Job Shortages
The tables below show the top three occupations that are projected from 2018-2028 of Vermont employers based on the level of education they require. There is a state minimum wage of $11.75 in Vermont. The one highlighted occupation under each of the three education levels has been selected to expand on in terms of potential career advancement.
Potential Career Advancement
1) Personal Care Aide to Medical Assistant
Personal Care Aide Job Description:
- Provide assistance to individuals with disability or illness in completing daily tasks
Entry Level Requirements:
- No training requirements for PCA’s in the state of Vermont, but may be requested
- PCA training programs in Vermont listed here
Medical Assistant Job Description:
- Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician
Career Advancement Requirements:
- Complete a state-approved Medical Assistant School or Program, list of accredited schools in Vermont listed here
- Certification is not required by Vermont state law, but employers will often require it
- Apply to be nationally certified here ($125-$250, renewal every 3 years)
2) Carpenter to Supervisor of Construction Trades Workers
Carpenter Job Description:
- Construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood and comparable materials, such as concrete forms; building frameworks, including partitions, joists, studding, and rafters; and wood stairways, window and door frames, and hardwood floors
Entry Level Requirements:
- Complete an apprenticeship program in Vermont (average 3-4 years)
Job Description:
- Directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction workers
Career Advancement Requirements:
- Typical 3-5 years experience in construction industry required
- Bachelor’s degree in construction, business, management, or engineering preferable
3) Accountant & Auditor to Financial Manager
Accountant & Auditor Job Description:
- Analyze financial information and prepare financial reports on activities in an organization
Entry Level Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree with Accounting concentration (equivalent to 150 semester hours)
- 1 year of experience in accounting related field
- Pass the CPA exam (Approx. $900 with $150 application fee)
- Pass the AICPA ethics exam with a minimum score of 90
- No state residency or citizenship requirement, but social security is required
Financial Manager Job Description:
- Plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment
Career Advancement Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance related field, Master’s degree encouraged
- 5+ years of experience in business or finance, more information found here
Immigration in Vermont
he following are facts about the immigrant community in Vermont:
- Immigrants comprise 5% of the state population and 6% of the Vermont labor force
- Top industries of immigrant employment:
- Health Care and Social Assistance, 5,198 workers
- Retail Trade, 3,914 workers
- Educational Services, 3,006 workers
- Manufacturing, 1,721 workers
- Professional, scientific and Technical Services, 1,647 workers
- 1,335 immigrant business owners account for 3% of all self-employed Vermont residents
- 61% of immigrants in Vermont are naturalized and another 4% are undocumented
- Top foreign-born countries of origin:
- Canada, 20%
- Nepal, 7%
- Jamaica, 6%
- The Philippines, 6%
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, 5%
- 6% of native-born Vermonters are children of an immigrant
- Educational attainment of foreign born adults in Vermont:
- High School diploma or less – 29%
- More than HS diploma, less than Bachelor’s degree – 22%
- Bachelor’s degree or higher – 50%
- Share of Brain Waste* – 19%
* Share of immigrant professionals, who are unemployed, employed at poverty-level wages in High School diploma or less jobs, or significantly underemployed in more than HS diploma, less than Bachelor’s degree jobs
Sources
Jobs
Projections Managing Partnership (PMP), Projections Central – State Occupational Projections, “Long Term Occupational Projection (2018-2028)”; http://www.projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm
Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, “Education and training assignments by detailed occupation,” 2019; https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/education-and-training-by-occupation.htm
National Council of State Legislatures, “State Minimum Wages”, December 2020; http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wage-chart.aspx#Table
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release, “Employees on Nonfarm Payrolls by State, Seasonally adjusted”, November 2020; https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm
Potential Career Advancement
National Conference of State Legislatures, “The National Occupational Licensing Database”, March 2020: https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/occupational-licensing-statute-database.aspx
Immigration
American Immigration Council, State by State Fact Sheet, August 2020; https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/topics/state-by-state