A Business Degree Can Open Doors
| Manufacturing | Healthcare and Social Assistance |
| Government | Finance |
| Insurance | Professional Services |
| Business Service | Retail |
| Hospitality | Entrepreneur / Start-Up |
| Advertising | Public Relations |
| Product Management | Non-Profit |
Business and finance occupations in the Pittsburgh region grow 5%, which is slightly higher than the national average of 4.2%. The demand of the workforce in this region has not been met. Bachelor and graduate students are needed for 4,000 annual job openings and there are only about 3,000 new graduates.
The administrative roles have high replacement rates due to turnover with 21,000 open positions per year.
Growing jobs in Business and Finance
| Management Analysts | Training and Development Specialists |
| Market Research Specialists | Purchasing Agents |
| Accountants and Auditors | Loan Officers |
| Market Research Analysts | Claim Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators |
| Financial Analysts | Cost Estimators |
| Project Managers | Personal Finance Advisors |
| Human Resources Specialists | Compliance Officers |
| Business Operations Managers/Specialists | Wholesale and Retail Buyers |
| Information Security Analysts | Financial Managers/Specialists |
| Operation Research Analysts | Medical and Health Services Managers |
| Social and Community-Service Managers | Logisticians |
| Mathematicians/Statisticians | Actuaries |
Growing jobs in Administration and Office Support
| Customer Service Representatives | Medical Secretaries |
| Secretaries | Production Planning & Expediting Clerks |
| Stock Clerks and Order Fillers | Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks |
| Supervisor - Office and Administrative Support | Receptionists and Information Clerks |
| Workers | Billing and Posting Clerks |
Employable Skills
Allegheny Conference released the Inflection Point report in 2016 describing the changing landscape of the hiring and the nature of the industry. It states that
“……workers with strong customer service skills will be vital for building lasting customer relationships…”
“…..workers with strong technical and analytical skills who are able to deliver the analytical insights or agile services that customers and employers expect are also in high demand.”
Summary of Skills
| Business and Finance Roles | Administrative Support Roles |
| Customer Service | Baseline Skills e.g., communication, customer service*, and organization |
| Technical and Analytical Skills (with use of SQL for database, Google Analytics and SAS | Writing Skills* |
| Writing Skills* | Computer Skills e.g., Microsoft Office, Enterprise Software System |
| Detailed Oriented | Detailed Oriented |
| Problem Solving* | Problem Solving |
| Milti-Tasking | Multi-Tasking |
| Basic Mathematics * |
* Baseline Skill Gaps
Skills in Demand for Business and Finance Workers
| Software Skills | Baseline Skills | |
| Accounting | Microsoft Excel | Communication Skills |
| Business Analysis | Microsoft Office | Organizational Skills |
| Financial Analysis | Microsoft PowerPoint | Writing |
| Business Process | Oracle | Microsoft Excel |
| Financial Reporting | SAP | Research |
| Financial Statements | SQL | problem Solving |
| Account Reconciliation | Enterprise Resource Planning | Microsoft Office |
| Spreadsheets | Microsoft Excel | Planning |
| Public Accounting | Microsoft Visio | Detailed Oriented |
| Risk Management | PeopleSoft | Customer Service |
Source:
Burning Glass Technologies (2016), “Inflection Point: Supply, Demand and the Future of Work in the Pittsburgh Region”, with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
http://www.businessinsider.com/best-business-jobs-2016-1/#16-hr-special…