What are the prospects for future employment in human services?
As with any major, future employment prospects for Human Services majors ultimately depend on the overall economy and the political context. When the economy goes down, social problems increase, so that business for the helping professions goes up. However, money to pay for such needed services goes down with the economy. With the aging of the U.S. population, the need for human services will increase. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor predicted in 1998 that human services will be the seventh fastest growing employment area from then until 2007. As you take courses and gain fieldwork experience, think about what special skills may be needed in the future. It is clear that bilingual people will be much needed in the future. Already, bilingual counselors are paid about 25% more than monolinguals. Signing counselors for the deaf are also needed. With the baby boomers aging, there will be greater demand in future for people to work with the elderly. As another example, neuropsychology
