Department of Labor sees big changes in next decade: every two years, the U.S. Department of...

Overall, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment in the U.S. economy will rise 15 percent to 165 million, an increase of 21.3 million jobs. Much of franchising is conducted in the service industries and the BLS projections show almost all the employment growth will occur there.

Leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and education and health services are all categories expected to see greater employment growth than in the economy as a whole. Manufacturing, on the other hand, is expected to contract, with employment in the goods producing sector dropping from 16 percent to 14 percent of the overall economy.

What type of training will workers need cover the next decade? Of the 10 occupations expected to see the greatest increases in employment, six require only short-term on-the-job training. For example, food preparers, wait staff, cashiers and retail salespeople all are in the top 10.

Another trend clear from the BLS projections is the aging of America. In 2012, the oldest Baby Boomers will be 66. The segment of the workforce 55-years-old and older will grow by almost 50 percent over the decade, a stark contrast to the 12 percent growth in the total workforce.

How else will the workforce change? Greater numbers of women and Hispanics are entering the economy. Hispanics, now America's largest minority group, will see their numbers in the workforce grow from nearly 18 million in 2002 to more than 23 million by 2012. And over the next decade, the percentage of women in the labor force will reach nearly 48 percent, up from nearly 47 percent in 2002.

As franchisees and franchisors plan for the long-term future, the new projections from BLS can help them chart a course that matches what their future workforce will look like.

More information is available at the Web site of the Bureau of Labor Statistics at http://www.bls.gov.