will grow at the same rate, to 1,069 jobs in 2022.

Substance abuse counselor positions will grow by 2.7 percent, to 410 jobs; health care social worker positions will grow at 2.3 percent to 401 jobs, and mental health counselors will grow at 2.6 percent to 1,044 jobs. Market research analyst positions will grow at 2.4 percent to 1,613 jobs, paying about $27 hourly wage.

Mathew Barewicz, chief of economic and labor market information for the labor department, said the two parties didn’t focus on growth but on job openings that often occur when people retire or leave their positions for other life changes.

“A job can be open, not due to growth but due to replacement, which we call ‘job churn,” Barewicz said. “If I’m looking for a new job, I don’t care if it’s a new job related to growth or a job because of an opening.”

Barewicz said the state economy grows at a slower pace than the national economy, and that Vermont doesn’t need to necessarily focus on high-growth jobs because the population does not increase as quickly as it does at the national level.

Barewicz said the labor department often counsels people on job training, but commended the McClure Foundation for putting the labor department’s data into an accessible and readable format.

“The McClure Foundation is actually putting together … a public outreach campaign,” Barewicz said. “I feel like we’re able to reach more people across a greater regional diversification.”

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly said there are no PharmD programs in Vermont.