[originaltext] Predicting the jobs or skills that will be in demand years fr

Predicting the jobs or skills that will be in demand years from now is a tricky task for many teens, young adults and their parents. Luckily, we have the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published last month by the Labor Department who made a ten-year forecast for demand, pay and competition for more than 300 jobs in 45 categories. (9) The department’s forecasts have often been prescient—accurately predicting this decade’s fast growth in special-education teaching jobs and the widening range of hot health care careers, for example. In the coming decade, (10) engineering—already known for paying college graduates some of the highest starting salaries—is expected to offer the fastest-growing area: biomedical engineering. Jobs in this field, which center on developing and testing health care innovations such as artificial organs or imaging systems, are expected to grow by 72%, the Labor Department says. Among other professions, job opportunities for physicians should be "very good," the guide says; health care dominates the list of the fastest-growing jobs, capturing 11 of the top 20 slots. While more attorneys and architects will be needed, competition for these jobs will be intense. (11) Psychologists will be in demand, but growth will be the fastest in industrial and organizational psychology. The forecasts have limitations. The Labor Department’s macroeconomic model works on two noteworthy assumptions that the economy will rebound to long-term growth and that there won’t be any more big shocks like the 2007—2008 recession. (12) Thus its forecasts don’t predict the big job-market swings or sudden changes in the supply of workers that can easily happen in an unstable economy.
    Questions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.
    9. For what reason do people feel lucky to have the Labor Department’s predictions?
    10. Which area will see the fastest growth in job demand?
    11. Which field will see the fastest growth in psychology in terms of job demand?
    12. What are the limitations of the Labor Department’s forecasts?