ECONOMIC
INDICATORS
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
An economic indicator is any economic
statistic, such as the unemployment rate,
which shows us how well the economy is
doing and how well the economy is going to
do in the future.
 An indicator is anything that can be used to
predict future financial or economic trends.
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Source: http://economics.about.com/cs/businesscycles/a/economic_ind.htm
CPI – Consumer Price Index
Imagine a basket of goods,
like groceries, fuel, clothing,
medical care, phone bills,
tuition at school
 CPI measures the change in
the prices over time of
consumer items—goods and
services that people buy for
day-to-day living

Consumer Price Index – Inflation
Since 1994, prices have increased 54.8%
1994 Prices
Regular Gas Prices:
$1.11 / gallon
 Average State
School Tuition:
$2,700
 Big Mac: $2.30
 Movie Ticket: $4.08

2012 Prices
Regular Gas Prices:
$3.75 / gallon
 Average State
School Tuition:
$8,244
 Big Mac: $4.20
 Movie Ticket: $10.25

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GDP
Total value of all goods and services
produced over a specific time period
 You can think of it as the size of the
economy
 GDP for USA in 2010 – $14.6 Trillion
 GDP for USA in 1994 – $6.99 Trillion

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT – GDP

http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=d
5bncppjof8f9_&ctype=l&strail=false&bcs=d&nsel
m=h&met_y=ny_gdp_mktp_cd&scale_y=lin&ind_y
=false&rdim=region&idim=country:USA:CAN&idim
=region:LAC:ECA:EAP:SSA:SAS&ifdim=region&tstar
t=768974400000&tend=1273896000000&hl=en
&dl=en&ind=false&q=gdp
Unemployment

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The number of people
without jobs who are
actively seeking work
March 2012 - 8.2%
Employment improved
in manufacturing, food
services and drinking
places, and health
care, but was down in
retail trade.
Unemployment Data - Google

http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=z
1ebjpgk2654c1_&ctype=l&strail=false&bcs=d&ns
elm=h&met_y=unemployment_rate&fdim_y=seaso
nality:S&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=country&i
dim=state:ST420000:ST540000:ST390000&ifdim
=country&tstart=768974400000&tend=1334462
400000&hl=en&dl=en&ind=false
10 Highest Paying Jobs in Demand
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Biomedical Engineers
Job Growth in Next Decade: 72% (#1 in all jobs)
Education: Master’s Degree
Earnings: $57,000 – $77,0000
II. Computer Systems Analyst
Job Growth in Next Decade: 53.4% (#2 in all jobs)
Education: Graduate Preferred, Bachelor’s with Experience also Preferred.
Earnings: $77,000 – $89,0000
III. Physician Assistants
Job Growth in Next Decade: 39.0% (#7 in all jobs)
Education: PA degree required (2 years plus prerequisite coursework)
Earnings: $68,000 – $97,0000, average is $81,000
IV. Biochemists
Job Growth in Next Decade: 39.0% (#9 in all jobs)
Education: Graduate Preferred
Earnings: $59,000- $108,000
V. Dental Hygienist
Job Growth in Next Decade: 36.1% (#11 in all jobs)
Education: Post- undergraduate (2 + 3 years) Dental Hygiene certificate
Earnings: $55,000- $78,000, average is $82,000
10 Highest Paying Jobs in Demand
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VI. Computer Software Engineer
Job Growth in Next Decade: 34.0% (#14 in all jobs)
Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Earnings: $67,000- $104,000
VII. Veterinarians
Job Growth in Next Decade: 33.3% (#17 in all jobs)
Education: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M) + Undergraduate Degree
Earnings: $61,000- $104,000
VIII. Environmental Engineers
Job Growth in Next Decade: 30.6% (#21 in all jobs)
Education: Graduate Preferred
Earnings: $56,000- $94,000
IX. Survey Researchers
Job Growth in Next Decade: 30.4% (#25 in all jobs)
Education: Bachelor’s
Earnings: $43,000- $85,100
X. Physical Therapists
Job Growth in Next Decade: 30.3% (#27 in all jobs)
Education: Prerequisite coursework followed by 2- 2.5 year PT program
Earnings: $50,000- $104,000
Top 10 Best-Paying
College Degrees in 2010
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
College Degree
Starting Median Pay
Petroleum engineering
$93,000
Aerospace engineering
$59,400
Chemical engineering
$64,800
Electrical engineering
$60,800
Nuclear engineering
$63,900
Applied mathematics
$56,400
Biomedical engineering
$54,800
Physics
$50,700
Computer engineering
$61,200
Economics
$48,800
Computer science
$56,200
Civil engineering
$53,500
Statistics
$50,000
Finance
$47,500
Software engineering
$56,700
Mid-career pay
$157,000
$108,000
$108,000
$104,000
$104,000
$101,000
$101,000
$99,600
$87,700
$97,800
$97,700
$93,400
$93,400
$91,500
$91,300
5 MOST IN DEMAND JOBS –
NO COLLEGE DEGREE REQUIRED
1. Home Health Aides: Wage as of 2010: $10.18
Offer health care services in the residences of aging
adults or even individuals with long-term health problems
or disabilities.
2. Personal Care Aides: Wage as of 2010: $10.73
Drive patients to places outside the residence, like going
to doctor's appointments; housekeeping
3. Dental Assistants
Wage as of 2010: $15.92
Find patients' medical files for the dentist's purpose.
Prepare patients for the dentist's examination.
MOST IN DEMAND JOBS –
NO COLLEGE DEGREE REQUIRED
4. Medical Assistants: Wage as of 2010 $12.67
Manage medical documents, bookkeeping, and
answering phones
5. Construction Laborers: Wage as of 2010 $14.28
Carry out any kind of task on the work site.
Load and unload equipment and materials, set up
and take down scaffoldings, clean work areas, and
transport supplies to other workers, etc.
Worst Paying College Degrees
College Degrees
Starting Median Salary
1.
Social Work
$33,400
2.
Elementary Education
$33,000
3.
Theology
$34,800
4.
Music
$34,000
5.
Spanish
$35,600
6.
Horticulture
$37,200
7.
Education
$36,200
8.
Hospitality/Tourism
$37,000
9.
Fine Arts
$35,800
10. Drama
$35,600
Mid-career
$41,600
$42,400
$51,500
$52,000
$52,600
$53,400
$54,100
$54,300
$56,300
$56,600