Meeting planners are still talking about a new survey that named the profession the top business job for 2012 and 16th best job overall by US News & World Reports. But not everyone is happy about it.
With salaries as high as $76,000 a year, "event planning has become a highly sought-after profession," says the magazine.
But the news gets even better for planners.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 43.7% employment growth of 31,300 new jobs for planners between now and 2020.
U.S. News and World Report attributed the profession’s top-tier ranking in 2012 to factors including "favorable job prospects" and "strong job satisfaction scores."
Meanwhile, a recent survey by PCMA showed another positive. Nearly 80 percent of the 418 planners surveyed by PCMA expressed satisfaction with their jobs.
U.S. News and World Report’s "favorable" employment, however, struck what might also be called a "raw nerve."
One in every ten planners is out of work, according to new statistics. "I couldn’t believe my eyes!" wrote one online respondent, claiming 10 years of professional planning experience. Unemployed for nearly a year, this planner’s experience is of "very few jobs out there nationwide and hundreds of applicants for each."
By David Wilkening
