Tradition!

Women and men traditionally flock to certain occupations. However, a gender shift in the labor force over the next five years likely will change the makeup of nontraditional careers.

By Dawn Zimmerman

Growing up in a small town in Central Minnesota, Rolland Brummer never imagined he would spend much of his professional life as a registered nurse at St. Cloud Hospital.

"I didn't know a single male nurse," he said. "I didn't even know males became nurses."

When Brummer first started at St. Cloud Hospital 21 years ago, he was the only male nurse in his unit. While still surrounded by mostly women, Brummer is now one of four male nurses who work in the oncology unit.

Nursing is among the top 10 nontraditional careers for St. Cloud-area male workers with men representing only 7.5 percent of area nurses, according to an analysis of 2008 American Community Survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Nontraditional careers are defined as one where more than 75 percent of the workforce is of the opposite gender.

The 2008 labor report follows the commonly held gender perceptions on professions. The top nontraditional careers for St. Cloud-area women include construction workers, mechanics and truck drivers. Engineering also ranks high with less than six percent of the profession comprised of women. Conversely, child care workers, teachers and administrative assistants top the list of nontraditional careers for men.

Historically, education, health care and office administration positions have long been dominated by women. For women, nontraditional careers tend to be labor intensive, scientific or technical. Local occupation patterns fall in line with the national trends with the least percentage - 1 percent - working in natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations, according to a 2008 labor report from U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Women held the majority of the positions as customer service representatives, secretaries and administrative assistants and registered nurses in the nation.

Women working as pharmacists, chief executives and lawyers – all considered nontraditional female careers – earn the highest median weekly earnings among full-time women workers.

A gender shift in the labor force over the next five years likely will change the makeup of nontraditional careers. The U.S. Department of Labor expects women to account for 49 percent of the national increase in total labor force growth between 2006 and 2016. Given the significant role women will play in growth of the future workforce, filling the jobs in healthcare, engineering and other strategic industries identified in the St. Cloud area likely will push more women to pursue nontraditional careers.

Linda Fischer, career planner with Minnesota Workforce Center-St. Cloud has already seen a growing number of men visit the Minnesota Workforce Center in St. Cloud asking about nontraditional careers, particularly healthcare. They have gone on to become certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and imaging technicians. Fischer sees a greater percentage of male workers considering nontraditional careers than women. She credits some of the shift to the economy and the elimination of manufacturing jobs that men traditionally held. The demand and corresponding pay for healthcare careers, in particular, also plays a role, she said.

For the complete story visit the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce for this issue of Business Central Magazine or subscribe by calling Cindy at 320-251-2940, ext. 100.

Dawn Zimmerman is owner of The Write Advantage, a communications consulting firm in St. Cloud.