What professions added the most jobs in Illinois? In this article we look into this issue from two angles. First we show the top 50 jobs that added the most workers from 2010 to 2014 (Table 1). Secondly we show the top 50 jobs that had the highest growth rate from year 2010 to 2014 (Table 2). The employment and salary information in Illinois is computed from data published by BLS [1] in May 2015.
Table 1 shows the top 50 jobs that added the most workers from 2010 to 2014. We note that from 2010 to 2014, the total employment in Illinois increased from 5,528,420 to 5,765,880 with a net gain of 237,460. The profession that added the most jobs in the same period is the profession of laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand with 40,110 jobs added. It is followed by the profession of general and operations managers with 40,110 job added.
| Rank | Job Description | Jobs 2010 i |
Jobs 2014 i |
Change # i |
Change % i |
Salary 2014 i |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | All Occupations | 5,528,420 | 5,765,880 | 237,460 | 4.30% | $35,080 |
| 2 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 114,190 | 154,300 | 40,110 | 35.13% | $23,430 |
| 3 | General and Operations Managers | 67,340 | 105,490 | 38,150 | 56.65% | $92,980 |
| 4 | Personal Care Aides | 16,060 | 41,240 | 25,180 | 156.79% | $20,160 |
| 5 | Office Clerks, General | 119,350 | 142,970 | 23,620 | 19.79% | $27,530 |
| 6 | Customer Service Representatives | 96,940 | 117,520 | 20,580 | 21.23% | $32,700 |
| 7 | Retail Salespersons | 177,370 | 191,540 | 14,170 | 7.99% | $20,230 |
| 8 | Software Developers, Applications | 14,760 | 28,270 | 13,510 | 91.53% | $85,330 |
| 9 | Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 63,780 | 74,940 | 11,160 | 17.50% | $30,460 |
| 10 | Teacher Assistants | 40,660 | 50,340 | 9,680 | 23.81% | $21,300 |
| 11 | Graduate Teaching Assistants | 3,340 | 12,720 | 9,380 | 280.84% | $21,700 |
| 12 | Sales Representatives, Services, All Other | 21,920 | 31,010 | 9,090 | 41.47% | $56,730 |
| 13 | Cooks, Restaurant | 31,490 | 39,960 | 8,470 | 26.90% | $20,590 |
| 14 | Waiters and Waitresses | 74,090 | 82,460 | 8,370 | 11.30% | $18,570 |
| 15 | Financial Managers | 22,520 | 30,360 | 7,840 | 34.81% | $100,630 |
| 16 | Food Preparation Workers | 37,340 | 44,910 | 7,570 | 20.27% | $18,980 |
| 17 | Stock Clerks and Order Fillers | 76,170 | 83,700 | 7,530 | 9.89% | $20,380 |
| 18 | Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers | 32,770 | 39,570 | 6,800 | 20.75% | $31,280 |
| 19 | Bartenders | 23,020 | 29,370 | 6,350 | 27.58% | $18,810 |
| 20 | Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 32,720 | 39,020 | 6,300 | 19.25% | $56,940 |
| 21 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 60,780 | 66,890 | 6,110 | 10.05% | $40,130 |
| 22 | Sales Managers | 17,060 | 22,350 | 5,290 | 31.01% | $92,250 |
| 23 | Computer Systems Analysts | 17,890 | 23,060 | 5,170 | 28.90% | $73,350 |
| 24 | Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists* | 12,890 | 18,030 | 5,140 | 39.88% | $54,660 |
| 25 | Accountants and Auditors | 42,820 | 47,810 | 4,990 | 11.65% | $63,740 |
| 26 | Machinists | 25,290 | 30,130 | 4,840 | 19.14% | $37,400 |
| 27 | Chief Executives | 18,720 | 23,460 | 4,740 | 25.32% | $141,400 |
| 28 | Personal Financial Advisors | 6,860 | 11,520 | 4,660 | 67.93% | $70,050 |
| 29 | Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors | 10,950 | 15,550 | 4,600 | 42.01% | $24,880 |
| 30 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | 3,160 | 7,720 | 4,560 | 144.30% | $83,780 |
| 31 | Operations Research Analysts | 1,390 | 5,590 | 4,200 | 302.16% | $75,780 |
| 32 | Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 17,690 | 21,690 | 4,000 | 22.61% | $23,710 |
| 33 | Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 28,630 | 32,390 | 3,760 | 13.13% | $29,510 |
| 34 | Recreation Workers | 16,050 | 19,730 | 3,680 | 22.93% | $19,860 |
| 35 | Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 18,010 | 21,570 | 3,560 | 19.77% | $33,790 |
| 36 | Human Resources Managers | 3,270 | 6,780 | 3,510 | 107.34% | $94,940 |
| 37 | Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 32,800 | 36,070 | 3,270 | 9.97% | $19,590 |
| 38 | Civil Engineers | 6,630 | 9,880 | 3,250 | 49.02% | $74,830 |
| 39 | Advertising Sales Agents | 7,280 | 10,440 | 3,160 | 43.41% | $64,450 |
| 40 | Security Guards | 46,570 | 49,680 | 3,110 | 6.68% | $23,050 |
| 41 | Food Batchmakers | 4,990 | 8,100 | 3,110 | 62.32% | $26,930 |
| 42 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 18,090 | 21,190 | 3,100 | 17.14% | $68,070 |
| 43 | Paralegals and Legal Assistants* | 9,010 | 12,070 | 3,060 | 33.96% | $51,410 |
| 44 | Insurance Sales Agents | 15,320 | 18,200 | 2,880 | 18.80% | $49,860 |
| 45 | Pharmacy Technicians | 15,340 | 18,020 | 2,680 | 17.47% | $28,380 |
| 46 | Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 3,450 | 6,130 | 2,680 | 77.68% | $29,760 |
| 47 | Physical Therapists | 8,130 | 10,620 | 2,490 | 30.63% | $78,570 |
| 48 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | 9,290 | 11,650 | 2,360 | 25.40% | $19,140 |
| 49 | Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | 16,390 | 18,680 | 2,290 | 13.97% | $26,270 |
| 50 | Financial Specialists, All Other | 7,780 | 10,050 | 2,270 | 29.18% | $60,400 |
Table 2 shows the top 50 jobs that had the fastest growth rate from 2010 to 2014. We note that the profession that grew the fastest is the profession of social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other with a growth rate of 520.00%. It is followed by the profession of elevator installers and repairers which grew by 347.73% in the same period.