What is the job outlook or placement rate for planners?
The U.S. Department of Labor predicts jobs in planning will grow 10-20 percent between 1998 and 2008. The number of positions in private consulting firms will probably grow more quickly than public sector jobs in planning. Several factors are leading to a strong market for planners in the future. Growing concern, even discontent, with the quality of life in rapidly growing suburban areas has resulted in a renewed interest in city planning. Policy makers and the public are taking planning more seriously. A large number of states have created new mandates for local planning and are providing funding for local planning activity. While the booming development cycle of the 1990s may abate during the first decade of the 21st century, the recognition of planning as critical to the long-term health of urban areas is unlikely to be forgotten soon The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that most new jobs will be located in affluent, rapidly growing urban and suburban communities.
