Nearly 60,000
High-Skilled Agriculture Job Openings Expected Annually in U.S., Yet Only
35,000 Graduates Available to Fill Them
Baton
Rouge, LA – On May 11, 2015, Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack announced a new report showing tremendous demand for recent college
graduates with a degree in agricultural programs with an estimated 57,900
high-skilled job openings annually in the food, agriculture, renewable natural
resources, and environment fields in the United States. According to an
employment outlook report released by USDA's National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA) and Purdue University, there is an average of 35,400 new
U.S. graduates with a bachelor's degree or higher in agriculture related
fields, 22,500 short of the jobs available annually.
"There is incredible opportunity
for highly-skilled jobs in agriculture," said Secretary Vilsack.
"Those receiving degrees in agricultural fields can expect to have ample
career opportunities. Not only will those who study agriculture be likely to
get well-paying jobs upon graduation, they will also have the satisfaction of
working in a field that addresses some of the world's most pressing challenges.
These jobs will only become more important as we continue to develop solutions
to feed more than 9 billion people by 2050." Read the full report online at
https://www.purdue.edu/usda/employment/
- Even as
enrollments in these programs increase and the job market becomes somewhat
more competitive, good employment opportunities for the next five years
are expected.
- Growth in job
opportunities will be uneven. Employers in some areas will struggle to
find enough graduates to fill jobs. In a few areas, employers will find an
oversupply of job seekers.
- Expect to see a
strong employment market for e-commerce managers and marketing agents,
ecosystem managers, agricultural science and business educators, crop
advisors, and pest control specialists.
- Job opportunities
in STEM areas are expected to grow. Expect the strongest job market for
plant scientists, food scientists, sustainable biomaterials specialists,
water resources scientists and engineers, precision agriculture
specialists, and veterinarians.
The report, Employment Opportunities for College
Graduates in Food, Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources, and the
Environment, United States, 2015-2020, is the eighth in a series of five-year projections
initiated by USDA in 1980. The report was produced by Purdue University with
grant support from NIFA.
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