Bureau of Labor Statistics take on the job market

[taxguy]

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' page for Political Scientists, the projected increase in jobs from 2008 - 2018 is a pleasant 19%.

What do you think of this? Too optimistic? How do we harmonize this with everyone talking about how if you don't graduate from a Top 25 program you will be pushing a shopping cart in the streets?

p.s. that is a very nice median salary, for those who make it there.

[flyers29]

I tend to take BLS forecasts with a grain of salt, regardless of whether or not they're positive or negative.

[balderdash]

Yeah, and I would expect that a lot of the growth comes from the switch to for-profit colleges, adjunct lecturerships, etc. as opposed to TT positions.

[demisel]

A 19% increase between 2008 and 2018 works out to an annualized growth rate of 1.016% or 1.018%, depending on whether the 2008-2018 interval is inclusive or not. Annual growth of about 1% doesn't seem all that nice (even though not that bad either, considering the current state of the economy). The median wage figure of $104,130 is for ALL political scientists--including those working for the federal government and private sector--not only political science professors, whose median annual wage is a still respectable if lower $78,620, according to this.