Job Forecast and Industry Outlook

Web Design is a large and growing industry that combines the fields of graphic design, computer programming, multimedia, and writing. California, in particular, is experiencing a rapid growth in this industry area. While the need is expanding, there is a shortage of qualified people to fill these jobs. On any given day, you can visit a web-based employment board such as http://www.dice.com and find thousands of available positions with entry level salaries from $32,000 - $65,000. As more and more consumers obtain broadband internet connections (DSL, cable, satellite), the demand for rich media will only increase.

California Labor Market Information

The State of California provides labor market information on many occupations in the state. Although they don't specifically track web design statistics by itself, we can derive trends by looking at other categories. They indicate in a very dated report (1996) that web design is difficult to maintain accurate labor market information for because many (perhaps most) web designers are self-employed. California is only able to collect data on employees.

Occupational Guides

In one group of reports, California published jobs trends and predictions for the years 1998–2008. Among the many occupations profiled were

Within each of these four categories are web design jobs. In fact, the web design industry is completely represented within these groups. So by looking at the trends for each of them, we can get an idea of the job market for web design. California reports the following trends and predictions. (The links are to California's occupational guides for each)

Occupations with Greatest Growth

California also published a list of the fastest growing occupations, among which was Multimedia Artists and Animators. For this occupation, which includes web design, they indicate the following:

Summary

With the exception of Computer Programming, all of the other categories that include the field of web design are growing at a faster rate than average in California. And even though growth is slower in the programming field, the sheer number of new jobs (12,100) in the next 10 years still provides much opportunity. There is a strong need for web designers, programmers, animators, and writers, and the need is going to increase. Bear in mind also, that the above statistics and predictions only apply to employed web designers. There are many, many more opportunities for freelance designers.

World Organization of Webmasters Indicates Need

On August 21, 2002, the World Organization for Webmasters (WOW) published an article entitled "New Study Optimistic for the Future of Web Professionals." In spite of the recent turbulence of the dot com industry, the Information Technology Association reports a positive economic outlook and an increased demand for web professionals. Among the statistics are the following: