Career Exploration & Information

Planning for a new career is easier than you think. IWD has the resources to help any Iowan find their path, including key data from Labor Market Information. This page includes several agency resources to get started or learn more about Iowa's occupations.

OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION: AIDING IN CAREER EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT

The Career Planners and Job Seekers On-Line Reference Guide is a a great place to start planning a new career. The guide provides essential websites and tools aimed at preparing an individual's career for success. Additional online resources are available at the Career Connection Guide.

Information on employment and wages by occupation within Iowa are located on the Iowa Wage Report and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics pages. Information about estimated openings, growth, skills, and education and training levels by occupation is located on the Occupational Projections home page.

OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOKS

The following outlook reports relate to those occupations that are considered fast growing; high demand, high salary or "hot"; a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) vocation; and also jobs that are considered "green" or are related to goods or services that benefit the environment.

Statewide reports are also available (All reports are Excel files).

Note: Iowa's Local Workforce Development Areas have been updated. New reports will be posted to this page as soon as they become available. For more information, visit this link. For information on the area definitions on current reports, visit this link.

OCCUPATIONAL PROJECTIONS

Long-term occupational projections, also known as forecasts, provide helpful information on the expected job growth of occupations. This resource covers their employment, growth rate, openings, wages, education, work experience, job training, skills and more. Short-term, two-year, projections are also available for the State of Iowa and local areas. Projections/forecast data can be viewed on the Occupational Projections page.

IOWA LICENSED OCCUPATIONS

Information is also available on the occupations in Iowa that require a license, certificate or commission issued at the State level. Licensing requirements, associated fees and examination information can be viewed by visiting the Iowa Licensed Occupations page.

RELATED CAREER EXPLORATION LINKS/RESOURCES:

• Future Ready Iowa: Assists Iowans in career exploration and related education or training.
• Career Resources: Visit related career exploration tools on Future Ready Iowa, which include IowaWORKS career assessments and the O*NET Interest Profiler.
• EarnandLearnIowa.gov: Assists job seekers and employers in exploring Registered Apprenticeship opportunities in Iowa.
• Occupational Skills Development Guide: A tool used for mapping a career path by occupation and skills required by cluster. (Excel version)
• IowaWORKS website: Iowa's largest job bank.
• Employer Database: A tool for locating employers in Iowa.
• Home Base Iowa: Assists veterans and transitioning service members find employment.