White House says jobs market morphing

WASHINGTON, July 13 (UPI) -- White House economic advisers said Monday flexibility and a good education are key to securing a strong economic future in the United States.

"For example, a quarter of American workers in 2003 were in jobs that were not even listed among the Census Bureau's occupation codes in 1967, and technological change has only accelerated since then," the report said.

The construction sector, the report projects, will "eventually recover and add jobs in the coming decade." However, it said, many "highly-paid occupations require workers with good analytic and interactive skills."

"Employers value workers who can think critically and solve problems," the report said.

The loss of manufacturing skills is expected to "moderate," while healthcare is predicted to continue as a growth industry.

Jobs in "medical records ... registered nurses, clinical laboratory technicians and physical therapists" are expected to grow, the report said.

With 6.5 million jobs lost since December 2007, "we must ... improve training and job search assistance policies to facilitate not just re-entry into the labor market ... but also entry into jobs that take advantage of growth opportunities."