Job Outlook

Employment opportunities for psychology professionals are expected to grow as fast as average for all other occupations in the United States through 2022. Job opportunities will be best for individuals with a doctoral degree from an accredited university in an applied specialty, such as health or science, and for those with a specialist or doctoral degree in school psychology. Master's degree holders in fields other than industrial-organizational psychology will likely face high levels of competition. Career opportunities will not be as plentiful for bachelor's degree holders, although some entry-level opportunities will exist. Individuals with a bachelor's degree in psychology will likely pursue career opportunities in fields other than psychology.

Employment change. Employment opportunities for psychologists and other psychology professionals is expected to grow 12% from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all other career fields. Employment growth will be due to increasing demand for psychological services in hospitals, schools, social service agencies, substance abuse treatment clinics, mental health centers, consulting firms, and private companies. If you're looking for a job these industries are a good place to start your job search.

An increasing demand for school psychologists will be generated by growing awareness of mental health and behavioral problems, such as bullying, as they relate to students ability to progess and learn in an educational enviroment. School psychologists will also be required to fulfill general student counseling on a variety of other issues, including working with disabled students or with special needs students, addressing drug abuse, and managing and consulting personal crisis.

Ever rising healthcare costs associated with unhealthy lifestyles, such as alcoholism, smoking, and obesity, which have made prevention and treatment more critical, will continue to spur demand for qualified clinical psychologists. A growing number of employee assistance programs, intended to assist workers with personal problems, also should lead to new employment opportunities for a variety clinical and counseling specialties.

A growing number of clinical and counseling psychologists will be needed to help people productively cope with job stress, depression and other mental disorders, marriage and family problems, as well as a variety life altering addictions. An increase in the elderly population will increase the demand for psychologists trained in geropsychology to help people cope with the physical and mental changes that occur as individuals grow older. Forecasts indicate that there will also be a growing demand by the public and private sector for psychologists specially trained to work with returning veterans.

Industrial-organizational psychologists and related psychological specialties who are equiped to boost worker productivity and retention rates in a wide range of businesses will among those psychologists in highest demand. Industrial-organizational psychologists will also be hired to help companies and organizations deal with issues such as antidiscrimination policies and workplace diversity. Psychologists' with expertise in survey design, analysis, and research, capable of design tools for marketing evaluation and statistical analysis will find job opportunities to be plentiful.