Labor Department booklet predicts high and low growth rates for jobs over the next decade

High school seniors looking down the road to more schooling or their first permanent job can find some handy data in a booklet put out by the United States Department of Labor. ``The Job Outlook in Brief'' gives projections for job prospects in nearly 200 occupations over the next decade.

The booklet, which was published by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics, predicts that the largest growth rates will be in high-tech jobs such as mechanical and electrical engineers, computer programmers, systems analysts, and electrical and electronic technicians. The occupation of legal assistant also has strong growth possibilities.

But a word of caution is advised when dealing with such predictions, because jobs with high growth rates may not have a large total number of jobs. And conversely, occupations with slower growth rates may need vast quantities of workers; this category includes retail sales workers, building custodians, secretaries, truck drivers, and, for the first time in a number of years, teachers. When using the booklet, it's advisable to consult both the number of workers employed in the field and growth predicti ons to get a well-rounded picture.

Occupations that are expected to offer better part-time opportunities from now until 1995 include bank tellers, bookkeepers, secretaries, and shipping clerks.

The booklet can be obtained for $1.50 from Consumer Information Center, Department 124N, Pueblo, Colo. 81009.