Employment change. Overall employment of
computer network, systems, and database
administrators is projected to increase by 30
percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the
average for all occupations. In addition, this
occupation will add 286,600 new jobs over that
period. Growth, however, will vary by specialty.
Employment of network and computer systems
administrators is expected to increase by 23 percent
from 2008 to 2018,
much
faster than the average for all occupations.
Computer networks are an integral part of business,
and demand for these workers will increase as firms
continue to invest in new technologies. The
increasing adoption of mobile technologies means
that more establishments will use the Internet to
conduct business online. This growth translates into
a need for systems administrators who can help
organizations use technology to communicate with
employees, clients, and consumers. Growth will also
be driven by the increasing need for information
security. As cyber attacks become more
sophisticated, demand will increase for workers with
security skills.
Employment of database
administrators is expected
to grow by 20 percent from
2008 to 2018,
much faster than the average.
Demand for these workers is
expected to increase as
organizations need to store,
organize, and analyze
increasing amounts of data.
In addition, as more
databases are connected to
the Internet, and as data
security becomes
increasingly important, a
growing number of these
workers will be needed to
protect databases from
attack.
Employment of
network systems and data
communications analysts is
projected to increase by 53
percent from 2008 to 2018,
which is
much faster than the average
and places it among the
fastest growing of all
occupations. This
occupational category
includes network architects
and engineers, as well as
Web administrators and
developers. Demand for
network architects and
engineers will increase as
organizations continue to
upgrade their IT capacity
and incorporate the newest
technologies. The growing
reliance on wireless
networks will result in a
need for many more of these
workers. Workers with
knowledge of information
security also will be in
demand, as computer networks
transmit an increasing
amount of sensitive data.
