Forecasts for 2020 suggest where SoCal's hottest jobs will be

Biomedical engineering, logistics and event planning are projected to grow by double-digit percentages, according to state and federal agencies.

  

If you’re happily employed but finally feeling confident enough about the job market to look around for other work – or you’re a college student deciding on a major – you’d do well to direct your efforts toward jobs expected to grow the fastest in Southern California over the next few years.

You won’t be the only one. A Salary.com survey of 1,200 people from earlier this year found that 83 percent said they’ll job hunt in 2014, up from 77 percent last year. That’s despite 54 percent who claimed to be satisfied with work, up from 31 percent in 2013.

Which jobs are hottest?

Between now and 2020, biomedical engineering positions are expected to have the highest anticipated percentage growth. Jobs for engineers who research human and animal biology to create medical instruments, write scientific software or help people with disabilities are forecast to jump 87 percent in Orange County and 60 percent in Los Angeles, according to the state Employment Development Department.

That job is also the best paid of the region’s top 50 fastest-growing occupations, with a median wage of up to $45 an hour for new hires with a bachelor’s degree, according to the department.

Not all the region’s fast-growing jobs require as much training, or are as lucrative. Jobs that are expected to have the most new openings overall through 2020 include many that pay minimum or near minimum wage, including personal care aides, home health aides, and restaurant cooks and servers, according to government agencies.

Here are descriptions of some of the area’s hottest jobs and what it takes to get them, based on information from the state Employment Development Department, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Labor’s O*Net Online occupation website. Median hourly and annual salary are calculated based on half of people with that job making more and half making less.

Scroll through to take a look at the jobs expected to be in demand, and what they pay:

Biomedical engineer

What they do: Design and develop medical products, software and services

Fastest growing jobs rank: Orange County 1; Los Angeles 1

Median annual pay: Orange County $94,046; Los Angeles $87,399

Education and training for entry-level position: Bachelor of Arts degree; no work experience or on-the-job training required

Why so hot: An aging population and increased awareness of the advantages of scientific advances are pushing jobs for biomedical engineers at companies, hospitals, research labs and government agencies. Though biomedical engineering jobs are predicted to grow faster than any other occupations in both counties on a percentage basis, the total number of new jobs is expected to remain relatively tiny, rising from 830 in 2010 to 1,790 in 2020.

Logistician

What they do: Coordinate processes and procedures for manufacturing and other company operations

Fastest growing jobs rank: Orange County 4; Los Angeles 18

Median annual pay: Orange County $74,011; Los Angeles $78,249

Education and training for entry-level position: Bachelor of Arts degree; one to five years work experience

Why so hot: When you absolutely, positively have to get it there overnight, you better have a logistician on staff to figure out how to do it. Mapping out distribution strategies is becoming more important as companies increase sales overseas. Logisticians also have some of the highest salaries of all fast-growing jobs in the area, No. 6 in Orange County, and No. 2 in Los Angeles.

Meeting, convention and event planner

What they do: Plan events for groups large and small, from industry conferences and corporate meetings to weddings and holiday parties.

Fastest growing jobs rank: Orange County 8; Los Angeles 9

Median annual pay: Orange County $50,983; Los Angeles $49,853

Education and training for entry-level position: Bachelor of Arts degree; less than a year of work experience

Why so hot: Video conferences and webinars didn’t kill the business meeting. In fact, demand for corporate get-togethers is expanding as business goes global and companies recognize the value of professional staged events. Those trends are bolstering jobs for event planners, including in-house staff and self-employed planners. The total number of meeting planner jobs in the region is expected to grow almost 40 percent from 2010 to 2020, to 1,160 jobs in Orange County and 2,680 in Los Angeles.

Marketing research analyst and marketing specialist

What they do: Analyze business and industry conditions to help companies estimate markets for their products and services

Fastest growing jobs rank: Orange County 10; Los Angeles 7

Median annual pay: Orange County $63,551 Los Angeles $58,174

Education and training for entry-level position: Bachelor of Arts degree; no work experience or on-the-job training required

Why so hot: Corporate America has discovered the power of big data and it’s creating positions for marketers and marketing analysts who can crunch numbers to help predict which way the winds of business are blowing. Southern California will be home to thousands of new marketing jobs over the next six years, with Orange County seeing a 37 percent jump, to 8,860, and Los Angeles a 42 percent increase, to 18,950.

Marriage and family therapist

What they do: Diagnose and treat mental, emotional and behavioral issues in individuals, couples and families

Fastest growing jobs rank: Orange County 14; Los Angeles 6

Median annual pay: Orange County $52,382; Los Angeles $48,951

Education and training for entry-level position: Master’s degree and internship or residency

Why so hot: More insurance companies are covering mental health counseling, which is helping create jobs and leading to a “bright” outlook for marriage and family therapist jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Orange County is forecast to have 840 such therapists by 2020, up 33 percent, and Los Angeles 3,310, up 43 percent.

Personal care aides

What they do: Help people with everyday tasks and self-care, and offer companionship

Fastest growing jobs rank: Orange County 16; Los Angeles 3

Median annual pay: Orange County $21,352; Los Angeles $21,261

Education and training for entry-level position: Less than a high school diploma; short-term on-the-job training

Why so hot: Baby boomers are fueling the need for more personal care aides who can help clients age in place by getting assistance at home instead of moving to nursing homes or other facilities. Nationwide, jobs for personal care aides are expected to increase 49 percent by 2022. Of all fast-growing occupations in Southern California, it’s the one expected to have the largest number of positions: by 2020, Orange County is forecast to have 22,170 personal care aide jobs, and Los Angeles, 171,210.