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7 <br /> 5 <br /> SECTION 1B - ECONOMIC OUTLOOK <br /> The overall economic outlook for Orange County and the Research Triangle area of North <br /> Carolina has been, and, for the near future, will continue to be positive. New job creation is rising <br /> about 4% per year. From 1989 to 1993, total jobs in Orange County rose from 39,834 to 46,051 <br /> (16%), while average wages rose from $21,185 to $24,799 (17%). The projections for the <br /> region are for 3% growth through the year 2000. <br /> Regionally, projections show slow growth in blue collar jobs and job losses in the agriculture <br /> sector, with the strongest overall gains in service jobs and the professional and technical areas. In <br /> Orange County, trade, government, and service jobs have been steadily increasing over the past 2 <br /> decades; over 80% of our jobs are now in those 3 sectors. Even more telling is that 50% of the <br /> jobs are in 3 sub-sectors: state government, eating and drinking establishments, and health <br /> services. (See Chart 2) <br /> For our region some of the fastest growing occupations through the turn of the century are <br /> projected to be: <br /> 1. Teachers (Elementary& Secondary) +5,733 jobs <br /> 2. Retail Salespersons +4,441 jobs <br /> 3. Janitors and Cleaners +3,709 jobs <br /> 4. Cashiers +3,249 jobs <br /> 5. Registered Nurses +3,103 jobs <br /> 6. General Clerks +2,866 jobs <br /> 7. Waiters&Waitresses +3,100 jobs <br /> 8. Top Executives +2,599 jobs <br /> 9. System Analysts +2,044 jobs <br /> 10. Secretaries +2,035 jobs <br /> 11. Food Preparation Workers +2,014 jobs <br /> The Triangle J Region is expected to add almost 150,000 new jobs by the year 2000. The growth <br /> is divided as follows: <br /> Agricultural&Forestry - 1% <br /> Clerical& Administrative Support + 16% <br /> Managerial& Administrative + 8% <br /> Production, Construction&Materials + 19% <br /> Professional&Para-professional —27% <br /> Sales &Related + 11% <br /> Service Occupations +20% <br /> Compensation for these jobs varies widely, but, one area for concern is the concentration of jobs <br />