Nurse practitioners, ushers, cooks among fastest growing occupations

Whether you were part of a year-end job force reduction or want a change in work in the new year, you might be looking for a job and there are some occupations in which employment is projected to grow.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified the 20 fastest-growing occupations in the United States over a decade in its Occupational Outlook Handbook. These are the ones with the highest projected percent change of employment between 2021 and 2031. In some cases, Erie does reflect those trends, needing more nurse practitioners and cooks. But in other occupations, such as ushers, local officials say it’s already a popular job and therefore without a lot of turnover.

Here is a look at some of the occupations projected to grow:

1. Nurse practitioners

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects nurse practitioners to have a 46{d589daddaa72454dba3eae1d85571f5c49413c31a8b21559e51d970df050cb0e} growth rate between 2021 and 2031.

Spokespeople for Saint Vincent Hospital and for UPMC said there are jobs for nurse practitioners in the Erie area, especially with the number of baby boomers needing health care over the next decade.

“We have a lot of openings for nurse practitioners and have added a small amount of them,” according to a statement sent by Saint Vincent spokeswoman Monica Lewis.

However, the statement said the increase in nurse practitioners is more in states where nurse practitioners have full practice authority, and that doesn’t include Pennsylvania.

Full practice authority is where nurse practitioners can evaluate and diagnose patients, interpret tests and initiate treatments, including prescribing medications, under their nursing board license, rather than only under a physician license or collaborative agreement, the Saint Vincent statement said.

“If there was full practice authority (in Pennsylvania), we would absolutely add a lot more (nurse practitioners),” the statement said. Legislation to change full practice authority hasn’t made it through the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Opinion:Here is how Pennsylvania can retain more nurse practitioners

All of UPMC, which includes Erie’s Hamot hospital, employs about 1,200 nurse practitioners across primary care and in specialty care, said Ben Reynolds, chief advanced practice officer for UPMC. Reynolds, who is based in Pittsburgh, called Erie “a prime location for the growth of nurse practitioner practice.”

He said UPMC routinely has 100 to 200 open positions that could be filled by a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant.

“The job market within UPMC reflects what the (U.S. Bureau of Labor) statistics say,” Reynolds said.

He said UPMC has received an adequate number of applications for the open positions, although that might vary, particularly in rural areas.

“Right now I believe we have had enough nurse practitioners to meet our needs,” he said.

Reynolds also said that nurse practitioner compensation, according to professional organization data, has been going up.

“The market is saying they are valuable and compensation rates are going up to reflect that value,” he said.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics listed the 2021 median pay for nurse practitioners as $120,680 per year.

2. Wind turbine service technicians

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects this occupation to grow 44{d589daddaa72454dba3eae1d85571f5c49413c31a8b21559e51d970df050cb0e}, with 4,900 new jobs by 2031. Wind turbine technicians install, maintain and repair wind turbines. Their median pay in 2021 was $56,260 per year, according to the bureau.

What’s There:Giant windmill blades along Interstate 90 in eastern Erie County

In 2022, huge windmill blades on the ground near the Interstate 90 and Bayfront Connector interchange in Harborcreek Township were sparking interest. The blades, about 280 feet in length, had been shipped to Erie’s port and were then being stored in Harborcreek until they could be installed in New York state.

Meanwhile, several states were looking at the possibility of being the first to put wind turbines along their shores in the Great Lakes. But several officials said there was nothing in the works for the Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie.

Wind turbines:Pennsylvania trails in race among states to be first with Great Lakes wind farm

3. Ushers, lobby attendants and ticket-takers

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 41{d589daddaa72454dba3eae1d85571f5c49413c31a8b21559e51d970df050cb0e} increase in this occupation.

Erie Events hires what it calls guest services employees every year and has about 80 ushers/ticket takers who work events at the Warner Theatre, Erie Insurance Arena and Bayfront Convention Center, said Gus Pine, the Convention Center’s general manager who will become Erie Events’ executive director on Jan. 30. The Erie SeaWolves typically have 30 to 40, never more than 45, at UPMC Park, said Greg Gania, the baseball team’s assistant general manager of communications.

Gania said the SeaWolves did grow the occupation a little over the past couple years because of additions to the hospitality offerings at the baseball park.

Both men said there’s little turnover and they don’t have trouble getting the few usher and ticket taker openings filled.

“If we need to find ushers, we can find them in a heartbeat,” Gania said.

Pine agreed there’s never a shortage and Erie Events has “always been able to find interested candidates who enjoy people and live events.”

For subscribers:Take a closer look at the renovations of the iconic Warner Theatre

The job isn’t high impact and generally requires employees to interact with people, collecting tickets and helping patrons find seats or facilities such as restrooms. Many of the employees are retired from other jobs and wanted a little work or are employed and wanted a “cool second job,” Gania said.

“Most folks are moonlighting since we primarily need them on evenings and weekends,” Pine said.

He said Erie Events pays $8 an hour, increasing to $12 to $14 per hour for supervisors.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics listed the 2021 median pay for ushers, lobby attendants and ticket takers as $24,440 per year.

4. Motion picture projectionists

Employment in this occupation stood at just 2,000 total in 2021 but was expected to increase by 800 new jobs over the decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That puts its growth rate at 40{d589daddaa72454dba3eae1d85571f5c49413c31a8b21559e51d970df050cb0e}, or much faster than average.

Motion picture projectionist statistics weren’t available specifically for Pennsylvania. In the Erie region, venues that regularly show movies include Tinseltown, Erie Movie House and Movies at Meadville plus Sunset Drive In.

From 2022:Erie woman talks about her work on ‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,’ and life in Hollywood

The median annual wage for a motion picture projectionist was $29,350 in May 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job requires no formal educational credential and involves setting up and operating motion picture projection and related sound reproduction equipment, according to the bureau.

5. Cooks, restaurant

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a 37{d589daddaa72454dba3eae1d85571f5c49413c31a8b21559e51d970df050cb0e} increase in cooks for restaurants by 2031.

Do a simple online search for “cook jobs” in Erie and you’ll find a long list of establishments including nursing homes, schools and restaurants.

Pine, the manager at the Bayfront Convention Center, guesses that some of the growth could be due to an attempt to return to normal after the coronavirus pandemic, which shut down dining facilities and forced people out of the food service industry. Erie Events was advertising for a cook for the Convention Center at the end of 2022.

“We’ve found, and heard from others, that hiring in the service industry for front- and back-of-house staff has been extremely competitive,” Pine said. “To combat this issue, we’ve moved to hiring full-time staff versus part-time staff when possible. This has made us more competitive in a very competitive market but staffing will likely remain a challenge into 2023. The companies that will be successful are going to be those that put a premium on taking care of their line-level staff members.”

Dining:Despite tough business climate, new restaurants opened in Erie in ’22

In addition to established restaurants bouncing back from the pandemic, the Erie area has seen many new restaurants open in the past couple years, leading to more jobs for cooks.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics listed the 2021 median pay for cooks, restaurant at $30,010.