The Projections report is issued bi-annually by DOES and prepared by Job Trends Associates, Inc.  “The 10-year study shows that job growth in the District is quite respectable,” said DOES Director Gregg Irish. “The forecast shows the District’s employment increasing 0.9 percent per year between 2002 and 2012, and adding 67,700 jobs throughout the decade to reach 791,735. This places the District at the center of one of the fastest growing regional economies in the country.”

The report findings show a service sector still on the rise; a District economy with unique characteristics compared with the rest of the nation; and a continuing importance of college degree training for local jobs, twice as important in the District as elsewhere.

The District is at the center of one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. In the same 10-year period, independent projections by Global Insight show the metropolitan area’s jobs growing at 1.6 percent per year to reach 3,299,713 by 2012.

For a copy of the District of Columbia Employment Projections by Industry and Occupation 2002-2012, contact the Department of Employment Services, Office of Labor Market Research and Information by calling (202) 671-2100 or download a copy of the study here.

This study is part of the regular cycle of state and regional projections sponsored by the Employment and Training Administration of the US Department of Labor and coordinated by the American Labor Market Information System (ALMIS) consortium in all state areas. Both industry and occupational projections were developed using software developed by ALMIS under guidelines that they have developed. Reference was also made to regional projections by Global Insight, a highly respected forecasting firm with global reach.