This group covers businesses that primarily provide services, not elsewhere classified (NEC), such as authors, lecturers, radio commentators, song writers, weather forecasters, writers, and artists working on their own account.
711510 (Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers)
512210 (Record Production)
541690 (Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services)
512230 (Music Publishers)
541612 (Human Resources and Executive Search Consulting Services)
514199 (All Other Information Services)
541620 (Environmental Consulting Services)
The services, NEC, group included many specialties ranging from inventors and lecturers to stained glass artists and cloud seeders. According to government statistics, 14,587 firms employed 81,136 people in this category in 1992. A majority of firms in this category had annual sales under $100,000, with 6,848 having sales below $49,000, and 8,607 with sales between $50,000 and $99,000. The size of such firms also favored the smaller firm, with 19,826 having less than 5 employees.
The largest industry sector was actuarial firms, with ten percent of the industry workforce in the 1990s. Actuaries use mathematical models and statistical techniques to analyze risk. They develop and price insurance products and financial instruments, analyze financial institutions, and help manage pension and employee benefit plans. Actuaries also perform other jobs requiring advanced statistical analysis and mathematical modeling, such as investment management.
Although their profession is considered rewarding and lucrative, actuaries typically must pass exams that may require several years of study during their employment. But experienced actuaries typically earn over $50,000 annually, and often make as much as $100,000 or more. Demand for actuaries was expected to rise more than 50 percent between 1990 and 2005, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Except for clerical workers, geology and geophysical services were the second largest industry category, accounting for about 6 percent of the workforce. Geologists study the earth's composition and structure. Geophysicists study matter and energy and how they interact. Members of both professions may consult on construction projects, such as dams and roadways; locating raw materials for extraction by mining and drilling companies; and predicting natural disasters. Salaries for experienced professionals in these fields were about $40,000 per year in 1992. Jobs for geologists and geophysicists could rise 70 percent by 2005, fed by more environmental research and the hunt for new mineral reserves.
Writers, editors, and technical writers made up 5 percent of the miscellaneous services workers in the mid 1990s. Often working as contractors or freelancers, writers and editors were hired by publishers, television and radio stations, and other media groups. They also worked for companies and individuals, writing speeches, marketing materials, manuals, and other compositions. Editors usually managed and reviewed the work of writers, and were often involved with the publishing process. While yearly salaries varied, experienced writers commonly earned $25,000 to $35,000 and editors generally drew $30,000 to $45,000.
While salary and employment prospects vary by occupation, the overall job outlook was positive for miscellaneous services workers through the 1990s. Demand for most occupations should rise more than 50 percent between 1990 and 2005. Computer programming services, which accounted for roughly two percent of the workforce, should rise nearly 100 percent. Job growth may also be strong for commercial artists, meteorologists, interior designers, and science and math technicians and managers.
U.S. Department of Commerce. 1992 Census of Service Industries & Geographic Area Series. Washington, DC: Bureau of the Census, 1995.
Dun's Census of American Business 1997. Parsippany, NJ: Dun& Bradstreet, 1997.
Ward's Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies, 1999. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 1999.
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