First the good news. Between 2002 and 2012, the Labor Department expects more than 7.5 million new jobs in the 20 occupations with the largest growth.

Now the bad news. Almost 6 million of those new jobs (accounting for 17 of the 20 largest growth occupations) require job-seekers with limited education and provide minimal training -- and are typically identified as low-wage jobs.

Learn more about the working poor in this section of Quintessential Careers: Low Wage Jobs: Tools, Statistics, Resources

Occupation	2002 Jobs	2012 Jobs	Job Growth	Education Required/Training Provided
1. Registered Nurses	2,284,000	2,908,000	623,000	Associate Degree
2. Postsecondary Teachers	1,581,000	2,184,000	603,000	Doctoral Degree
3. Retail Salespersons	4,076,000	4,672,000	596,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
4. Customer Service Representatives	1,894,000	2,354,000	460,000	Moderate-term on-the-job-training
5. Food Preparation and Serving Workers (including fast food)	1,990,000	2,444,000	454,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
6. Cashiers (except gaming)	3,432,000	3,886,000	454,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
7. Janitors and Cleaners (except maids and housekeeping cleaners)	2,267,000	2,681,000	414,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
8. General and Operations Managers	2,049,000	2,425,000	376,000	Bachelor's Degree (or higher, plus work experience)
9. Wait Staff	2,097,000	2,464,000	367,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
10. Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants	1,375,000	1,718,000	343,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
11. Truck Drivers (heavy and tractor-trailer)	1,767,000	2,014,000	337,000	Moderate-term on-the-job-training
12. Receptionists and Information Clerks	1,100,000	1,425,000	325,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
13. Security Guards	995,000	1,313,000	317,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
14. Office Clerks (general)	2,991,000	3,301,000	310,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
15. Teacher Assistants	1,277,000	1,571,000	294,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
16. Sales Representatives (wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products)	1,459,000	1,738,000	279,000	Moderate-term on-the-job-training
17. Home Health Aides	580,000	859,000	279,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
18. Personal and Home Care Aides	608,000	854,000	246,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
19. Truck Drivers (light or delivery services)	1,022,000	1,259,000	237,000	Short-term on-the-job-training
20. Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers	1,074,000	1,311,000	237,000	Short-term on-the-job-training

Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2/04.