With billions of dollars already spent on coastal restoration and hurricane protection and with billions more to be spent over the next 50 years, an abundance of water related work will continue to drive and diversify the regional economy. Water management work encompasses coastal restoration, coastal protection and urban water management. This is work that occurs both on the coast and inside the levee system. Among the industries targeted by economic development groups in the region, the water management sector is second only to energy when it comes to overall employment. Additionally, no other sector has grown faster in Southeast Louisiana since 2010.
In addition to being the strongest two sectors, water and energy utilize many of the same occupations meaning that there will be particularly high demand for these workers. The nature of work in water management largely follows work similar to that of large civil construction projects. Projects go through two primary phases – planning and engineering and construction and maintenance. Jobs in water management are relatively high paying and offer a spectrum of pathways for a variety of skill levels. The bulk of lower and middle skilled jobs are in the construction phase of a project. Higher skilled positions are needed in the planning, engineering and design phases of a project with the bulk of that need being for scientists and engineers.
At a Glance
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EMPLOYS 30,350 IN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS REGION
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23% NEW JOB GROWTH OVER THE NEXT DECADE
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52% OF JOBS REQUIRE MIDDLE SKILLS
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3,250 HIGH SKILL JOB OPENINGS OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS
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MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY FOR HIGH SKILL JOBS $73,000
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13,632 PROJECTED JOB OPENINGS OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS
Demographics
Over the last several decades, Louisiana (and the U.S. more broadly) has focused on encouraging youth to pursue 4-year degrees at the expense of middle skill career pathways.
As a result, there are relatively fewer younger and mid-career workers in these occupations. This affects all industries that rely on skilled craft workers. Over 20 percent of water management workers are over 55 years old, meaning they will soon retire.
Although a number of these occupations require minimal amounts of preparation for entry-level work, the loss of an experienced workforce will create challenges as employers seek to replace experienced workers exiting the labor force while also hiring to meet new demand.
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Approximately 1 out of 5 Water Management Workers are 55 Years or Older
Distribution of Skills
The water management sector, which includes both construction products & services and business services, such as surveying, planning, engineering and design, requires slightly more middle and high skilled workers than other sectors in the overall GNO economy.
What is a middle skill job?
We define middle skill jobs as those that generally require some education and training beyond high school but less than a bachelor’s degree. These postsecondary education and training requirements can include associate’s degrees, industry-based credentials, on-the-job training, previous work experience, or generally ‘some college’ less than a bachelor’s degree. High skill jobs require a bachelor’s degree or higher.
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Approximately 9 out of 10 Water Management Workers are Middle or High Skilled
Water Management Top High-Skill Jobs
Description | Employed in Industry Group (2015) | Change (2015-2025) | % of Total Jobs in Industry Group (2015) | Median Hourly Earnings | Typical Entry Level Education |
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Civil Engineers | 1,062 | 699 | 3.40% | $43.27 | Bachelor's degree |
Accountants and Auditors | 677 | 495 | 2.20% | $28.25 | Bachelor's degree |
General and Operations Managers | 996 | 422 | 3.20% | $40.48 | Bachelor's degree |
Management Analysts | 904 | 400 | 2.90% | $32.56 | Bachelor's degree |
Mechanical Engineers | 372 | 272 | 1.20% | $46.09 | Bachelor's degree |
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 284 | 196 | 0.90% | $23.19 | Bachelor's degree |
Architectural and Engineering Managers | 334 | 190 | 1.10% | $65.53 | Bachelor's degree |
Electrical Engineers | 329 | 184 | 1.10% | $46.75 | Bachelor's degree |
Lawyers | 205 | 181 | 0.70% | $51.41 | Doctoral or professional degree |
Construction Managers | 432 | 179 | 1.40% | $31.74 | Bachelor's degree |
Water Management Top Middle-Skill Jobs
Description | Employed in Industry Group (2015) | Change (2015-2025) | % of Total Jobs in Industry Group (2015) | Median Hourly Earnings | Typical Entry Level Education |
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Sales Representatives, Services, All Other | 518 | 281 | 1.70% | $18.93 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Carpenters | 514 | 228 | 1.60% | $16.22 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 523 | 203 | 1.70% | $26.80 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Business Operations Specialists | 514 | 188 | 1.60% | $26.11 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 429 | 186 | 1.40% | $21.75 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Operating Engineers and Construction Equipment Operators | 450 | 178 | 1.40% | $17.38 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 372 | 147 | 1.20% | $20.04 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Computer User Support Specialists | 308 | 129 | 1.00% | $21.84 | Some college, no degree |
Civil Engineering Technicians | 278 | 119 | 0.90% | $21.46 | Associate's degree |
Maintenance and Repair Workers, Genera | 272 | 114 | 0.90% | $15.90 | High school diploma or equivalent |