Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Logo

Wyoming Department of Workforce Services

Research & Planning
444 W. Collins Dr.
Suite 3100
Casper, WY 82601
(307) 473-3807

Email link

"Labor Market Information (LMI) is an applied science; it is the systematic collection and analysis of data which describes and predicts the relationship between labor demand and supply." The States' Labor Market Information Review, ICESA, 1995, p. 7.

The Federal Government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for federal purposes: i) the copyright in all products developed under the grant, including a subgrant or contract under the grant or subgrant; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the recipient, subrecipient or a contractor purchases ownership under an award (including but not limited to curricula, training models, technical assistance products, and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or otherwise. Federal funds may not be used to pay any royalty or license fee for use of a copyrighted work, or the cost of acquiring by purchase a copyright in a work, where the Department has a license or rights of free use in such work, although they may be used to pay costs for obtaining a copy which is limited to the developer/seller costs of copying and shipping. If revenues are generated through selling products developed with grant funds, including intellectual property, these revenues are program income. Program income must be used in accordance with the provisions of this grant award and 2 CFR 200.307.

Wyoming Labor Force Trends

November 2024 | Volume 61, No. 11


Click Here for PDF

Return to Table of Contents

Identifying In-Demand Occupations in Wyoming

Article | Tables and Figures

by: Michael Moore, Research Supervisor


By setting a minimum of 100 total projected annual openings over the next 10 years and a wage of at least $21.07, Research & Planning was able to identify 36 in-demand occupations. This article provides employment and wage data for these occupations, along with the education, experience, and training typically required to enter each occupation.


Wyoming is projected to add more than 35,000 new jobs over the next 10 years, with an estimated 380,000 total job openings (Yetter, 2024). But which occupations are projected to see the greatest growth? Which offer wages that will provide a substantial return on investment for policymakers, jobseekers, students, employers, training providers, and career counselors alike? The purpose of this article is to define and identify in-demand occupations in order to benefit Wyoming’s stakeholders.

The hierarchal Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system is used to assign and classify occupations. For example, Box 1 shows the SOC structure for installation, maintenance, & repair occupations, which has the major group (two-digit) code of 49-0000. Within this major group are four minor groups (three-digit code): supervisors of installation, maintenance, & repair workers (SOC 49-1000); electrical & electronic equipment mechanics, installers, & repairers (SOC 49-2000); vehicle & mobile equipment mechanics, installers, & repairers (SOC 49-3000); and other installation, maintenance, & repair occupations (SOC 49-9000). Within each of those minor groups are detailed occupations (six-digit code); the six detailed occupations listed in Box 1 are all occupations that met the criteria of in-demand occupations for this research.

To identify in-demand occupations for this article, R&P linked its long-term occupational employment projections for 2022 to 2032 with the average (mean) hourly wage for each occupation based on data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. R&P was able to identify nearly 500 detailed occupations using this method, excluding occupations with non-discloseable data from the long-term projections or OEWS.

The occupations identified as in-demand in this article met two criteria: at least 100 total projected openings per year from 2022 to 2032, and a mean hourly wage of at least $21.07. Total projected openings from the long-term projections include openings due to growth (new jobs), exits (individuals leaving the workforce), and transfers (individuals changing careers). Exits may include individuals who retired, moved from Wyoming to work in another state, or left the workforce in order to care for a family member. Examples of transfers include individuals who received a promotion or changed careers.

For this article, R&P used $21.07 as the lowest wage for in-demand occupations. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology identified $21.07 as a livable wage for one adult with no children living in Wyoming in 2024 (MIT, 2024). According to the MIT research, a livable wage is “what one full-time worker must earn on an hourly basis to help cover the cost of their family’s minimum basic needs where they live while still being self-sufficient.” The formula takes into consideration eight basic needs: food, childcare, health care, housing, transportation, civic engagement, broadband, and other necessities. The methodology used to develop the livable wage calculator is available at https://livingwage.mit.edu/pages/methodology.

Figure 1 shows nearly 500 occupations broken up into four groups:

  • Low wage, low demand (bottom left)
  • High wage, low demand (bottom right)
  • Low wage, high demand (upper left)
  • High wage, high demand (upper right)

The upper right quadrant identifies 36 occupations that met the criteria of high demand (at least 100 total annual openings) and high wages (at least $21.07 per hour). Those 36 occupations are displayed in Table 1, with the total number of projected openings, average hourly wage, and the education, experience, and training typically required to enter the occupation. Nearly two-thirds (61.5%) of these in-demand occupation required a high school diploma or equivalent, while 28.2% required a bachelor’s degree.

Identifying in-demand occupations with lower education requirements, such as a high school diploma or a one-year post-secondary certificate, could be beneficial to employers, training providers, career counselors, and jobseekers. These types of occupations can help meet the needs of employers and jobseekers with relatively little investment, beyond training or a certificate.

In contrast, identifying in-demand occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree can help educators, students, and jobseekers. By familiarizing themselves with the demand for these types of occupations, educators can expand on existing programs, or develop new ones. Students can match their skillsets with areas of study that will start them on a pathway to in-demand occupations.

The occupation with the greatest number of total projected openings from 2022 to 2023 was heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers (862). This occupation had an average hourly wage of $29.15, with requirements including a post-secondary non-degree award (such as a certificate) and short-term on-the-job training. Automotive service technicians & mechanics had 146 total projected openings and an average hourly wage of $25.40, and also required a post-secondary non-degree award and short-term on-the-job training.

Among in-demand occupations requiring a high school diploma or equivalent, the occupations with the most projected total openings included maintenance & repair workers, general (447, $23.19); first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (383, $24.08); and operating engineers & other construction equipment operators (361, $30.68). The average hourly wage for in-demand occupations requiring a high school diploma or equivalent was $30.41.

The occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree with the greatest number of openings included general & operations managers (741, $56.87), registered nurses (354, $40.82), and accountants & auditors (211, $38.39). The average hourly wage for in-demand occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree was $33.54.

It should be noted that occupations for which average hourly wages are not available are not included in this research. In particular, only annual wages are typically published for many education-related occupations. As an example, three education-related occupations that require a bachelor’s degree met the criteria for 100 total annual openings: elementary school teachers, except special education (211); secondary school teachers, except special & career/technical education (135); and coaches & scouts (100). Since hourly wages were not available for these three occupations, they were not included in this list of in-demand occupations.

While many of the in-demand occupations in Table 1 required short- or moderate-term on the job training, three occupations required an apprenticeship. These three occupations were carpenters (342, $26.79), electricians (307, $33.00), and plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (140, $28.76).

Conclusion

For this research, R&P was able to identify 36 in-demand occupations by setting minimum thresholds of 100 total projected annual openings from 2022 to 2032 and an average hourly wage of at least $21.07. This list could be expanded or shortened by changing either of these parameters. Table 2 provides several examples of in-demand occupations when the thresholds were changed. For example, when the hourly wage was lowered to $18.00 and the total number of projected openings stayed at 100, the number of in-demand occupations increased from 36 to 51. When the number of total projected annual openings was lowered to a minimum of 50 and the minimum hourly wage remained at $21.07, the number of in-demand occupations increased to 77. Finally, when the total number of projected annual openings was lowered to 50 and occupations were lowered to just those requiring more than a high school diploma, the total number of in-demand occupations dropped to 34.

By linking total openings from long-term projections with hourly wage data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, R&P is able to present valuable information to students, jobseekers, educators, training providers, employers, governmental entities, and other stakeholders.

References

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2024). Living wage calculation for Wyoming. Retrieved September 30, 2024, from https://livingwage.mit.edu/states/56

Yetter, L. (2024, July). Wyoming long-term industry and occupational employment projections, 2022-2032. Research & Planning, WY DWS. Retrieved September 30, 2024, from https://doe.state.wy.us/LMI/projections/2024/WY_LT_Projections_2022-2032.htm