Internet Services, Data Processing and other Information Services

Today, 850 million computers exist worldwide, 71% more than in 2000, according to eTForecasts, a market research form. By 2010, eTForecasts predicts 1.4 billion computers will be up and running. And, from 2000 to 2010, the worldwide share of wireless computers is expected to grow from 19% to 55%, which means that over 2 billion people roughly a quarter of the world could be online by the end of this decade.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, output by the Internet service industry is expected to grow 10.3% per year, the highest among all industries. Job growth projected in the industry from 2002 to 2012 is impressive as well, at 46.2%, which put it in the top five amongst all industries.

Computer Systems and Related Services

Thanks to an increasing reliance on information technology and falling computer prices, employment at computer design and service firms is projected to grow 55% by 2012, making it the second best industry to start and grow a business. The sector will also enjoy healthy output, growing at a pace of 9.0% per year. Solutions for networking hardware, software, and communications technologies will be a major growth spot. So will computer security, as "hackers" and viruses are anticipated to increase over the next decade.

Employment Services

Today's business environment is hyper-competitive and constantly in flux. To increase response time, companies have turned to temporary employees, in an effort to stay productive while managing overhead. This trend is projected to continue through 2012, pushing up the employment rate in this sector by 54%.

Interestingly, employment services will be a major player in the home healthcare industry, the sixth best industry to start and grow a business, according to our survey. Hospitals and other medical facilities will rely heavily on temporary workers to meet the needs of the aging baby boomers. All told, between now and 2012, the sector should see a healthy output rate of 5.1% each year.

Management Science and Technical Consulting

As the economy expands and the nature of business becomes more complex, the demand for consultants increases, which helps explain the huge 55% job growth expectation for this industry, as well as a healthy 4.1% per year rate of output through 2012.

Business consultants are projected to do well, based on the increasing number of businesses that will need help drafting business plans, budgets, and international strategies. Businesses also will continue to need consultants specializing in government compliance to help navigate the federal government's sea of regulations.

Home Health Care

While employment in the health service industry is projected to grow 28% by 2012, employment in the specialized home health care industry is expected to be nearly twice that, or 54.5%. Each year, over 7.6 million people are provided with home health care services.

There are two reasons for this growth: demographics and medical advancements. In demographic terms, the number of people in older age groups is growing faster than the total population. Secondly, advancements in medical technologies have extended the lives of the very ill and the very old. The combination of these two factors means that the need for home healthcare and nursing and residential care will grow.

Motion Picture/ Video

Today, Indians and much of the world flip through over 200 channels of programming. The movie industry has grown in a similar fashion, with single movie houses getting consumed by 20-screen theatres with stadium seating. Such a massive amount of programming requires a commensurate supporting industry of production studios, distributors, advertisers and engineers, just to name a few. Over the next decade, the number of persons employed by the motion picture and video industry is expected to grow 31%, making it our tenth best industry to start and grow a business.